Why Hawks Coaching Challenge is Different for Goorjian

Brian Goorjian has opened up on the unique challenges ahead of him as new head coach of The Hawks.

The Hawks have had an offseason of change, with the new ownership group of Dorry Kordahi, Bryan Colangelo and Michael Proctor taking over.

Hiring Goorjian was the first of many big splashes The Hawks have made in preparation for the 2020/21 season. The six-time NBL Coach of the Year is the winningest coach in league history and is known for having instant success wherever he goes.

However, Goorjian believes the Hawks situation is entirely different to anything else he has faced before, considering he will also be new to the surroundings and the roster.

“Coming back, I have a whole different feel for what this is going to be. I’ve never done this before,” Goorjian told NBL Rewind.

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“Let’s take the (South East Melbourne) Magic, the year before we were the (Eastside) Spectres, we played Perth in the final. I brought that team back and I added (Andrew) Parkinson, (John) Dorge and (Andrej) Lemanis.

“When I went up to the office, there were more (offices), there was an extra one here, we were more powerful. I knew the owner and I knew nine guys.

“This is the same thing when we went to the Kings. Brett Brown had (Kavossy) Franklin, Chris Williams, Shane Heal, there were all there. I go this team needs a defender and a guy who has no ego, so I brought (Bradley) Sheridan and I just brought one player with me.

“When I went to the (South) Dragons, Ruffy Geminder, Mark Cowan, first class. This thing is all first class, I have Joe Ingles, Mark Worthington, Adam Gibson. I had a group of seven or eight guys that were already there and then I added pieces.

“This (with The Hawks)…new management, new ownership, completely new team that doesn’t know each other. You walk down there, coach, where’s the stadium. Coach, where do we lift. Oh, I don’t know, I’ve never been there either. No relationships with any person. Where do they eat, where do we…no idea. This one involves all aspects of the organisation.”

Goorjian did add the impact of Colangelo has made the transition a lot easier and is helping lay the foundations of a successful culture for the club.

“To my liking, in the team we put together through this process, I’ve never had a Bryan Colangelo,” Goorjian said.

“This resource is really special. This was the NBA Executive of the Year. How he handles a recruit, who you recruit, the intel that you get on players…it has made my job in that area so much easier.

“It has been a piece that has been really huge.”

Two key pieces Goorjian has brought in is former Cleveland Cavalier Deng Adel and the promising Deng Deng.

The Sudanese community plays a large role in Australian basketball and Goorjian was blown away by the attitude, professionalism and talent of the likes of Adel and Deng.

“I got to say a huge start for me was the Sudanese community. I did some workouts and I went, hey man, this kid is respectful, hardworking and talented as hell,” Goorjian said.

“Then we got Adel and Deng and then things started to roll.”

Alongside Adel and Deng, Emmett Naar, Dan Grida, Sam Froling, Isaac White, Tyler Harvey, Cam Bairstow, Max Darling and Justin Simon round out The Hawks roster, a group of players that represents the hard work done behind the scenes this offseason according to Goorjian.

“We ended up getting guys that are young, guys that have some talent and guys that want to get better,” Goorjian said.

“I’ve been so pleased and fortunate to get Cam Bairstow, Deng Adel, these are guys I wanted.  When I look at my group, I go we have come a long way.”

One member of The Hawks roster that won’t be active for a large portion of the season is Grida, who is recovering from an ACL tear.

Goorjian confirmed Grida will "definitely" sit outside of the club's 10 rostered players to start the season and The Hawks will sign an extra Australian as an injury replacement.

“If the season was to start in December, you’re looking at him moving around in January and be ready in March. That pretty much takes him out of this year,” Goorjian said.

Listen to the NBL Rewind podcast every Thursday night from 6:30pm AEST. Each week, Cam Luke and Liam Santamaria are joined by a special guest to relive some of the greatest moments in NBL history. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. 

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