I don't think Andrew knows that much about basketball. He is my all-time favourite sportsman so don't get me wrong - I just don't think he is that much of a thinking man's basketballer. He is too goofy.

Met him in China and he's not as goofy as you'd think. Switched on and very active on the sidelines (I expected him to be very laid back when coaching). Someone who'd taken more note of his actual coaching at a junior level mentioned that he had a way to go or could do with some strong support from the assistant's position.

I think some suspect that Brendan Joyce could be next in line, but I don't like that idea at all.

isaac, i cant understand why you dont like that idea reference joyce. Joyce is a proven coach who has had limited rosters and had success, as much as we may not like him, he is a successful coach and probone of the best australian coaches we have ever had.

Just don't like his style, the questionable inclusion of his son in the Hawks/Blaze, the Blaze roster he's put together (although wouldn't have been easy putting together a new team), etc.

style or not, he has proven success and creates plays and game plans on his team strengths which in turn his teams have outperformed from expectations, this is something we need for australia. Australia will never have the man power of internation teams and we need coach like joyce to counter act. goorj fails because in australia he has a star studded line up, international he fails as our players are not in par to our international competion.

Do we really want Daniel as the starting point guard though?

; )


Gaze could enlist Lindsay as a consultant.

Hang on, isn't Joyce the present assistant coach of the Boomers? Is Brian so dominating the show that Joyce doesn't need to take a small amount of the blame for the way the Boomers play now? If not, what is he doing there?

It always surprises me when people suggest Joyce as a viable alternative to Goorj. Joyce to me is the most similar in terms of style and tactics to Goorj of any coach in Aus. If so and the current plan isn't working, surely we need to broaden our horizons a little.

Gaze is not a coach and has on previous occassions stated that he is not really interested in being a coach. Not too sure if that has changed in recent times. While Brendan Joyce is Goorjian's assistant I don't believe (having talked to Brendan) that the assistants have a lot of input in to the decision making process.
Off the court Brendan is a nice guy but I have to agree with Isaac that some of his game decision making, attitude and even his selection of his son leaves doubts about his coaching philosophy.
If BA believe that the coach should be full time (same as the Opals) and not an NBL coach then some names that come to mind include:
Peter Stacker - had a very good record in the NBL and is respected.
Phil Smyth - let's face it he has a great coaching record. Love him or hate him he has the experience and understanding of basketball at the international level. He also has a more flowing style of coaching and let's players use their natural skills.
Steve Breheny - while he was the assistant at Adelaide he was very successful as Head Coach of the Canberra Cannons. Also has a lot of international experience.
There are probably more names that people can suggest and if you look at the current crop of NBL referees then Allan Westover would be amongst the front runners.

How about Gordie? He took Singapore to the finals with a team of misfits in their first season.

Worked well with the 2007 slingers who were ABA players with 2 good imports and a captain.

He obviously has a bit of guts otherwise he wouldn't have stuck with Singapore now they are trying to create and Asian League.

Obviously he is excellant motivator because you don't hear any complaints about not being in the NBL this season from the players.

Yep - Gordie for me.
And he has a WOrld Title to his resume which demonstrates his ability to conduct a tournament wide campaign.

I know someone who plays for Drewy at Tigers. I asked him if he ever saw him coaching the NBL team and he told me that he would probably only ever be a junior coach as he has the knowledge to teach the game and skills, but not the smarts to plan, strategize ect.
at a high level...


What do think about Marty Clarke?

He already knows most the guys that will be in the 2012 squad well, and he has experience coaching against international squads and at tournaments which, as others have also noted, is crucial in order to be successful at the Olympics.

Could he be an option?

What about Mike Dunlap as a stand alone boomers coach.

What about Beveridge? Didn't he coach juniors internationally?

Peter Stacker....where did you pull that from ANON12...Shite, there is a name even I have not heard in forever.

Clarke would be a massive risk given he has not coached men but he is also possibly the best equiped choice.

brendon %@#cking Joyce, at least our team would broaden there vocab.

Best equiped choice ? You seen him in the shower HO ?

The assumption that great players make great coaches is inherently flawed. Gys that are incredibly talented at something often tend to do the right things instictively on the court without much thought while the guys who are the next level down (Phil Jackson for instance) can't rely on their natural ability to the same level so are forced to play a thinking mans game to compete. In a lot of cases these thinking men make the best coaches.

For instance, can you imagine LeBron coaching a high school team? (obviosuly this is hypothetical as he's going to become a billionaire coaching high school hoops) "Ok guys, when you get on the break just run up and dunk it on who ever's defending you". His superhuman feats of athletecism are what make him great, I think some of his fundamentals are actually a bit shakey.

screw all the nbl coaches and recruit someone from europe like the socceroos did

noone in australia is good enough

goojian sucks

I wouldn't be surprised to see Goorj step down after this Olympics, so the succession is worth considering.

Interestingly, a lot of Gaze's commentary on Seven has been spot on, and surprisingly critical compared to his normal style. He has a lot to offer as one of the most successful international players ever. But judging by what most are saying here, he would probably be more useful as an advisor, particularly to the guards, than as a head coach.

I would much rather see BA try to attract a top international coach like the Socceroos did with Hiddink. I realise that the problem with this is that BA has an empty war chest. However, I really feel this is the only way forward. IMO coaching at the top level in Australia has remained static over the past decade and as a result, we have been left behind.

IMO, Goorjian has pretty much been the gold standard and no-one has stepped forward to challenge him since Smyth in the late 90s. Not surprisingly, with no real competitive pressure, coaching has not really moved forward, and it shows when the Boomers are still running the same aimless offence while their Euro/ Sth American opponents demonstrate how to attack with purpose.

Like someone mentioned earlier, a guy like Mike Dunlap could be an interesting choice, but I think it would be difficult to pry him away from the NBA, since he probably still considers himself 'on the rise'. The best way to go might be to identify a top US college coach, or NBA coach who is either ready to retire or recently retired. A guy like Hubie Brown for example, if he has not slowed down too much.

Whoever it is, they need to be a mould breaker, who can totally reshape the way our men play intl basketball. I doubt that person is Australian.

Dunlap was already in Australia before the Olympics helping Goorj with the Boomers camps so he has some involvement as it is.

Interesting Beantown.

BA does not have an empty warchest, its actually in much better condition financially than it was 6-8 years ago. However sustaining a high profile international coach for the 4-6 years needed to bring about systemic change the games structure here needs would empty the coffers.

The Australian coaching brains trust - Pat Hunt, ITC leadership ect is well aware of trends overseas, but implementing game style changes here is not just about development pathways - its also about the NBL, refereeing etc etc. The answer to funding this would be a 4-5 year commitment by the ASC, and probably to the Director of Coaching position. (read...gymnastics and some other sports)

It's also why it is so important that the sport can restructure as one organisation, where all are under the one pyramid - then the sport can influence refereeing, which impacts game style, and can impact on youth development policy for the NBL, which ensures the right players get in the system.

The problem with the NBL is that almost all of the experienced coaches and assistants are Goorj clones (joyce, lemanis, molloy even stacker etc) or they are coaches reacting to Goorj's style, as his winning teams have dominated the thinking here for so long. You are either playing that style or opposing it.

Interestingly, I would argue our girls program has built success because it has defined its own style, uniquely different to the rest of the world, rather than copying the European or SA style.

What about Phil for the next Boomers coach?

Will a top 6 finish save Gorj?