It's one of several the mastercoach delivered in a wide-ranging chat with The Mercury on Tuesday after he was officially unveiled as the foundation franchise's head coach.

It was the biggest announcement in the club's unbroken 41-year history, even trumping the arrival of Next Star and NBA Draft prospect LaMelo Ball last season.

Bringing the six-time championship-winner somewhat cooled the flame of discontent at the NBL's insistence that 'Illawarra' be dropped from the team name, but it will continue to simmer along.

For his part, the six-time championship-winner wants fans to know he gets it. While it's easy to recall his unmatched record of success, Goorjian has run the full gamut of off-court experiences.

The 66-year-old began his coaching career with the Eastside Spectres in 1988, a team that in 1992 became the South East Melbourne Magic in a merger with Southern Melbourne Saints.

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He poured his heart and soul into the fledgling franchise, winning a championship in it's inaugural season and adding another four years later. In 1998, after a 26-4 season, the Magic became the Victoria Titans after merging with North Melbourne Giants.

Having built the Magic brand from the ground up, he took it hard.

"I don't know of there's anything you can say but I just speak from the heart and say I've been through this and I know how it feels," Goorjian said.

"Personally I go back to the Magic days. I started with that franchise in the beginning and that brand became very, very powerful in Melbourne. It's something I was very proud of and passionate about.

"It broke my heart, but it was business decision to grow our supporter base. I've been around it since 1977 and in the NBL since day dot and, when I look at what Larry Kestelman's done in the last 10 years for a league that was on its blades, the guy's had to make business decisions.

"I came to Melbourne through Lindsay Gaze who's the Godfather of basketball and was one of the originators of the Melbourne Tigers. I played with Andrew [Gaze] who's the icon of Australian basketball and the Melbourne Tigers brand was powerful and strong.

"Now, there's no more Melbourne Tigers. I know myself as an ex-player there's a lot of emotion goes through you on that, but Melbourne United is now a very successful and powerful brand.

"I'll say to everybody, we're going to do the community proud, hopefully play a very attractive brand of basketball and build a winning culture. I think if I tick those boxes in my role that's the best I can do to help calm that situation down."

Having spent the last decade in China since he last coached in the NBL with South Dragons in 2009 - his sixth championship campaign - it's the business decisions made by Kestelman that prompted him to dip his toe back into the NBL water.

"Over the last few years the strength of the NBL has become really apparent, not just basketball-wise but off the floor and how it's run," Goorjian said.

"When I left the league after the Dragons season it was in good stead as far as on-court production, but the league itself was in disarray. In the last 10 years Larry has taken the game and really strengthened the ownerships and the franchises and made the league respected around the world.

"With this particular franchise, and new franchise, it's a really strong ownership group. I had a relationship with [co-owner] Dorry Kordahi back at the Kings.

"In all my years in basketball the worst year I ever had, and it wasn't even close, was my last year with the Kings [in 2008] when Firepower [company] took over the franchise.

"Through that Dorry and I became very, very close. When that season finished and I knew I was coming back to Melbourne, Dorry put his arm around me and said 'hey Brian, one day I'm going to get my own franchise and you're going to be the coach'."

The new ownership group also includes two-time NBA executive of the year Bryan Colangelo and fellow US investor Mike Proctor. Having experienced his fair share of dysfunctional ownership, it was a group Goorjian was willing to put his faith in.

"It's been amazing, even the fact there's been a pandemic," he said.

"I'm normally here for three weeks or a month but I came back in January because of the lockdown in China. It was obviously the first place it hit so I was on the ground and back in Australia since January.

"I watched the end of the NBL regular season, I watched the playoffs and during this ownership change in Wollongong Dorry and his group have been vying for the license and we've been communicating all the way through that process.

"I've been more and more enticed and interested and then I met Michael Proctor and Bryan Colangelo and that meeting and those Zoom conversations really were the sealing touch. This is a good ownership, Larry's done the right thing with the league and this is a nice set-up."

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While Kordahi will have a large say in front office operations, and Colangelo will have a large input into import stock, Goorjian intends to make the floor and roster his domain.

"I've always done that. I've got to coach the 12 players and I'm responsible for the team and the team's performance," Goorjian said.

"My whole time in the NBL the general manager was always in charge of filling the stadium and bringing sponsors to the team and franchise, my job was to put together the basketball team. With the new ownership group, that's what they want as well.

"You play to everyone's strengths. In Bryan Colangelo, I don't think there's been anyone in the NBL quite with his pedigree. His background and what he's done, his connections and knowledge is going to be huge in that aspect.

"He's going to be sizing up players and running them by me and he's a huge plus there but I see it as my responsibility putting this team together."

Having coached against the Hawks for 20 years, Goorjian says his team will embrace its traditional blue-collar mentality, but he's out to shed it's poor cousin image at the free agency table.

"In discussing it with the owners their plan is put together a championship team over time, no shortcuts," Goorjian said.

"I feel like there's not going to be any restrictions, we'll be like everyone else in the league. In all my years in the league Wollongong was always seen that way, as a team that punched above its weight with a limited budget.

"It's very important for the players coming that this ownership is going to give them security and they're going be safe and covered contract-wise and they're being looked after as far as their development and playing is concerned. I feel comfortable we'll be competitive in all those areas."

Goorjian also intends to bring in his own coaching staff, a process he's currently working through, and is already working on the roster. A postponed free agency period is set to open on July 1, but the club is hoping it will be pushed back further.

Either way, the two-time Boomers Olympics coach says he's already thrown himself into the process.

"I'm right into it. My staff is vital," he said.

"You want to start lean with people you've worked with and you trust because I'm going into a brand new environment. There's a couple of people I've had a great background with and been through a lot with that I know have my back, I know they're competent and trustworthy. We're working through that process as we speak.

"The second aspect of it would be obviously the roster. What stands out like a sore thumb about he Hawks from last year was the youth in that roster and the talent of that youth.

"You look at guys like Sunday Dech, [Emmett] Naar and [Sam] Froling, they're tremendous talents and something the new organisation is excited about, targeting those young ones and getting them back.

"From that point, depending on the re-signing, we move into who's available on the free agents list, who's available overseas. There's been a lot changing with the pandemic.

"It's a very interesting time and I'm trying to look at it as a positive that we have a blank canvas and we're free to move."