Chot, Tim welcome Goorjian

The Bay Area Dragons will play in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup starting Sept. 21 and calling the shots for the EASL franchise team is Brian Goorjian who delivered Australia’s first medal, a bronze, in Olympic men’s basketball at the Tokyo Games last year.  Goorjian, 68, is an American who is a naturalized Australian citizen. After graduating at Pepperdine in 1976, he went to play for Melbourne in the National Basketball League (NBL) and later started a successful coaching career. Goorjian has coached over 20 years in the NBL and 10 years in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Goorjian is no stranger to Philippine basketball. His father Ed, now 95, was the late Ron Jacobs’ assistant at Loyola Marymount University in 1979-80 and he has fond memories of the man who revolutionized the game here. Former PBA coaches Bill Bayno and Mark Dickel are also Goorjian’s friends. Goorjian will relocate to Manila with the Dragons on Aug. 1 and they’ll be staying up to the end of the EASL season next year. The Dragons will play in the PBA and EASL concurrently but schedules will not overlap. It’s the same situation with the top two finishers of the PBA Philippine Cup as they’ll also be playing in the EASL’s inaugural season to begin Oct. 12. The two PBA teams and the Dragons will play their EASL home games in Manila.

TNT and Gilas head coach Chot Reyes said he knows Goorjian personally. “The Dragons are very fortunate to have such a talented coach for their first year,” said Reyes. “I’ve seen Brian coaching first-hand. He’ll be a strong fit for the new club and I’m excited to compete against him in the PBA and perhaps in the EASL.” Ginebra coach Tim Cone said Goorjian is “a great hire” for the Dragons. “The legendary Brian Goorjian will bring an incredible wealth of international experience to the Dragons,” said Cone. “It will be a thrill to have the chance to compete against his team in the PBA and possibly, the EASL.”

The Dragons roster may be announced possibly a week before the EASL inaugural season draw in the Shangi-La at the Fort, BGC, on June 28. It will include two imports as EASL allows each team to draft a pair. But in the PBA, the Dragons will be restricted to recruit only one import of up to 6-9 11/12 or below 6-10 in height. The same restriction will apply to the regular PBA teams. Goorjian said the Dragons will be made up of talented young players from Greater China and some CBA veterans.

While in Manila, Goorjian said the Dragons will be available to spar with Gilas. Although he’s the Boomers coach and Australia competes in the FIBA Asia Cup, Goorjian said it’s not a conflict of interest. “Scouting is so strong in the international game,” he said. “In Asia, the game is more free flowing, it’s played at a fast pace, lots of speed and quickness and three-point shooting. The game is improving in terms of decision-making under pressure and playing fast without turnovers. We’re rotating coaches with the Australian team. Mike Kelly and Brad Davidson will coach Australia in some tournaments.”

Goorjian said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity of coaching in the EASL. “It’s the vision of the future,” he said. “With FIBA’s endorsement, EASL has become a reality. It will be the East Asian version of the Euroleague. I’m excited to be involved and this will grow the game even more in the region with more fan engagement, higher level of competition and intense rivalry among the teams from Japan, Greater China, Korea and the Philippines.” The Dragons will be represented by Italian strength and conditioning coach Francesco Berre during the draw.