FIBA World Cup: Boomers coach Brian Goorjian reveals how toughest moment paved way for Patty Mills’ Olympic bronze medal

Having had their gold medal hopes crushed by an all-conquering Team USA, the Boomers were a broken outfit before their playoff for bronze. And then Brian Goorjian delivered the greatest speech of his career.

Legendary Boomers mentor Brian Goorjian has shed light on how the toughest moment of his coaching career gave way to one of his biggest thrills.

Goorjian, about to lead the Aussies into the 2023 FIBA World Cup, said the Boomers’ Tokyo bronze, on the back of a remarkable 42-point performance from Patty Mills, was among his crowning glories.

But the harrowing defeat at the hands of Team USA in the semi-final that ended his team’s gold medal dream led to the most difficult test of his career — one he, of course, passed with aplomb.

“The toughest day for me, it was when we lost to team USA,” Goorjian recalled earlier this year at a United in Business function.

“I came down the stairs and I walked into the locker room and I’m looking around going, ‘these guys, (it was) gold medal or nothing’ and now we’ve got another game to play to get a medal.”

Boomers coach Brian Goorjian had to go deep within himself to refocus his shattered team after the loss to Team USA. Picture: Adam Head

Talent-laden Team USA had too much firepower for the Boomers. Picture: Adam Head

The Boomers had led Team USA by 15 in the second quarter of their 97-78 semi-final, a so-near, yet so-far glimpse of a potential gold-medal playoff. The dream was shattered, but they still had a chance at a historic first major men’s basketball medal — if they could recover and beat Luka Doncic’s Slovenia.

Over to you, Goorj.

“I’m looking at Patty Mills, I’m looking at those guys and where I went in that locker room is as deep and as hard as I’ve ever gone,” he said.

“When I came out of that, I know (Boomers assistant) Matty Nielsen tapped me on the back and said ‘I don’t know where you got that shit from but it was pretty good’.

“I had froth on my mouth.”

Patty Mills scorched Slovenia in the Tokyo Olympics bronze medal game. Picture: Adam Head

Patty Mills with his bronze medal spoils. Picture: Adam Head

Goorjian said it was talisman Mills who immediately responded.

“Finishing on it was the tap from Patty: ‘Hey, let’s put the ball here, let’s get Matisse on Luka’,” Goorjian said of his all-business star.

“He started talking and planning and here’s your best player saying ‘it’s time’.

“Everybody knows the finish of it.”

‘The finish of it’ was a performance that will live on as the greatest in Australian men’s international basketball as Mills erupted for 42 points and nine assists at Super Saitama Arena, accounting for a remarkable 64 of the Boomers’ points in the 107-93 win that put rose gold around their necks.

The Tokyo rose gold Boomers. Picture: Adam Head

The gun guard’s first bucket came on a pull-up three with 6.31 left in the opening period and the seven points he had at the first break gave little insight into the fireworks that were about to come.

Up one, 20-19, Mills hit a three to open the scoring in the second and, quite frankly, went on a rampage to the tune of 19 points for the quarter in a devastating explosion that gave the Boomers an eight-point advantage at the long break.

Another 10 in the third extended the lead to 11 and, while he had ‘just’ the six in the last, the damage was done.

In all, Mills’ 42 points came on 15-31 shooting (48.4 per cent), 4-15 from deep (26.7 per cent) and 8-10 from the free throw line (80 per cent).

When he wasn’t putting it in the bucket, he was making it easy for his teammates, dealing out a game-high nine assists, which accounted for 22 Boomers points.

Originally published as FIBA World Cup: Boomers coach Brian Goorjian reveals how toughest moment paved way for Patty Mills’ Olympic bronze medal