Goorjian excited to work alongside Bogut

When Sydney Kings' Brian Goorjian was hoping to bolster his coaching staff for a tilt at the NBL26 Championship, he didn’t need to look far.

Goorjian’s coaching legacy speaks for itself, but when it comes to playing careers, few can match the credentials of Andrew Bogut.

Already embedded in the organisation as a part-owner, Bogut’s move to the sidelines as an assistant coach was a no-brainer.

“Luc Longley was the one who, when the season finished, said we had a coaching position available, and he mentioned Bogut’s name. I kind of looked over my shoulder like… it never dawned on me that Andrew Bogut would want to go into coaching.

"Then number two, with the Kings,” Goorjian said on an NBL Now special.

“This guy could step, I feel like, into an NBA situation right now.

“So I picked up the phone and just covered a few things, like, ‘What’s ahead? Is this something that you really want to do?’ And I hung that phone up, and to be honest with you, this is as exciting as signing Delly (Matthew Dellavedova) and KD (Kendric Davis).”

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Goorjian labelled the former NBA, NBL, and Boomers champion the “future of the Kings”.

Coupling a six-time NBL Coach of the Year and champion with one of Australia’s all-time greats gives Sydney a huge edge over the competition.

“He brings a presence on the floor. He has an incredible basketball mind,” Goorjian said.

“And this is another thing about Bogut - he will speak his mind and he’s not afraid. He’ll hit you straight between the eyes. And I’ve already been through a couple of scenarios with him - if you say no, ‘I hear you, but we’re going to go this way,’ it’s onward and upward and we’re rolling.

“It’s full-on coaching. It’s something that you’re committed to, that you’re going to give the full you to. And for a lot of the guys that have played in the NBA and have the money that he does in the background -‘Do you?’ That was one of the questions I had for him. I’m convinced that he’s passionate, and he has goals that he wants to achieve in this. And he’s energised to do it.

“And then the last thing - bigger than myself right now - is the future of the Kings and moving forward. If you go to the past with the Kings, they’ve had tremendous coaches here - elite, fantastic coaches - but they’ve been like the imports. They’re hired guns. They come in, they coach, they go home, and then they come back when the imports come back.

“Our ownership is working really hard in the community. We’re into all the NBL long programs, we’re into the schools, we’re going every day from 9:30 to 12:30. We’ve got a Kings run with all those kids in it, and we’re doing a lot of development, a lot of work in the community.

“So one of the things - when I move along - the next step is we need to start mentoring. And the next guy needs to be there. So who better than Andrew Bogut?

“This is more than just him coming in as an assistant. He’s the future of the Kings. And I think that’s very exciting for the organisation.”

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Goorjian said Bogut’s impact stretched far beyond Hoops Capital.

“A guy like this coming into the coaching fraternity and being in our country is exciting,” he added.

“He’s a name that brings attention, and I think the NBL is starting to do that. It’s becoming international. We’ve got people from all over the world.

“When you say the name Andrew Bogut, it brings credibility to the NBL and to Australian basketball. So to get him in this and energised to be one is really exciting for Australian basketball.”