Goorjian looking to recapture the Magic with youthful Hawks

Featuring the likes of Deng Adel, Justin Simon, Justinian Jessup, Tyler Harvey, Sam Froling and preseason surprise packet Deng Deng, his is a roster brimming with length and athleticism. It also possess that other quality so prized in the sport of basketball; youth.

In fact Goorjian says watching the likes of Adel, Jessup, Froling, Max Darling and Isaac White go at it on the practice floor is enough to bring flashbacks to his South East Melbourne Magic days.

It's music to ears of the Illawarra faithful, but it does present one headache for the coach - getting his youthful group to and from training, with company cars requiring drivers to be 25 or over.

"We've got a lot of new guys and we had driver's licenses for four cars but you have be over 25 so we don't have enough drivers," Goorjian said.

"I've been out of the league for 11 years but that's what really strikes me about this group, our youth. We've got AJ Ogilvy who's experienced and been around the block, we've [Cam] Bairstow (30) and then we've got a lot of guys between 18 and 23.

"You look at Adel, he's only 23, Justinian's only 23, you've got Max Darling, Isaac White, Froling. Those guys are all 22 and under. Whatever the season brings, if we can keep the program together and build, it actually takes me back to the Frank Drmic, Sam Mackinnon, Chris Anstey [days].

"You get that young group that, if you add a couple of pieces to it, it becomes a really special team in three or four years. There's a real excitement to it.

"When we get everybody there and everybody healthy, we've got an athleticism to us, and an energy to us. I just really hope that our fans can see that and get on board with us."

It won't be a problem if Goorjian can replicate the success he enjoyed at the Magic, a club he built from the ground up in a situation not to dissimilar to a Hawks franchise with a new ownership group after going into administration at the end of last season.

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While consistency will be an issue for a young roster, there was plenty to like about Next Star Justinian Jessup's form over his first three outings in Hawks colours.

The Boise State alum top-scored in two of his team's three preseason fixtures putting up 24, 14 and 21. It shows why Golden State called his name in the recent NBA Draft and left Goorjian pleasantly surprised at the full package that arrived in Wollongong.

"We knew we were getting a shooter, and we needed one with the group we had, but he's more than what I anticipated in the other areas," Goorjian said.

"Justinian's very young, he's just out of college, he's a young guy, but he's a better defender than I anticipated, it's a very physical league and he's got a better, stronger body for this competition than I anticipated.

"He's just a better all around player, outside of his shooting, than I thought."