Original title: Gore became the head coach of the Hong Kong Bay Area Pterosaurs and once coached Shenzhen and Xinjiang in the CBA
Manila, May 12, 2022——Brian Goorjian (Brian Goorjian, referred to as “Gore”), a six-time Australian National Basketball League (NBL) champion, led the Australian national team to the first Olympic medal (Tokyo Olympic bronze medal) Merit coach, now has become The first head coach of the Bay Area Dragons. The newly formed team announced that Gore will be the coach for the next two seasons.
“I am honored to be named head coach of the Bay Area Pterodactyl and I am looking forward to this challenge. As the first invited team of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in 20 years and participating in the top Asian league, the East Asian Super League (EASL, “Dongchao” for short), is an exciting thing.” Gore said.
In March of this year, the Bay Area Pterosaurs and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) announced that due to the strict immigration control and restriction measures introduced by the team’s home city, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region due to the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the newly established Bay Area Pterosaurs will participate in it. The home court for the home and away games of the Eastern Super League is temporarily located in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and will participate in the PBA League Committee Cup as a specially invited team.
“Brian Gore is one of the best coaches in the world and he has a deep understanding of Asian basketball. There is no doubt that he will make this club very competitive. He has produced some of the best players in Asia and has The best team ever coached. Gore’s glory speaks for itself,” Eastern Super League CEO Matt Beyer said.
Gore has played an integral role in the development of basketball in Asia. He has coached the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for more than ten years, leading the team with a winning rate of nearly 70%, and became the first foreign coach to win the CBA Coach of the Year in the 2013-2014 season. In addition, he has work experience (assistant coach/consultant) for the Chinese national team and the Japanese national team.
“The Wing Loong team is very fortunate to have such a talented coach in their first year of existence. I know Gore and have watched him coach games in person. He will be the best candidate for the new club, and I am very happy. I can play against him in the PBA league and even in the Eastern Super League,” said Philippine Telecom TNT head coach Chot Reyes.
The Bay Area Wing Loong is fully cultivated by the top league in East Asia, the East Asian Super League. Earlier this year, the PBA League also recognized that the Eastern Super League is working hard to improve the basketball level in the region and agreed to participate as the first Chinese team in the PBA League.
“With Coach Gore at the helm, the Wing Loongs will become a team that all Chinese fans can be proud of. As the first Chinese club in history to compete internationally in a foreign professional league, our goal is to lay the foundations. , to create a top-ranked team. Hiring Gore as the team’s head coach is a solid foundation for the team to achieve its goals.” said Liu Quansheng, general manager of the Bay Area Wing Loong Club.
Gore will build a roster of top free agents from mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Chinese Taipei. Like all Eastern Super League teams, the Wing Loong will have two foreign players and one Asian foreign player, making it one of the most competitive teams in Greater China. According to the Committee’s Cup rules, PBA teams can only have one foreign player (height limit to be determined).
The Wing Loong hotel will be one of the most high-end hotels in Metro Manila and will provide the team with the best amenities and services; the game will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, which can accommodate thousands of fans Or SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Gore has led the Chinese Men’s Basketball Professional League (CBA) Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2018) as head coach and Zhejiang Guangsha Lions (2019) in the Eastern Super League as a coach. In 2018, he also hosted a coaching camp for the East Asian Super League, which received extensive participation from coaches around the world.
Relevant people from other leagues in East Asia also expressed their congratulations. “Brian Gore is a world-class basketball coach, he led the Australian national team to a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics not long ago, and was also a 6-time Australian NBL champion. Most importantly, he has a strong interest in East Asian basketball and culture. There is a deep understanding. The exchange with Coach Gore will improve the level of Korean basketball.” said Son Da-beom, a famous basketball commentator at Korea Broadcasting Corporation (KBS).
“With the inaugural season of the East Asian Super League, the Bay Area Wings will be a unique team. It will be an incredible challenge to build this team, but if only one coach can do the job , that’s Brian Gore,” said Xu Jinzhe, head coach of the Fubon Warriors, the defending champion of the Chinese Taipei PLG League.
The next PBA League Committee Cup is tentatively scheduled to start on October 2 this year. The first home and away pan-regional season of the Eastern Super League will start in October 2022, with a total of 8 teams participating. The champions and runners-up of the Japanese B-League, the Korean KBL League and the Philippine PBA League will directly qualify for the Eastern Super League. The Bay Area Wing Loong and the champion team from Chinese Taipei P. LEAGUE+ will represent the Greater China region.
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