Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n
Australian Boomers coach Brian Goorjian has taken aim at his critics and says he will be back to lead the team to Paris 2024.<\/p>\n
The Boomers ended their FIBA World Cup campaign with a 100-84 win over Georgia on Sunday night, but will miss out on the quarter-finals after losses to Germany and Slovenia.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Boomers coach Brian Goorjian.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n They finished with a 3-2 [win-loss] record and both Goorjian and his players faced criticism after the Boomers missed the medal rounds at a major tournament for the first time since the 2014 World Cup.<\/p>\n Goorjian, whose contract was reportedly to coach from the Tokyo Olympics to this World Cup, was adamant when asked about his future, saying he was \u201c100 per cent\u201d committed and preparing to coach the team in Paris.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve read a lot and respect everyone\u2019s opinion, but what I said to the group inside is that I\u2019m not embarrassed and I\u2019ll go back to Melbourne with my head high,\u201d Goorjian said in the post-game press conference.<\/p>\n He added he had \u201ca lot to say because I know what is going on back home\u201d in reference to the criticism.<\/p>\n Goorjian made some tough calls in leaving out veterans Aron Baynes, Matthew Dellavedova and several other players from previous campaigns as the new generation led by Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels had their first taste of international play.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at Giddey and say \u2018What is that going to be?\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s going to be really special,\u201d Goorjian said.<\/p>\n \u201cI like the guys we are introducing to this. You are caught in two minds on a few things [tactically coming in], but we are going to go down [playing with] pace and with a clear vision. I think we have the most upside of anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Giddey, 20, became the youngest player to lead the Boomers in scoring at a major tournament, averaging 19.5 points, and he also led the team in assists with six per game; Daniels, also 20, was brought in for experience for the future.<\/p>\n Boomers stars Josh Giddey (3) and Patty Mills (5) share a moment in their team\u2019s win over Georgia.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cI feel that this isn\u2019t a continuation of Rose Gold,\u201d Goorjian said, referring to the term used for the team\u2019s bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew when I re-signed to come back to this that I\u2019d have to do some nasty stuff and we would be in a position of change.<\/p>\n \u201cAs this group came in, I do think we had a chance to win a medal, but I knew with change, with inexperience, that style of play and playing together was a process that would take some time.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at the line-up tonight. We had three new guys who started who were major pieces and had the ball in their hands so to say the offence isn\u2019t fluid or you are missing some defensive rotations \u2013 that comes from playing together.<\/p>\n \u201cHow I feel and how the group feels is that there is an exciting day ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n Boomers forward Joe Ingles.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n Veteran forward Joe Ingles also made it clear he saw a role for himself at the Olympic Games.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an exciting group, a great group of guys and you will have to kill me before you get me out of here,\u201d Ingles said.<\/p>\n The Boomers coach also took the chance to correct a misconception that he could have used his head coach\u2019s challenge in the loss to Slovenia to earn a potential fifth foul on NBA superstar Luka Doncic, who had barged through Patty Mills; Mills was called for a blocking foul.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have nine NBA players, but there is a process to playing international basketball,\u201d Goorjian said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019ll use [ESPN commentator and NBA assistant coach] Trevor Gleeson as an example, a fellow coach. He was critical of a game situation that was very, very important with Luka on four fouls and not reviewing Patty\u2019s foul which was very questionable and could have been overturned.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you can\u2019t do that in this tournament. It\u2019s not the NBA [where such a review could happen]. There is no play there. I\u2019m a little wound up as you can tell, but I\u2019m fired up for the next challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Goorjian plans to take a break from club coaching and focus on self-improvement and watching his Boomers players after news broke over the weekend that the Asian team he was coaching had suddenly folded.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a shock as I was ready to jump to that, but it\u2019s a positive right now as I can spend time watching the NBL games, watching the NBA games and having a total focus on this last shot,\u201d Goorjian said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve done year-round for a long period of time. Now I get an eight to nine-month break to focus on getting better and the Boomers team so I\u2019m taking the high road on that. I\u2019m disappointed about the Bay Area Dragons, it was a special group of guys.\u201d<\/p>\n Earllier, the Boomers bounced off the canvas to end their FIBA World Cup campaign on a high with the 100-84 victory over Georgia.<\/p>\n Patty Mills scored 13 of his 19 points in a trademark second-quarter scoring spree, while Dante Exum (18 points, four assists) and Duop Reath (16 points) showed they are growing into key roles ahead of Paris 2024.<\/p>\n Patty Mills drives to the basket against Georgia.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n Exum was on the floor for much of the Boomers\u2019 best passages of play and stood up in the third term to help extinguish a run from the opposition, while Reath nailed his outside shots and made some strong plays around the basket.<\/p>\n Josh Giddey ended his first World Cup campaign with another strong performance, scoring 15 points. He ends the campaign as the youngest player to lead the Boomers in scoring at a major tournament.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a disappointing result for a major tournament, but it was important to us as a playing group that we came out, finished this thing right and with a win,\u201d Mills told broadcasters.<\/p>\n \u201cThe positives for us is that we have the Olympics 10 months away and to keep building from what we started six weeks ago into a really strong Olympics \u2013 you haven\u2019t seen the best of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Veteran forward Joe Ingles found his form as well with 10 points, five rebounds and six assists.<\/p>\n Georgia looked and played like a frustrated team after falling short of the quarter-finals, earning multiple technical fouls and having bench guard Luka Liklikadze ejected in the final quarter.<\/p>\n The Boomers cast aside their shooting woes from earlier games, shooting 14 of 31 from the three-point line including 10 in the first half, but their offence still had too many flat patches with 11 of their 15 turnovers coming in the first half.<\/p>\n The World Cup quarter-finals begin on Tuesday, with all finals live on ESPN and Kayo Freebies.<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Boomers win last game as Mills aims for Paris<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
Most Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n
From our partners<\/h3>\n