Adam Caporn appointed Boomers head coach

• Adam Caporn will take over from Brian Goorjian as head coach of the Australian Boomers
• Caporn has been an assistant with the national team since the 2019 FIBA World Cup
• Melbourne United's Dean Vickerman has been named Associate Head Coach

Basketball.com.au can reveal Basketball Australia have appointed longtime assistant Adam Caporn as the new head coach of the Australian Boomers as part of a new coaching structure as they prepare for the 2026 FIBA World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Caporn takes over from Brian Goorjian, who led the Boomers to a historic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, after he joined the national team as an assistant coach in 2019.

The 42-year-old, who beat out an established field of coaches including Atlanta's Quin Snyder, is an assistant coach with NBA franchise, the Washington Wizards, after stints as an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets and head coach of G-League team the Long Island Nets. Caporn was also head coach of the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence in Canberra from 2014-2021.

“To step into the role of head coach is truly a dream come true,” Caporn told Code Sports.

“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."

Caporn will oversee the Boomers at major events, while Melbourne United head coach Dean Vickerman has been named associate head coach, and will take the reigns for Asia Cup and FIBA Qualifier hit outs.

Caporn's rise in the coaching ranks follows a successful playing career starting at St Mary's College in Moraga, California - later becoming an assistant coach for legendary coach Randy Bennett between 2010 and 2014 — before spending time in the NBL with the Wollongong Hawks and Perth Wildcats.

Caporn was selected by a panel of experts as the new Boomers mentor, beating out Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder, 2023 FIBA World Cup winning coach with Germany Gordon Herbert, Melbourne United's Dean Vickerman and former Sydney Kings coach Will Weaver.

Rumours of Caporn's appointment started to spread through the basketball community last month with the news coming as a surprise to many, including our greatest Boomer of all-time in Andrew Gaze, who said on SEN's The Run Home with Andy and Gazey that he was surprised given the credentials of the other candidates.

"If it's Adam Caporn, that would surprise me on the basis of who the other candidates were," Gaze said.

"Gordon Herbert, a Canadian, coached Germany to the gold medal (at the World Cup), then you've got Quinn Snyder, who is the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, you've got Dean Vickerman, who clinks because he's won titles with Melbourne United and the New Zealand Breakers and then you've got Will Weaver, who's been an assistant coach before.

"Now Adam Caporn is a fantastic candidate because he's been with Brian Goorjian the last few years and I think he was there with Andrej Lemanis as well, so he's been around the team a long time. He coached as an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets, I'm pretty sure he was their G League head (coach), so there's some head coaching experience but I don't think it's extensive.

"He's very, very capable. I was in the selection committee a long time ago when we appointed Brett Brown, I can appreciate how others have opinions... but just from the outside looking in."