Goorjian flies the Hawks’ nest

BRIAN Goorjian has resigned as Illawarra Hawks head coach, opening the door for the NBL’s most successful coach to potentially return to Asia.

Goorjian elected not take up his third-year option with the foundation club after steering the side to the finals in consecutive seasons.

The 68-year-old, who recently brought up his 800th NBL game, will remain as the Hawks’ special Adviser for basketball operations, but will work remotely.

Goorjian’s long-time assistant coach Jacob Jackomas will step up into the role of Illawarra’s head coach.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my last two seasons with the Hawks, where we’ve performed extremely well and reached the top four on both occasions,” said Goorjian, who confirmed he had been approached by overseas clubs, which he is exploring.

“I’m extremely proud of everything we achieved on the court and look forward to helping the club in any way I can moving forward.”

Goorjian will remain with the Boomers, as his Tokyo bronze medal-winning squad prepares for the 2023 FIBA world championships.