The Sydney Kings are excited to announce the signing of assistant coach Shaun Roger.

Roger who spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach with the Illawarra Hawks, joins Brian Goorjian, Bill Tomlinson, Daniel Kickert and Angus Henskens as an assistant coach.

The Sydney native who has always maintained a strong relationship with Brian Goorjian throughout his professional coaching career, is thrilled for a new chapter at the Sydney Kings and Hoops Capital Organisation.

“I’m most excited about the prospect of going to work every day with a tremendous group of athletes, coaches, support staff, and front office to do anything possible to win a championship for the greatest fans and organisation in the NBL”.

Roger also spoke on the feeling of a full-circle moment, having worked for the Sydney Kings front office in 2020 before pursuing other opportunities.

“It’s a very special and surreal feeling. In 2020 I informed the Sydney Kings I’d be resigning from my role in the Front Office to pursue a career in professional coaching – the support from the organisation was something I vividly remember and am still appreciative of to this day.

“The opportunity to return to the Sydney Kings in a coaching capacity after 4 years away in Wollongong is truly a dream come true moment for me”.

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Brian Goorjian was especially pleased with Roger joining the coaching staff, seeing the assistant coach as a key for seasons ahead.

“Shaun was a target, a very important piece I wanted when building this coaching staff. These days, it’s very hard to develop trust and respect, so I’m grateful for having the opportunity to bring a guy back like Shaun that I have a lot of respect for.

“When I came back to the league in NBL21, I didn’t have many contacts after being out for so long. Staff helped me add pieces to the coaching staff, and Shaun was one of those pieces.

“Over a two-year period, I developed tremendous respect for his work ethic, integrity, and honesty. He became integral to our offensive structure and is someone who I worked and developed a close friendship with”.

Roger emphasised the importance in maintaining great relationships in sport as a coach.

“There’s an important balance that needs to be struck between providing a joyful experience for those involved, as well as demanding their best on a day-to-day basis.

“Strong meaningful relationships are the backbone of that rhetoric and I believe investing in those relationships consistently is paramount – the grass is greener where you water it”.