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Brian Goorjian

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south dragons...

assistant bill tomlinson takes over the kings...

well done to the goorj.... three straight championships, five grand finals, five minor premierships and 20+ wins every season six straight times... a great feat...
 
Goorjian coming home as South Dragons' messiah

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Stephen Howell
April 1, 2008
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BRIAN Goorjian, arguably Australia's best sporting coach and certainly Australian basketball's best, will coach the South Dragons.

The fledgling National Basketball League club has called a news conference for today to announce the appointment of the man it has flagged as the team's messiah since player-coach Shane Heal was sacked two months ago.

The deal is likely to be for three seasons and has been considered a certainty, despite interest from the US and Europe, since before Goorjian's Sydney Kings lost the grand final series to the Melbourne Tigers just over two weeks ago.

Goorjian's return is a homecoming that will make the Dragons, after a shambolic first two seasons, a championship contender to challenge the Tigers and will give the NBL and basketball in general the chance to reclaim the place it had on the Melbourne sporting landscape in the 1990s, when he coached South East Melbourne Magic to two titles and it and its "successor" club, Victoria Titans, to the finals each year.

American-born Goorjian, 54, who has Australian citizenship, retained a house and a holiday home in Victoria, and he and wife Amanda will move back soon, although Goorjian will be absent for much of the pre-season as he leads the Boomers to the Beijing Olympics.

Guy Molloy, who stepped up from the Dragons' assistant coaching job to be interim head coach for the final four games of last season, confirmed yesterday that he would be assistant coach, a role he filled with distinction with Goorjian for four seasons before he had five seasons as coach of the Cairns Taipans.

Molloy said it was disappointing not to get the top job but it was exciting to remain involved with a club that had owners committed to success.

"When the Dragons said they were targeting Goorjian, it was hard to see anyone else getting the job," Molloy said. "It's not as if I've lost out to a dummy."

Molloy is likely to play a significant off-season role because of Goorjian's Boomers commitments, a job the super-coach's Sydney assistant, Bill Tomlinson, did well for the Kings in the 2004 Olympic and 2006 world championship lead-ins. Tomlinson replaces Goorjian as Sydney's coach for next season.

The Dragons will expect Goorjian, a renowned recruiter, to bring plenty of talent to the team. Kings Mark Worthington and Jason Smith are likely targets.
 

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High Ryder said:
The Dragons will expect Goorjian, a renowned recruiter, to bring plenty of talent to the team. Kings Mark Worthington and Jason Smith are likely targets.
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What are their chances of getting these guys? Would love to see them get these 2. Imagine Dragons vs Tigers with worthington on dragons and lampley still on tigers
 
Absolutely brilliant news. Fingers crossed for worthington and Smith. This is the re-birth of basketball in Mel.
 
So whats going on with Heal now? Still playing or is he gonna leave clubs? Retire?
 
justthedukes said:
So whats going on with Heal now? Still playing or is he gonna leave clubs? Retire?
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All but signed on as the Gold Coast's starting point guard next year (His family lives there, so he's moved back there).

I heard on Born in the USA Ed was talking about Europe/Div1 college in NCAA etc and it all made sense for Goorjian, APPARENTLY he turned down a $500k+ per year offer from at least 2 European clubs, which seems extraordinary, but he's an Aussie now, his daughter lives in Melbourne, he made his mark here, and now theres a club whose owners tried to get him years ago to keep the Titans alive (Cowans bid for the Titans failed, he had promised Goorjian the coaching gig then Fiddes came along and killed the club as the Giants)

It just seemed meant to be.
 
Ingles, Horvath (now naturalised), Herbert and Burston are all signed up

Things on the up :thumbsu:

Very handy core group there.

Bruce apparently to sign up after finishing his American college stint, Smith almost a certainty and Worthington also a chance. Draper might too sign up as he is a massive wrap for BG.

Basketball in Melbourne is back to its best and how it should be :D
 

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Well my source which i thought was pretty good was wrong. I had heard was heading over to College Div 1 as an Associate Head Coach with Mick Dunlap. In the end i think that is where he will head.
 
Tremendous hire by Mark Cowan. Goorj will bring instant credibility and should be able to attract talented FAs down to play with South. Job 1 should be trying to re sign Jake Holmes.
 
sjsdu said:
Tremendous hire by Mark Cowan. Goorj will bring instant credibility and should be able to attract talented FAs down to play with South. Job 1 should be trying to re sign Jake Holmes.
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Think Holmes has already signed with the 36ers. Goorj will bring an amazing amount of new membership's though..
 
I just hope he doesn't bring too many Sydney Kings players with him. Worthington and Draper would be great, not Smith though, much over-rated.
 

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MagpieScouser said:
looks like my exile from NBL games is now over

bring on a dragons membership!
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hell yeah- I just couldnt bring myself to support the tiges- even when they got the chief. As a former spectres/magic/titans fan its fantastic to see the best coach to ever grace these shores back in the best basketball state in the country.
 
GETSOMENUTS said:
hell yeah- I just couldnt bring myself to support the tiges- even when they got the chief. As a former spectres/magic/titans fan its fantastic to see the best coach to ever grace these shores back in the best basketball state in the country.
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Hell yeah :thumbsu:.
I would expect our target of 5k per games now if we are 5th or so and 6k if we can be top 4.
 
sjsdu said:
Tremendous hire by Mark Cowan. Goorj will bring instant credibility and should be able to attract talented FAs down to play with South. Job 1 should be trying to re sign Jake Holmes.
Click to expand...

Hey Steve

I hope sometime during next season you can do an interview with Goorjian on your show (NBL/Born in the USA) on SEN, he is one of the most friendly and funniest guys around (I talked to him a few times when he was coach of the Titans) and I think he's be a great interview for the radio as well.
The guy has just so much passion and personality, and the Dragons/Tigers rivarly can only go up a notch, esp after his antics in game 4 of the NBL finals !!! :D

BTW it appears we've lost jacob holmes to Adelaide, but I'm not unduly worried, I just felt defensively, Holmes was a bit lax at times, and I think we the perimeter/shooting offensive style game under Heal will be gone under Goorjian.

I am pleased as well that we're getting rid of Cortez Groves, just didn't seem to gel with the D's.

BTW Do you think there is any chance the Dragons can go and snare Homicide ? Is he out of contract, he would be a great fit for the new dragons IMHO ...
 
celtic_pride said:
Hey Steve

I hope sometime during next season you can do an interview with Goorjian on your show (NBL/Born in the USA) on SEN, he is one of the most friendly and funniest guys around (I talked to him a few times when he was coach of the Titans) and I think he's be a great interview for the radio as well.
The guy has just so much passion and personality, and the Dragons/Tigers rivarly can only go up a notch, esp after his antics in game 4 of the NBL finals !!! :D

BTW it appears we've lost jacob holmes to Adelaide, but I'm not unduly worried, I just felt defensively, Holmes was a bit lax at times, and I think we the perimeter/shooting offensive style game under Heal will be gone under Goorjian.

I am pleased as well that we're getting rid of Cortez Groves, just didn't seem to gel with the D's.

BTW Do you think there is any chance the Dragons can go and snare Homicide ? Is he out of contract, he would be a great fit for the new dragons IMHO ...
Click to expand...

Rough Dragons team, totally guessing here but Ill work with Homicide

C: Burston
PF: Horavth, Hobba
SF: Worthington/Ingles
SG: Smith/Ingles, Herbert
PG: Homicide/Draper, Martin

They may go with only 1 import, unless they move Burston to the bench.
 

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