Former NBL player Adam Caporn, the player responsible for starting the ‘aussie pipeline’ at St Mary’s University of California which saw Patty Mills, Daniel Kickert, Matthew Dellavedova, Jock Landale and many others develop their games there, will assist NBA legend Steve Nash at the Brooklyn Nets this season.
Caporn joins Nash’s staff after serving as head coach of the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, last season. There he led the team to its second playoff berth in franchise history (with an 18-15 overall record) and gained praise from Nash throughout last season, crediting him for the development of the team’s rookie players. Caporn earned NBA G League Coach of the Month honours in February after Long Island went 8-2 for the month.
Congrats Capes?
Adam Caporn is joining the @BrooklynNets staff after serving as head coach of the Long Island Nets in 21-22, leading us to our 2nd playoff berth in franchise history and earned G League Coach of the Month honors in February after LI went 8-2 for the month! pic.twitter.com/vf0aTqRopl
— Long Island Nets (@LongIslandNets) July 6, 2022
Caporn joins former Dallas Mavericks’ assistant coach Igor Kokoskov and Trevor Hendry as assistant coaches on Head Coach Steve Nash’s staff. In Brooklyn, he will also get the chance to link up with fellow Aussies Mills and Ben Simmons.
Caporn arrives in Brooklyn with the team at a crossroads right now with superstar Kevin Durant eyeing an exit and the uncertainty around the future of fellow star Kyrie Irving following their first-round playoff exit last season.
Caporn and Hendry will fill the vacuum left by assistant Adam Harrington, who was close to Durant, David Vanterpool and Amar’e Stoudemire in Nash’s staff. This is the third straight season that the Nets have experienced a high turnover in their coaching staff. Last offseason, the Nets lost Mike D’Antoni and Ime Udoka, who coached the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals last season.
Prior to coaching the Long Island Nets, the Perth native spent the previous seven seasons (2014-21) as head coach of Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence and an assistant to both Will Weaver and Brian Goorjian on the Australian National Team, a position he has held since 2017. He was a part of the Boomer’s coaching staff which won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games last summer.
Previously, he served two years (2014-16) as head coach of Australia’s U19 National Team and was an assistant coach at Saint Mary’s College of California for four seasons (2010-14). Caporn also spent one season (2010-11) as a scholarship assistant coach at the Centre of Excellence, one season (2009-10) as head coach of the East Perth Eagles in Australia’s NBL1 and one season (2007-08) as an assistant coach for the Willetton Tigers in Australia’s NBL1 while still in the midst of his playing career.
As a player, Caporn played two collegiate seasons (2001-03) at Saint Mary’s and six professional seasons in the NBL with the Illawarra Hawks (2003-06) and Perth Wildcats (2006-09).
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
