By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net

Brian Goorjian wanted to make one thing crystal clear when it came to the Australian Boomers’ approach to re-incorporate Ben Simmons into the program.

“This is very important,” the Boomers’ head coach told ESPN.

In my dealings with Ben, it’s always been: I’m not recruiting you. It’s important for the country [to know], we’re not going, ‘please, Ben, please, we don’t have anything if you don’t play’. We’re not like that at all.”

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Goorjian continues to welcome Simmons into the Boomers — while being adamant it’s not a recruitment effort from the program — and feels as though there’s effectively an equal level of mutual benefit.

“It’s like, you’re fantastic, and you’re a great player and the country loves you, and the country wants you in green and gold, and our team does,” Goorjian said.

“But, in turn, this is really good for you. Because you get to walk through these doors and drop everything behind and be you, and play with your mates in a great culture. I look at it that way, that this is gonna be a really good opportunity for him, and that I and the guys on the team, we care about him. We want him to have a great career.

“You need this.

“And, in turn, if you’re Ben Simmons, and if you play like Ben Simmons on this team, with that culture, you’re gonna take us to somewhere the team’s never been. That’s my goal in all of this.”