Basketball Australia is today announcing that Washington Wizards assistant Adam Caporn has been appointed as the next Head Coach of the Boomers.
Caporn becomes the 10th coach selected in Boomer’s history and arrives as the successor to legendary figure Brian Goorjian, who departed following the Paris 2024 campaign in August last year.
A key strength of Caporn comes from a balance of tactical nuance and team development. He undertook a formative apprenticeship with his alma mater Saint Mary’s College of California before spending time as Head Coach of Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence from 2014 – 2021.
His primary focus at the CoE was to develop and elevate the game of Australia’s emerging talent, which included current NBA and Boomers stars Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels.
This foundation seamlessly translated into his role as an assistant for the Boomers, which he has held since 2017. Caporn worked in tandem with Goorjian over the last cycle and was a part of the team that delivered the historic Tokyo bronze-medal breakthrough in 2021. The West Australian now gets an exciting opportunity to take the reins.
"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,” said Caporn.
“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,” he added.
“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."
Boomers Olympian and leader Jock Landale commented on the appointment of Adam Caporn and future of the program.
"I'm over the moon for Adam Caporn as he earns the honour of becoming the next head coach of the Australian Boomers,” said Landale. “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.”
Basketball Australia conducted an extensive selection process over the last six-months, guided in consultation with a panel of industry specialists.
The panel, which included Boomer’s legend Andrew Bogut, Sydney Swans champion Michael O’Loughlin and Paralympics Australia President, Alison Creagh AM CSC arrived at the decision earlier this week.
Jason Smith, Executive General Manager of High Performance, who led the process, spoke to conviction of the process and outcome.
“It’s an exciting moment for everyone involved to announce Adam Caporn as the next coach of the Australian Boomers,” said Smith.
“If you look back on every stage of Adam’s career, he’s had a positive impact. From the Centre of Excellence to the NBA and his work as an assistant with the Boomers program. There’s a trail of success wherever he goes.
“This appointment speaks to Adam’s dedication to his craft and a testament to the calibre of the coaching pathway in Australia.”
In parity to the Opals structure, an associate head coach role has been implemented with Melbourne coach Dean Vickerman appointed to the position.
Vickerman will assume Head Coach responsibilities in the event of a conflict with Adam Caporn’s NBA schedule. The inclusion of the 3 x NBL Championship coach is a boon for the program and will provide consistency.
“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,” added Smith.
“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.”
The full composition of the coaching staff including assistant coach selections will be confirmed in advance of the FIBA Asia Cup, which will be held in Jeddah in August.
