Paul Goriss appointed as Associate Head Coach of the Opals
UC Capitals Head Coach Paul Goriss has been appointed as Associate Head Coach of the Seven Consulting Opals, a role which see him take over the coaching reins for the program when Head Coach Sandy Brondello has WNBA commitments.
Brondello, who has also recommitted to the program through to the LA Olympics, will continue to lead the program which also feature a coaching panel of Shannon Seebohm, Cheryl Chambers, Kristi Harrower, and Renae Garlepp.
“I’m always grateful for the opportunity to work with the Opals. The program has such a rich history filled with success and great athletes and I’m excited to continue to contribute to the future success of the program,” said Goriss.
“To be given the opportunity to lead the Opals while Sandy is not here is an honour and also a huge responsibility, especially with the FIBA Asia Cup coming up.”
The FIBA Asia Cup will be one of the tournaments Goriss will oversee, with the Opals seeking to capture its first gold medal in the event.
“We’ve never won an Asia Cup – we’ve finished with a bronze in the past three iterations. So I’m looking forward to that challenge and working with some of the players who are working their way through the Opals ranks and my fellow coaches as well,” he says.
Goriss has had an extensive career coaching at the national team level. He was the assistant coach the Emus team that competed in 2011 and 2013 FIBA U19 Men’s World Championships. He was also the head coach of the Gems team that won bronze at the 2015 FIBA U19 Women’s World Championships. He joined the Opals program in 2017 as an assistant coach, and was part of the silver medal winning team at the 2018 FIBA World Cup and the 2024 bronze medal winning Opals at the Paris Olympics.
The appointment comes off the back Goriss and the UC Caps agreeing to a contract extension that will see him continue to man the sidelines for the club. He also announced last week that he will not be coaching in the WNBA this season, as he focuses on his domestic coaching duties.