Beware Goorjian Factor
Tagged in: NZ Breakers
Marc Hinton, Fairfax Media
Beware the Goorjian factor. That’s the strong message the on-fire New Zealand Breakers will be carrying with them into Thursday night’s Australian National Basketball League showstopper against the South Dragons on the North Shore.
Not only do the Melbourne-based Dragons come to the Breakers’ house with the competition’s best record (10-2), and on an eight-game winning streak that has established them as early title favourites, but they arrive with their new coach Brian Goorjian having picked up right where he left off at his last stop
Goorjian was a master motivator at the Sydney Kings where his crafty coaching and inspirational urgings always had them in the title picture (grabbing a three-peat of titles from 2003-05). And it has taken him no time to guide his new club, the Dragons, up to the same level.
It’s a factor the Breakers are wide awake to as they contemplate a seismic clash between the competition’s two hottest teams.
The New Zealanders, with a 10-3 record themselves, can leapfrog the Dragons into top spot with a victory at the NSEC. But to do so they know they’re going to have to answer the challenge by the man rated a coaching legend across the Tasman.
Breakers and Boomers guard CJ Bruton has a better handle than most on the qualities Goorjian brings to any team he coaches. The sharpshooter ran the show for Goorjian at the Kings from 2004-06 and has also been his premier point man for the Boomers in recent years.
Bruton says there’s always one thing you can be sure of when you come up against any side coached by Goorjian.
“They always come with the intensity,” said Bruton. “One thing he’s been known for throughout his career is making sure every team that gets put on the floor is going to compete all the way to the end.
“With him whether you’re up 10 or down 10, you always know you have a chance to win the ball game. They’ll get up and down, because he allows his players to play freely, and even though this game means a lot, and he knows it means a lot, he’ll take that pressure off them and tell them it’s just another game in the season.”
Bruton is right, of course.
Just watch Goorjian in a game. The man is like a cat on a hot tin roof. He lives and breathes the game, and never, ever, stops coaching right from the first tip to the last sound of the hooter. Plus, his teams always scrap and battle as though they’re playing for their lives.
The other thing he always has in his clubs is talent, the Australian national coach long ago having worked out that it certainly helps to win ball games when you have quality players to motivate.
This year he’s got some fine ones at the Dragons, with young Boomers Mark Worthington and Joe Ingles two of the standouts. Big seven-footer Matt Burston is also having a standout season, and slick import Cortez Groves will have to be watched.
Likewise role-players like ex-Breaker Mika Vukona, point guard Adam Gibson and import Tremmell Darden. Goorjian teams are always deep and the threats many, which is something Bruton will be making his team-mates aware of.
“He keeps you motivated. Every day in practice is fun, and the group of guys you play with you have appreciation for,” said Bruton.
“You grind it out together, when he makes you go a little longer than you want to go, and at the and of the day when you’re successful and enjoy each other’s company it makes the ride so much more enjoyable.”
And Bruton, who continues to post impressive numbers for his new club (17.8ppg, nearly 49% from three-point land and a fraction under six assists an outing), is not looking to hide from the importance of this match which will be the first Breakers game televised across the ditch.
“It’s one of those games we need to win because we’re playing at home, and we need to keep our home record intact” says Bruton. “We’ve got a pretty good road record right now (5-1) but we need to win this because we know it’s the first one that’s going to be televised back to Australia.
“We need to send a message to all Breakers fans in Australia and also to the teams in Australia to show them exactly how we play at home.”
So a “statement” game then? But Bruton shook his head at that.
“It’s a game we need to win being at home. Having played a long time in the NBL, I know this is not going to make or break anybody’s season. But you definitely want to win.”
Bruton was also able to confirm one piece of news that should have Breakers fans heading to the NSEC in their droves on Thursday night.
After his recent injury scare, with back spasms forcing him to sit out the last home outing against Adelaide (an 86-96 defeat), Bruton has felt no repeat through the recent three-game road swing. (Though the club did confirm today that little-used reserve forward Adam Tanner was out three to four weeks with ankle ligament damage.)
“I haven’t missed too many games in my career, and the fact it happened shocked me as much as it shocked the fans,” said Bruton. “I’m ready to go out here every day.”
Never more ready, either, than when his old mate Goorjian brings his team to town. You know the smooth assassin at the Breakers point will have his sights on this one.
