New Sydney Kings coach Will Weaver reveals Andrew Bogut reunion big lure for coming to NBL
Will Weaver is an NBA coach-in-waiting but he says the opportunity to reunite with veteran Aussie big man Andrew Bogut at the Sydney Kings was too enticing to knock back.
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Will Weaver is an NBA coach-in-waiting but the opportunity to reunite with veteran Aussie big man Andrew Bogut at the Sydney Kings was too enticing to knock back.
The Texas native could have stayed in America to pursue a senior role following an impressive season where he was named the G-League coach of the year for the Long Island Nets in the NBA’s feeder league.
On top of a league-leading 34-16 record, Weaver has also built respected connections at the Brookyln Nets following his time as an assistant at the franchise.
For all his success in the States, including at the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant under Brett Brown during “Trust the Process” era, he couldn’t ignore the Bogut lure.
Weaver has fond memories of working alongside the NBA champion during the Boomers’ 2016 Rio Olympic campaign.
He loved Bogut’s basketball IQ, passion and ability to make others better.
“I don’t know a lot of coaches that could have watched that up close and wouldn’t have been excited to be on his team again,” Weaver told News Corp Australia.
“These sorts of things don’t come up very often.”
Weaver may be American but he has an extensive knowledge of Australian basketball having been a Boomers assistant since 2014.
He will play a vital role in helping the Aussie men break their medal hoodoo at the 2019 World Cup in China in August.
But for the most part, he is in Sydney to see the Kings shine.
Less than a day after arriving in the Harbour City, he sat down to share his blueprint for success.
From his time under Brown at the 76ers to the Brooklyn and the Boomers, he has assembled a thorough understanding of how to build a basketball program from the bottom up.
Now Weaver will lean on those lessons to transform the Kings from perennial underachievers to championship contenders.
“So in all the ways that it was tough to leave those past efforts, it was also exciting to know the degree to which they were going to support me in this new venture,” he said.
“I had candid conversations with Brett Brown during my 76ers days when we’d say, ‘man we are never going to have this chance again’.
“This is the most amazing chance to build something special that we’ll ever have in our careers.
“He was 50 and I was 20 but we both believed in it to our core.
“I then had another opportunity to do it again at Brooklyn and see and learn what it looks like to build something sustainably, thoughtfully and something that can stand the test of time.
“That is also what I want to do in Sydney.”
BOGUT GAME PLAN
Weaver wants to construct the Kings’ style around the veteran Boomer.
He believes Bogut’s defensive presence, selflessness and brutal honesty makes him one of the most valuable basketballers on the planet.
“Andrew is as a unique of a talent that I’ve seen, and not just because he is good but because he is rare,” he said.
“There are very few giants walking the earth that defend the rim, defensive rebound and more than anything communicate at the level that he does.
“So you start there.
“Why is Andrew playing for the best team on the planet after a several year hiatus?
“It is because that man is an absolute stud, so we will leverage that and build our program with that in mind.
“They call them (centres) dinosaurs in a negative context but I like having big old T-Rex’s standing back there and doing what they do.”
WARRIORS CONNECTION
Weaver recently toured the Golden State Warriors training facility to catch up with Bogut.
The Warriors had just beaten Houston in game one of the Western Conference semi-finals and they had banged-up bodies sprawled out on the gym floor.
“But to a man every single one of them came over and spent 15 to 20 minutes talking about Bogut, Sydney and the NBL,” he said.
“They each commented on what a positive impact Andrew has made to their team and how excited they are to have him there.
“It could have been lip service if one person said it but you just heard it down the line that he has had a big impact on the spirit of the group.”
Weaver says Sydney’s relationship with the Warriors via Bogut has extended well beyond the court.
“There is collaboration going on,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean we are talking to the Warriors physio daily but Bogues knows that he has got support.
“I’ll talk to the Warriors coaches to get an understanding of where he is at.
“It is always special to get a chance to see what sustained greatness looks like.”
KINGS IDENTITY
Sydney have struggled to establish a consistent identity in recent seasons but Weaver is determined for this to change.
He sees the Kings as a resilient team who regularly reproduce the basics under pressure.
“I hope people recognise that there is a level of doggedness, a kind of boring surgical, consistent effort that you see play out when you’re up by 20 and down by 20,” he said.
“We will strive to play championship-level basketball on a possession-by-possession basis.
“It is a lofty goal but it’s our aim.”
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