Brett Brown sends golden message to Boomers after being unveiled as coach
New Boomers coach Brett Brown says he has a ‘natural pairing with Ben Simmons, and that when the NBA star is ready to play for Australia the starting point guard job is his.
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New Boomers coach Brett Brown will not force superstar Ben Simmons to represent Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but plans to “give him the ball” when a decision is made.
Brown is happy for the Philadelphia 76ers marquee Simmons and those closest to the Melburnian to decide the best course, fitness permitting, towards the Olympics.
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“Ben has yet to make a statement in regards to his Boomers program,” Brown said.
“I believe that will be coming, I will leave that all to him.
“In the event that it plays out like we hope it will, I think it’s a natural pairing, he has been my point guard for the past few years … I will give him the ball again.”
Brown spoke glowingly about outgoing Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis’ program and success in the international arena, despite him not being able to get over the “hump” and medal at Olympic or World Cup level.
The 76ers head coach Brown said he felt a “duty” and “responsibility” to take up the Boomers job, an “honorary position”, as part of a potential 2020 Olympics medal hit-and-run mission.
“My sole mission right now is to coach the Philadelphia 76ers and stay connected to the (Australian) players,” Brown said.
“If there’s anything I learned over the years doing the national job is the first responsibility is to get the best players to play and nowadays that is difficult.
“Reconnecting with some of the guys … is most on my mind, I have not thought for one second what goes on after Tokyo.”
Behind the scenes, Lemanis’ strained relationship with Simmons prompted him to seek “fresh” change in Brown.
Lemanis knew there was no guarantee Simmons would play under him for Australia.
It’s a major reason why he reached out to Brown – who has a strong connection with Ben and his family as the All-Star guard’s coach at the 76ers since 2016.
Lemanis’ relationship with Simmons and his camp was never perfect and forever a work in progress.
In 2014, he decided not to include a then 18-year-old Simmons in the Boomers’ World Cup team, telling reporters “he wasn’t ready yet”.
Simmons tweeted that he was “’really disappointed” he was a late cut from the squad.
Separate to Lemanis, Simmons was also regularly at loggerheads with Basketball Australia over performance demands being rejected due to budgeting reasons.
These requests included a personal team chef instead of eating at hotels, plus extra recovery and performance staff like personal physiotherapists.
These knock-backs, along with his testy association with Lemanis, played a major role in Simmons not playing at the World Cup in China.
Lemanis grew tired of the constant battles with players, so he made the difficult decision to walk away with a year to run on his contract.
Lemanis led Australia to gut-wrenching fourth-placed finishes at the most recent World Cup and Olympics.
Brown will now put the polish on the Boomers in a bold, aggressive and unapologetic bid for gold, mindful of the next Olympics being an international swansong for stalwarts including Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Joe Ingles and Matthew Dellavedova.
“I’m hoping the inclusion of Ben and the surround cast can provide insulation to some of those fragile moments and enable us to get over the top,” Brown said.
“I’m not taking this job for any other reason than to try and win a gold medal, time is precious for all of us and this is a very unique moment in Basketball Australia’s history.”
Brown was granted approval from the 76ers ownership to take the Boomers job.
It was sensationally revealed last week Brown was replacing Lemanis for the Olympics’ campaign.
Basketball Australia refused to confirm or deny the landmark coaching change until yesterday.
Brown took claimed responsibility for the delays, citing a need and want to speak to all current Boomers and assistant coaches before making the official announcement.
Brown has assembled his coaching panel, including a potential “chief of staff”, with an announcement to be made soon.
“I don’t feel like I can be at my best … if you have to coach the coaches and the players,” Brown said.
“So, it’s going to be important for me to surround myself with people that talk my talk, that know what I think, that can be an extension of me.”
Originally published as Brett Brown sends golden message to Boomers after being unveiled as coach