The worst-kept secret in Australian basketball was confirmed on Friday in Wollongong when Goorjian was unveiled as the new Boomers head coach. The six-time NBL championship coach, who replaces Brett Brown, will juggle his Hawks and national duties as the Boomers prepare for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

It's something that Goorjian has done before. He guided the Boomers to the 2004 and 2008 Olympics while also coaching the Sydney Kings.

Goorjian told media at the Snakepit on Friday that he felt "nervous and excited" to return to the national role.

"If I wasn't involved in coaching right now, I wouldn't have taken this job," he said.

"I always felt, when I left the NBL, that it's a strong competition and I was under pressure in the play-offs, but I came into the Boomers [feeling] game sharp. Then, definitely when I came out of international competition and came back to the NBL, I felt sharp.

"But it's like any task or any profession. If you're not coaching, and you're sitting on the sideline evaluating and watching things, you lose touch. So I think the NBL competition is going to be very good for me in preparation for the Boomers."

Read more: Goorjian returns as Boomers head coach

Goorjian will be reunited with a lot of players he took to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, including Patty Mills and Joe Ingles. And with the likes of Ben Simmons now in the frame, Goorjian believes the Boomers have a great chance to claim a medal in Tokyo.

"When I finished with the Boomers [last time], I was just excited to watch them develop, a lot of the guys that I had worked with over the years and been a part of, and see how great they've done," he said.

"And now, to get this opportunity to be back with a lot of the main guys who were on that Beijing team that I started with and see them now, there's that small window, a lot of times in sport that you get, where you've got an opportunity to do something great. And that's the Boomers right now. Andre Lemanis did a tremendous job, BA [Basketball Australia] did a tremendous job to get this team to where it sits right now. For me, to come back to that group when they're in their great moment and having the greatest opportunity, is really special.

"There's a small window of about nine months to get the team prepared. But again, I stress that it's a very talented team, a team that we're all proud of, and that Andre Lemanis did a great job in setting the table and putting the team where it is. So thank you to BA and I'm excited for this challenge."

Basketball Australia high performance general manager Jan Stirling said Goorjian beat a strong field of candidates to get the role.

"We're really excited by the appointment. We had a fairly rigorous process and obviously in our country, we had some really high quality applicants but Brian was an absolute standout. Not only for his domestic and international success, but also the fact that he's been on the Olympic stage with the Boomers," she said.

"He now has the wonderful task of having nine months to get an Olympic team prepared and ready for the Boomers to hopefully take that place on the podium."