Brian Goorjian
Encyclopedia
Brian Goorjian is an American
-Australian
basketball
coach. He is the most successful coach in Australian basketball
history. In an NBL
coaching career spanning over 20 years since his debut with the Eastside Spectres in 1988 Goorjian has won six championships: two with the South East Melbourne Magic
, three with the Sydney Kings
and one with the South Dragons
. With a win ratio of over 70% Goorjian heads Lindsay Gaze
as the most winning coach in NBL history and became the second man after Gaze to coach 600 games. Goorjian was also coach the Australian National Team
, the Boomers, from 2001-2008. Goorjian traveled to China after he finished his commitment with the Boomers in 2009. He became the Coach in General of Dongguan Leopards, a growing team in CBA. He led the Leopards Youth Team to win Championship of the Chinese National Youth League in July, 2009, who only ranked in the 9th position in 2008. With a great success, Goorjian is expected to be promoted as the head coach for the senior team in the 2010-2011 CBA Season.
, U.S.
. He has at least partial Armenian
ethnicity. Goorjian first arrived in Australia in 1977 to play for the Melbourne Tigers under Lindsay Gaze. In 1984 he captained
the Melbourne Tigers
in their first National Basketball League
season. Goorjian's coaching career began in 1985 as assistant coach with the Geelong Supercats
.
Coach of the Year awards, in 1992. Three consecutive semi-final losses were followed by a second championship, and another Coach of the Year award, in 1996. Two Grand Final losses were to follow, however, and Goorjian again moved to another Melbourne side, this time linking with the Victoria Titans
.
-bound Brett Brown. What followed was a period of success unrivalled in Sydney's history. Three titles came in the space of four seasons as the Kings swept all before them. Goorjian, who had brought his captain Jason Smith with him from the Titans, coached Sydney to five Grand Final series in six years, despite being forced to constantly re-build the team after each season. He won his fifth Lindsay Gaze
Coach of the Year award (an Australian record) as the Kings went 27-3 during the 2007-08 regular season. However, they were unable to turn this success into a fourth championship, going down narrowly to the Melbourne Tigers
.
club South Dragons
, and signed Mark Worthington
from his Sydney Kings squad to join him at the Dragons. Goorjian led the Dragons to the 2008/09 NBL title (the club's inaugural championship) in his first season with them.
(AFL - 358), Tom Hafey
(AFL - 336), David Parkin
(AFL - 306), Wayne Bennett (NRL - 294 wins) and Tim Sheens
(NRL - 235). In 2003 the NBL Hall of Fame selection committee voted Brian Goorjian the best coach of the first 25 years of the National Basketball League. In one of the notable statistics in sport, Goorjian-coached teams have finished no worst than the semi-finals every year since 1990. He has also coached teams to a record 12 grand finals and won 'Coach of the year' on 5 occasions.
Goorjian is also known for his intense coaching style (contrasting the laid back style of his early mentor Lindsay Gaze). His former assistant coach Bill Tomlinson says the detail he paid to defence was notable, as was the emphasis on strength and conditioning which often made Goorjian coached teams the fittest in the league. He said he sat down for his first six games in 1988, which he lost, and has stood during games ever since.
He is known for a defensive style which brings success but also boredom to fans. It is perhaps an unfortunate conincidence but fact nonetheless that every team he has coached at national league level has folded.
Other Milestones:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Australian
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach. He is the most successful coach in Australian basketball
Basketball in Australia
Basketball is a sport played both indoors and outdoors in Australia. Basketball remains one of the most popular participation sports in Australia, having a larger participation base than Cricket, Australian Rules Football, Rugby League and Rugby Union...
history. In an NBL
National Basketball League (Australasia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
coaching career spanning over 20 years since his debut with the Eastside Spectres in 1988 Goorjian has won six championships: two with the South East Melbourne Magic
South East Melbourne Magic
The South East Melbourne Magic were an Australian basketball team, that played in Melbourne, Victoria, in the National Basketball League. The team was the result of a merger of two Melbourne clubs for the 1992 season...
, three with the Sydney Kings
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. They are the only team to date to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers two away from the record five wins...
and one with the South Dragons
South Dragons
The South Dragons is a former team in the Australasian National Basketball League . They made their début in the 2006/07 season and played their final season in 2008/09...
. With a win ratio of over 70% Goorjian heads Lindsay Gaze
Lindsay Gaze
Lindsay John Casson Gaze is an Australian basketball player and coach. He played for Australia in three Olympics between 1960 and 1968 and coached the Australian basketball team at four Olympics between 1972 and 1984...
as the most winning coach in NBL history and became the second man after Gaze to coach 600 games. Goorjian was also coach the Australian National Team
Australia national basketball team
The Australian national basketball team is the men's basketball side that represents Australia in international competitions. The team is known in Australia as the Boomers, an Australian slang term for Kangaroo. Australia is ranked 9th in the world and finished 7th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic...
, the Boomers, from 2001-2008. Goorjian traveled to China after he finished his commitment with the Boomers in 2009. He became the Coach in General of Dongguan Leopards, a growing team in CBA. He led the Leopards Youth Team to win Championship of the Chinese National Youth League in July, 2009, who only ranked in the 9th position in 2008. With a great success, Goorjian is expected to be promoted as the head coach for the senior team in the 2010-2011 CBA Season.
Life and early career
Brian Goorjian was born in Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He has at least partial Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
ethnicity. Goorjian first arrived in Australia in 1977 to play for the Melbourne Tigers under Lindsay Gaze. In 1984 he captained
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
the Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne Tigers
The Melbourne Tigers are Australia's oldest and most respected basketball team, established circa 1931 in a local church hall League. Entering the National Basketball League in 1984, they are now the only Melbourne team, after the South Dragons withdrew from the league.The Melbourne Tigers are the...
in their first National Basketball League
National Basketball League
National Basketball League may mean:* National Basketball League , the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia* National Basketball League * National Basketball League of Canada...
season. Goorjian's coaching career began in 1985 as assistant coach with the Geelong Supercats
Geelong Supercats
The Geelong Supercats are an Australian basketball team, based in the Victorian City of Geelong, that currently plays in the Australian Basketball Association and previously played in the National Basketball League.-NBL History:...
.
Eastside Spectres 1988-1991
Goorjian's first head coaching job came in 1988 when he coached the Eastside Melbourne Spectres. The team missed the finals in Goorjian's first two seasons (amazingly, these two seasons would be the only time a Goorjian-coached team did not qualify for the play-offs). In 1990, the Spectres bowed out in the semi-finals and the next year they went one better by making the Grand Final. They lost this final, however, and in the off-season Goorjian moved to the South East Melbourne Magic.South East Melbourne Magic 1992-1998
Success at the Magic came instantly, as Goorjian won the first of his six championships, and the first of his five Lindsay GazeLindsay Gaze
Lindsay John Casson Gaze is an Australian basketball player and coach. He played for Australia in three Olympics between 1960 and 1968 and coached the Australian basketball team at four Olympics between 1972 and 1984...
Coach of the Year awards, in 1992. Three consecutive semi-final losses were followed by a second championship, and another Coach of the Year award, in 1996. Two Grand Final losses were to follow, however, and Goorjian again moved to another Melbourne side, this time linking with the Victoria Titans
Victoria Titans
The Victoria Titans were an Australian basketball team, that played in Melbourne, Victoria, in the National Basketball League. The team was the result of a merger of two Melbourne clubs for the inaugural NBL summer season of 1998/99...
.
Victoria Titans 1998-2002
Amazingly, the agony was to continue for Goorjian as his two Grand Final losses at the Magic were followed by two more Grand Final losses at the Titans, making a total of four consecutive Grand Final defeats for Goorjian. Aside from being the only coach in Australian history to lose four consecutive grand finals, he was unable to add to his trophy cabinet at the Titans as two semi-final eliminations followed.Sydney Kings 2002 - 2008
The Sydney Kings capitalised on the Titans' controversial decision to part ways with Goorjian after the 2002 season, and he moved north to replace the San Antonio SpursSan Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
-bound Brett Brown. What followed was a period of success unrivalled in Sydney's history. Three titles came in the space of four seasons as the Kings swept all before them. Goorjian, who had brought his captain Jason Smith with him from the Titans, coached Sydney to five Grand Final series in six years, despite being forced to constantly re-build the team after each season. He won his fifth Lindsay Gaze
Lindsay Gaze
Lindsay John Casson Gaze is an Australian basketball player and coach. He played for Australia in three Olympics between 1960 and 1968 and coached the Australian basketball team at four Olympics between 1972 and 1984...
Coach of the Year award (an Australian record) as the Kings went 27-3 during the 2007-08 regular season. However, they were unable to turn this success into a fourth championship, going down narrowly to the Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne Tigers
The Melbourne Tigers are Australia's oldest and most respected basketball team, established circa 1931 in a local church hall League. Entering the National Basketball League in 1984, they are now the only Melbourne team, after the South Dragons withdrew from the league.The Melbourne Tigers are the...
.
South Dragons 2008
On April 1, 2008, Goorjian signed a three-year contract with MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
club South Dragons
South Dragons
The South Dragons is a former team in the Australasian National Basketball League . They made their début in the 2006/07 season and played their final season in 2008/09...
, and signed Mark Worthington
Mark Worthington
Mark Worthington is an Australian professional basketball player. He was named the NBL rookie of the year in 2006 and won gold with the Australian basketball team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games....
from his Sydney Kings squad to join him at the Dragons. Goorjian led the Dragons to the 2008/09 NBL title (the club's inaugural championship) in his first season with them.
Australian national team
Goorjian has coached the Boomers from 2001–2008 and was the first foreign born coach to hold this position. Under his tutelage, the Boomers qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympics, where they finished ninth, dropping five places from their 2000 finish. He was fired after an unsuccessful 2008 Olympic campaign.Reputation & Achievements
Having won over 400 games at a winning percentage of 70% Goorjian's record exceeds that of Australian coaching legends in the other major professional leagues including Kevin Sheedy (AFL - 365), Allan JeansAllan Jeans
Allan Jeans was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at its inception in 1996...
(AFL - 358), Tom Hafey
Tom Hafey
Thomas Stanley Raymond Hafey is a former Australian rules football Victorian Football League player and coach. Hafey played for Richmond between 1953 and 1958, and coached four clubs—Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong and Sydney—between 1966 and 1988, leading teams to a total of four premierships...
(AFL - 336), David Parkin
David Parkin
David Parkin is a former Australian rules footballer and four-time premiership coach.- Pre-football career :He attended Melbourne High School and during his time there, was the school vice-captain and captain of football....
(AFL - 306), Wayne Bennett (NRL - 294 wins) and Tim Sheens
Tim Sheens
Tim Sheens is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He currently coaches the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League and in 2009 was appointed coach of the Australian national team, the Kangaroos...
(NRL - 235). In 2003 the NBL Hall of Fame selection committee voted Brian Goorjian the best coach of the first 25 years of the National Basketball League. In one of the notable statistics in sport, Goorjian-coached teams have finished no worst than the semi-finals every year since 1990. He has also coached teams to a record 12 grand finals and won 'Coach of the year' on 5 occasions.
Goorjian is also known for his intense coaching style (contrasting the laid back style of his early mentor Lindsay Gaze). His former assistant coach Bill Tomlinson says the detail he paid to defence was notable, as was the emphasis on strength and conditioning which often made Goorjian coached teams the fittest in the league. He said he sat down for his first six games in 1988, which he lost, and has stood during games ever since.
He is known for a defensive style which brings success but also boredom to fans. It is perhaps an unfortunate conincidence but fact nonetheless that every team he has coached at national league level has folded.
- NBL Championships: (6) 1992, 1996, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2008–09
- Play-off appearances: (19 consecutive) 1990–present
- Grand Final Appearances: (13) 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09
- Coach Of The Year: (5) 1992, 1997, 1998, 2001–02, 2007–08, 2008–09
Other Milestones:
- Most NBL games coached
External links
- Video interview with Brian Goorjian @ fiba.com