Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman has been left flattered but hesitant after being publicly endorsed as the next Boomers boss by Australian basketball legend Phil Smyth.

Smyth told AAP earlier on Thursday that he would hand the Boomers’ keys to Dean Vickerman, while warning against a Brian Goorjian succession plan.

Vickerman, speaking after his team’s 96-84 derby win over South East Melbourne, wouldn’t confirm or deny whether he would throw his hat into the ring to be Goorjian’s successor as the national men’s team coach but he expects the next-in-line will likely be someone already inside the Boomers system.

“That’s nice of Phil to do that,” said Vickerman, a three-time NBL championship coach.

Asked about whether he would be applying for the post, he said: “Not sure. See what it looks like.

“I have never been in the window, never coached the Young Boomers.

“To me the pathway to be the head coach of the Boomers has always been to come through the system.

“That’s what Andrej (Lemanis) did, that’s what Brett Brown did, that’s what others have done previously.”

Newly installed Sydney Kings’ coach Goorjian told AAP in March that his Boomers assistants Matt Nielsen and Adam Caporn should both be strongly considered as his replacement.

Four-time Olympian Smyth, a three-time winner of NBL titles as both a player and coach, disagreed, warning “there’s a big difference between being an assistant and a head coach”.

“For mine it’s probably Vickerman, he’s got the record here in Australia,” Smyth added.

Vickerman’s resume includes stints in regional Queensland and NSW, as well as New Zealand and as Singapore head coach while Slingers’ assistant almost 20 years ago.

He won his first NBL title with the Breakers and has won twice with United. He also lost a tight five-game finals series to Tasmania this year.

Vickerman’s primary consideration is whether the extra responsibility of coaching the Boomers will be if and how it impacts his duties with Melbourne, where he is in his ninth season.

“If there’s an opportunity to be on staff or however they see it, this (coaching United) is my primary job and I want to keep doing this to the best of my ability.

“If I think that (Boomers) took away from doing this role to the best of my ability, I’ll make that decision as well.

“When you’re doing one full-time job, and when you look at that one, it’s a pretty big full-time job.

“Can you manage the load of those two things? I’m not too sure – it’s a pretty difficult task to take on two major jobs like that.”