Paul Goriss has been part of the Opals coaching program since May 2017, when he was named an assistant coach alongside Sandy Brondello's appointment. In February 2025, he was elevated to Associate Head Coach, a role in which he takes over the sideline whenever Brondello's WNBA commitments keep her away from the program.

Opals Coaching Career

Goriss joined the Opals staff in 2017 off the back of leading the University of Canberra Capitals to their most successful WNBL season in six years in his debut year as head coach. He has been ever-present on the Opals bench since, including as part of the silver-medal-winning team at the 2018 FIBA World Cup and the bronze-medal-winning Opals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

His promotion to Associate Head Coach in early 2025 came alongside Brondello's contract extension through to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, and formally recognized a role he had effectively been performing for years: leading the Opals in exhibitions and series — including the Trans-Tasman Throwdown against New Zealand — when Brondello is coaching in the WNBA. He is part of the Opals coaching panel for the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin.

Before his time with the Opals, Goriss had extensive experience in Australia's national junior pathway, serving as head coach of the Australian Gems (women's under-19 team) to a bronze medal at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship, and as assistant coach of the Emus (men's under-19 team) at the 2011 and 2013 FIBA U19 World Championships. He also coached various junior representative teams for Queensland North and the ACT.

Club and League Career

Goriss has spent the bulk of his club career with the Canberra Capitals (formerly University of Canberra Capitals) in the WNBL, first as head coach from 2016 to 2022, then returning to the role in 2024 after a stint away. Under his leadership, the Capitals won back-to-back WNBL championships in 2019 and the 2019–20 season, and he was named WNBL Coach of the Year for the 2019–20 season.

In 2022, Goriss's success with the Opals and Capitals earned him an assistant coaching role with the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA, a position he held through 2024 — one of only a small number of Australian coaches to have worked in the league.

Earlier in his career, Goriss spent ten years as an assistant and senior coach with the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) Men's program, and three years prior to that leading Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence Women's program. He grew up in Townsville, where he began coaching his younger brother's junior teams as a teenager, winning two state titles with the Townsville under-18s.