Brett Brown reportedly set to take over from Andrej Lemanis as Boomers coach for the 2020 Olympics
While he wasn’t particularly forthcoming with confirmation, Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown is expected to be confirmed on Wednesday (EDT) as the Boomers coach at next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
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Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown is expected to be confirmed later today as coach of the Australian men’s basketball team at next year’s Olympics.
Brown is set to replace Andrej Lemanis as coach, with the Boomers desperate to maximise the potential of their talent-laden line-up to win their first Olympic medal.
Brown coaches Australia’s best player and NBA All-Star Ben Simmons and rising star Jonah Bolden at the 76ers.
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The pair both controversially dropped out of the Lemanis-coached Boomers’ recent World Cup campaign in which the team once again fell short of a medal.
Brown refused to comment on the Olympics job when asked by local media on Wednesday morning (EDT).
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Brown told the Philadelphia Inquirer after 76ers practice.
“It’s stuff that I prefer not to talk right now about. Fair question, though.”
It is a major turnaround for Brown who admitted earlier this year he does not “have any desire because of time more than anything” to coach the Boomers.
Brown coaches Australia’s best player and NBA All-Star Ben Simmons and rising star Jonah Bolden at the 76ers.
Simmons and Bolden both controversially dropped out of the Lemanis-coached Boomers’ recent World Cup campaign where the team once again fell short of a medal.
Lemanis, coach of the NBL’s Brisbane Bullets, has been the Boomers’ coach since 2013 and despite squads featuring NBA players Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Aron Baynes, Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavedova failed to lead the squad past fourth place.
Brown, an American, began his coaching career in Australia’s NBL in 1988 under the great Lindsay Gaze at the Melbourne Tigers and moved on to helm the North Melbourne Giants and Sydney Kings.
In 2002 he moved to the US where he assisted Gregg Popovich at the San Antonio Spurs before taking the 76ers’ head coaching position in 2013 and, after initial dismal seasons, turned the team into an NBA power.
Brown coached the Boomers at the London Olympics before stepping away to concentrate on his NBA coaching career.
Simmons, who recently signed a five-year $US249.4 million contract extension with the 76ers, has had a rocky relationship with Lemanis.
In 2014 Lemanis 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 he was “’really disappointed” he was a late cut from the squad.
Simmons has since repeatedly skipped Australian squad duties, including the 2016 Rio Olympics and this year’s World Cup.
Bolden surprisingly quit the Boomers’ World Cup squad just days before departing for China and after playing in exhibition games in Australia.
Lemanis cut Australians with NBA experience, Deng Adel and Mitch Creek, from this year’s World Cup squad.
Creek was later added when Xavier Cooks suffered a meniscus tear.
Brown has a strong Australian connection to the NBL, but also experience coaching and managing NBA players.
When Brown was asked earlier this year about whether coaching the Boomers was an option, he backed Lemanis.
“I was the head coach in London, I was with the program for many years and I’m always happy to help Andrej Lemanis and Basketball Australia but I don’t have any desire because of time more than anything,” Brown said.
Basketball Australia have refused to confirm or deny the move to install Brown.
“At this time, no comment will be made about the speculation on the Australian Boomers coaching position,’’ a BA employee told The Courier-Mail.
It is understood a formal press conference featuring Brown was pencilled in for next week but the report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski blew Basketball Australia’s plans out of the water.
The Courier-Mail understands Lemanis has not been sacked but rather he instigated the process to have Brown return as Boomers head coach.