Goorjian proves 71 is just a number

Even at 71 and arguably the most successful coach the NBL has ever seen, Brian Goorjian says he’s still learning.

“I look at the game even three, four years ago. How the game’s being played now compared to how I was teaching it four or five years ago… completely different,” the legendary Sydney Kings coach said on NBL Now.

That hunger to evolve is exactly why Goorjian is once again heading to Las Vegas, joining the New York Knicks’ coaching staff for the NBA Summer League and immersing himself in a new level of insight.

“What I get from this is incredible… it’s an open house,” he said.

“To go and sit on the bench, be in video sessions, be in skill development… the Knicks take this very, very seriously.”

Goorjian says he uses this opportunity not only to sharpen his coaching knowledge but to reconnect with the many people he’s crossed paths with throughout his long career.

“I know for all of us, all these guys that have come to Australia and played. Jamal Mosley, who is head coach in the NBA now… Chris Carrawell played for me at the Kings. He's the head assistant at Duke. You run into all those guys while you're there,” he said.

“You reconnect with all the agents. They’re great people, and it gets you really energised about coming back and trying things, and you grow.

“It’s all applicable to us, because I always feel as though there’s NBA coaching and then NBL. I always feel in Australia you have to be innovative.

“I always feel like I come out of that learning something.”

The relationship with the Knicks dates back decades and began when Goorjian coached another Australian great.

“I have a close relationship with Leon Rose, a sports agent, over a long period of time. His first client was Chris Anstey, who was my player,” he said.

“From that point in time, we’ve stayed close and had a strong relationship.

“So now he’s president of the Knicks, and anytime in the off-season I’ve had an opportunity where I haven’t been with the Boomers, I’ve got to go into the Summer League.”

With the timing of his trip aligning with the recent departure of Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, Goorjian was quick to laugh off any speculation.

“No. That’s… yeah. Not, not, not, not even on the radar,” he said.

“It’s totally a learning experience.”