Washington Wizards assistant coach Adam Caporn has been announced as Brian Goorjian’s successor as the new head coach of the Boomers.
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Goorjian departed the men’s national team following the Paris Olympic Games last year, and Basketball Australia’s six-month search landed on Caporn, who previously served as Goorjian’s deputy.
Caporn was part of the team that famously broke Australia’s medal drought in men’s basketball at the Olympic Games by taking home bronze from Tokyo in 2021.
The 42-year-old is currently with the Wizards in the NBA having previously held a similar position with the Brooklyn Nets, as well as serving as head coach of the G-League’s Long Island Nets, and also boasts a rich history with many of the current Australian players making waves overseas.
Caporn was head coach at Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence from 2014 to 2021 where he worked with the nation’s emerging talents included the likes of Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels.
“It is an incredible honour to be part of the Boomers program. To step into the role of head coach is truly a dream come true,” Caporn said in a statement issued by Basketball Australia.
“I am deeply grateful to Basketball Australia for their trust in me and to the entire Australian basketball community for the invaluable experiences and opportunities I’ve had from grassroots development to the Olympic stage.
“I want to extend a special thank you to Andrej Lemanis and Brian Goorjian for bringing me into the Boomers coaching staff – your mentorship and contributions to this program have been truly inspiring.
“I’m excited to get to work, building a team that will represent Australia with pride and continue to strengthen the Boomers’ great legacy and culture.”
Olympian and Houston Rockets centre Jock Landale shared his excitement at Caporn’s appointment also in the statement.
“I’m over the moon for Adam Caporn as he earns the honour of becoming the next head coach of the Australian Boomers,” Landale said.
“He represents everything it is to be a Boomer and a leader of this program. He’s been with us through every success and shortfall and his character makes him a fitting successor to Brian Goorjian.
“Adam has the intangibles of everything we need to lead us back to the podium and go further than we have before. He has intelligence and expertise on the court and has earned the respect of the group. We’re excited for what’s to come.”
The first big assignment Caporn will be handed is the FIBA Asia Cup, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in August.
But the announcement also revealed that he will not relinquishing his role with the Wizards.
Mirroring Opals head coach Sandy Brondello, who doubles national team duties with coaching the WNBA’s New York Liberty, an associate head coach has been appointed with Melbourne United’s Dean Vickerman named.
The three-time NBL Championship winning coach will take on Head Coach responsibilities for the Boomers if their is a schedule clash with Capron’s NBA commitments.
“We’ve established an elite spine to the coaching structure that will give us the ability to adapt to the challenges but also the opportunities that come with international schedules,” Basketball Australia’s Executive General Manager of High Performance Jason Smith said.
“It’s a modern era and the Boomers are a global program. The system is interconnected from the pathways and integrated into a global scale of teams and players. It’s more than a team of 12, every single player that wears the jersey is contributing to the success of the program. The new structure has been designed to reflect that.”
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