BOLOGNA, Italy – What would you do after marrying and going on a honeymoon? Probably relaxing before going back to working duties, right? Well, that was what Isaia Cordinier probably had in mind.

But then the call from Vincent Collet came. “Knowing that I wasn’t making the roster for the national team, I had the time to do basically everything I wanted to. I had my wedding, one of my best friend’s wedding, went on honeymoon as well, and then got the call from the national team too”, the French small forward commented to Eurohoops during Virtus Bologna’s EuroLeague Media Day.

The 27-year-old player was called up to replace the injured Frank Ntilikina and had the experience of his first-ever major International tournament with the French national team, playing in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where he averaged 7.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.

However, France couldn’t advance to the Final Phase, as they lost against both Canada and Latvia in Jakarta’s Group H, ending the tournament in 18th place. “It was kinda crazy, but I tried to enjoy every second of it, taking advantage of the opportunity that came, joining the national team despite the circumstances of having an injured brother. It turned from a dream to a nightmare really quickly, because of our performance in the World Cup, but it is what it is. I think it surely gonna help us for the next competition”, the former Nanterre 92’s player added.

Despite the final and sad outcome for France, he had the opportunity to play his first FIBA World Cup, bringing something home even though the circumstances weren’t ideal. “The best thing I learned is to not take anything for granted. It sounds very simple, but with the French national team we fought hard to reach the top levels, and as soon as you unconsciously relax a bit, this will come right back at you quickly”, he confessed to Eurohoops.

Another problem came for Vincent Collet’s national team, as the lack of motivation when playing the classification games was evident. “My personal situation when I got called up and had to be there, trying to perform and lose, but you’re still there: you have to play ranking games that nobody wants to play, but at the end of the day it’s basketball, and when you get there on those four lines you have to try anything to win. Despite the fucked up situation we had: nobody wanted to play those ranking games. But still, play, it’s still our passion”, Isaia Cordinier finally stated on his summer with France.

One eye in Virtus and the other at home

Touching once more on the French national team’s failure at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, one topic to be considered around what the future looks like for this country is related to the growth of its domestic league, the LNB. “The only way is up. We have to look forward, to look up and keep growing”, Isaia Cordiner first stated on it, having played at home for the first nine years of his professional career.

The small forward previously played for the Antibes Sharks, ALM Évreux, Denain-Voltaire, and Nanterre 92, catching a lot of attention all throughout Europe. “We’re probably the nation that gives the most talent out of their country: to the NBA, EuroLeague, and everywhere. In France, we have the chance to have this kind of talent, and the league needs to follow”, he said before praising the work of some French organizations.

“With teams like AS Monaco, ASVEL, and Paris Basketball, it’s going in the right direction, because they’re the face of the league, and they can show example by growing the professionalism of the teams”, he added. “The LNB needs to follow as well: they need to make smart decisions to let the league grow. If you want to shine on the highest levels, whether it’s EuroCup, BCL, or EuroLeague, the league that you’re in has to allow you to be efficient, to be bigger, and to perform, giving the best teams that are doing the job the opportunities to do it”, Isaia Cordiner also commented.

Most importantly, this will be his third season with Virtus Bologna, after coming to Italy in October 2021 to help Sergio Scariolo’s team make a statement in the EuroCup, winning it all against Frutti Extra Bursaspor to make the jump to the EuroLeague.

In his first season with the black-and-white team in the most prestigious European competition, Isaia Cordinier struggled with injuries and could play only 19 games, averaging 6.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

A new era with Luca Banchi on the bench is opening now. “It was a crazy last few days here, but the main focus will be on us. How we build the energy, the chemistry, and how we work basically on a daily basis to be ready to perform and go against anybody. That’s our mindset, the way we approach every practice and every game. We prepare to be ready and beat anybody”, the French player commented.

Only a few days after these words, Virtus Bologna won the first Italian derby of the season against Milano and dismantled Brescia in the final of the 2023 Italian Supercup, winning the third consecutive after being champions in 2021 and 2022 as well.

Isaia Cordinier contributed with 11.0 points per game in the two encounters, always bringing energy to Luca Banchi’s team. Talking about the newest Virtus Bologna’s head coach, Isaia Cordinier had nothing but great words. “It’s good to see how he approaches the game and how he approaches the chemistry of the team. I’m looking forward to building with him and with the guys out there on the floor, trying to be as confident as we can”, he said.

Being included by the Latvian national team’s head coach in the list of players from whom he expects a stepping-up personality-wise, Isaia Cordinier feels more than ready to go with Virtus Bologna in both LBA and Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. “I had a good summer and a good preparation, so I’m ready for the challenge and for what’s coming in the new season”, he finally stated ahead of the 2023-24 season.

 

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Un post condiviso da Isaïa Cordinier (@izaycordinier)

PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna

The post Isaia Cordinier on the World Cup with France, growth of the LNB, stepping up in Bologna appeared first on Eurohoops.

The Eurohoops European Domestic Leagues ranking is back again and this time, strange as it seems, there’s only one change in the ladder compared to last season, proving two things.

First, we probably got it right and secondly, the status quo in most domestic leagues is stagnant, or the moves made are not really noteworthy.

This applies also to leagues that are trying to make it to the Top 10 but are not near that level yet, like BBL and BNXT League. Especially in the UK, the league is trying hard to make a push on marketing terms but with the noted exception of the London Lions, the rest of the teams don’t seem ready to make any kind of significant jump.

Once more the VTB is out since the Russian teams are still banned from every other competition, however, Zenit St. Petersburg still has a EuroLeague-level roster, and traditional European powers like CSKA, Lokomotiv, and UNICS are waiting for their return to the main stage in order to start spending again.

With that being said, there’s a significant change in the French ProA thanks to the deal with SKWEEK which extends to 2030. It has to be noted that SKWEEK belongs to FEDCOM, the owner of Monaco. Still, the way the league handled the Wembanyama phenomenon last season, left a sour taste. If that changes, then the French can make an even bigger jump.

OVERALL RANKING

1. ACB Liga Endesa – Spain (-)
2. BSL – Turkey (-)
3. Lega Basket Serie A– Italy (-)
4. Betclic ELITE ProA – France (-)
5. easyCredit BBL -Germany (-)
6. HEBA Basket League – Greece (+1)
7. AdmiralBet ABA League (-1)
8. Winner’s League – Israel (-)
9. Betsafe LKL – Lithuania (-)
10. Orlen Basket Liga – Poland (-)

1. ACB Liga Endesa

The Spanish league is practically untouchable by everyone else by any standard. With that being said, the league management must make a conscious effort to get a better price for their television rights and provide a solid stream of revenue to the teams.

Of course, this is not easy, nor news, and the league is trying to make this happen. The “product” after all is top class and you can make a case that the ACB is even better than the BCL or the EuroCup as a tournament.

2. BSL

Despite the financial crisis in Turkey, the league still remains a solid destination for quality players and has clubs either established in Europe like Fenerbahce and Anadolu Efes, or with huge untapped potential like Galatasaray and Besiktas.

Add to the mix teams like Karsiyaka and Turk Telekom Ankara and you have a league that can still be considered as solid as it gets, despite the fact that not a long time ago the Turks were ready to challenge Spain for the top.

3. Lega Basket Serie A

Since last season Italy has emerged again after many years of questions, having two solid EuroLeague clubs in Milan and Virtus Bologna. However, the main point remains that Italy as a league in total has become attractive to good players and even “small” clubs are presenting something interesting.

It’s a far cry from the 80s and the 90s when Italy was in the run for the title of the “best domestic league” in Europe and there have been some pretty bad results in European competition by Italian teams, however, the league is a whole remains at least one step in front of their two main competitors, who follow in the ranking.

4. Betclic ELITE ProA

Kemba Walker. That name should be enough to explain why the French are hoping to get in the near future even part of the top 3 leagues – or higher – but France remains a very peculiar animal.

The main reason they keep the fourth spot is the new deal with the new streaming service Skweek, which is a breath of fresh air, especially on financial terms for a country that has already Monaco and ASVEL representing them in the EuroLeague.  What France is still missing more than Italy is national interest for the sport and that’s the huge bet they have to win in order to make the next step.

On top of that, the fact that somebody in the league sold the streaming rights of last season – practically of Victor Wembanyama – to the NBA for just 133,000 euros will go down as arguably the most underrated rights sale ever.

5. easyCredit BBL

The Germans have established themselves for the second year in the Top 5 and they are also the World Champions. So why not higher? After all, Laso’s Bayern will be one of the most interesting teams of the season in Europe and Bonn won the BCL.

The explanation is quite easy. Bonn won the BCL only to lose their coach and their MVP to Paris, there’s still a lack of big names in the league with Serge Ibaka being the very notable exception, and last but not least, like in France, the national interest is debatable. Yes, the Germans are World Champions, but it’s a bit awkward to hear in the official press conference after the final that they just hope to get coverage from their national broadcasting company.

6. HEBA Basket League

Greek league is always a mixed bag, however, there are two things that pushed them just over their Balkan neighbors. This year the league ended up having just 12 teams since both clubs promoted from the second division were not ready for the jump. The league compensated for that in the schedule by adding play-ins for the playoffs and playouts for the relegation.

This might end up being a blessing in disguise (or not). What nobody can’t deny however is the fact that Panathinaikos went nuts this summer and suddenly you have two potential EuroLeague title contenders again fighting for supremacy.

7. AdmiralBet ABA

The talent of the area is undeniable, and the interest too, while both Partizan and Crvena Zvezda are aiming high this year with both teams having EuroLeague Final Four ambitions. But ABA lost a spot first because the Greek league thanks to the new version of Panathinaikos is really intriguing and also because, at the bottom of this 14-club league, there are huge financial issues.

To be exact, just months after the news of Cibona having a new – foreign – ownership, the historic club which was home to legendary Drazen Petrovic, faced the danger of bankruptcy and starts the season having a roster of just seven adult players.

8. Winner’s League

Israel has some great clubs, but not a good league. The league practically waits for Maccabi Tel Aviv to set the tone, Hapoel Jerusalem tries to follow, and there are good US import players for most of the rest of the clubs. However, since this is Maccabi’s country and throughout the years there have been very few challengers, realistically you can’t expect Israel to get better than the 8th spot, unless one of the better leagues in bigger countries or with more top-level clubs, somehow collapse.

9. Betsafe LKL

Pretty much the situation is the same for Lithuania. This is the only country in the list in which basketball is clearly the no.1 sport, but it’s also a country of less than three million population.

Plus, like in the case of Maccabi, the league is a one-horse race for Zalgiris Kaunas with very rare exceptions.

10. Orlen Basket Liga

Poland sneaked into the list because VTB is out, as the sport is still riding the wave of the recent successes of the national team. On the other hand, neither Slask Wroclaw nor Legia Warszaw managed to rise to the occasion of playing in European competitions last year.

However, compared to the other domestic leagues, they still belong in the Top 10.

The post Domestic Leagues Top10: The French hope appeared first on Eurohoops.

Dusan Alimpijevic taking over the reins of Besiktas Emlakjet follows the successful spell at Frutti Extra Bursaspor. The three-year run included the EuroCup Coach of the Year award in 2022, on the heels of reaching the championship game of 7DAYS EuroCup with the Bursa outfit.

Alimpijevic, 37, opened up to Eurohoops in a lengthy interview ahead of the 2023-24 season. Plenty of topics ranging from the circumstances in leaving Bursaspor and the selections for the 2023-24 squad of Besiktas Emlakjet to national teams and more.

The team based in Istanbul is set to participate in the BKT EuroCup and Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi.

“They skipped to say what happened there”

Q: First of all, we have to start with your previous experience. You left Bursaspor but in one of your interviews, you mentioned that it wasn’t told correctly. Can you explain this story from your side? 

C: This is in the past right now. We are not talking too much about the past, we are talking about today and the future. I don’t want to make any comments about these previous things. The only comment that I have is they skipped to say what happened there. I was told by the club via my agent to help them get out of my contract. Derek Needham has the same situation too because we had a guaranteed contract then. They wanted to move on with something else.

At that time, I had some interviews with other clubs, and even with EuroLeague clubs, I had negotiations. To be honest, Besiktas was so concrete about their offer. The team’s GM and some people from the club came to Belgrade to meet with me. They showed the highest level of professionalism. I thought that this was the best option for me. The only thing I can say about the past is that I was a little bit disappointed that no one said anything about what happened. I’m not a person who wants to explain everything. I will let the time say it for myself. Truths will come out and everybody will know what happened there.

“I wanted to change the mindset from the beginning”

Q: Now, Besiktas has a completely different roster. Apart from domestic players, three of your foreign players played in Turkey last year. Does knowing what they are capable of make the difference in deciding to get them? What do you think?

A: Besiktas fought to stay in the league almost until the last round. You can say that there weren’t so many positive thoughts. Even though they were big investments and ideas, something went wrong. This is more question for people before me. What I wanted, what I talked about with my GM was ‘clear everything and start from zero’: Start with a new story, start with new guys, start with a new philosophy, start with a new organization, start with a new approach and energy. I wanted to change the mindset from the beginning. That’s why we chose these 14 warriors. For sure there will be some bad and good days, ups and downs. These things are normal. The season is very long. I wanted a team that never gave up. We will fight on the court till the last second, we will jump for every ball, and we will not go down if something goes wrong. We want to stay focused on our goals till the end of the season. At the end of the season, people will see what we’ve done. That’s why I chose five new foreigners. They are good players with good careers and they had good seasons before. Some of them may have had less success with their club but they had good individual seasons.

We had Derek two years ago and he was the best point guard amongst all EuroCup teams. We have Jonah Mathews who was averaging 11 points in EuroLeague last year. We have Matt Mitchell who was one of the intriguing names on the market this summer. We know what Leyton Hammonds can do. We played against him, I played against him. So, I know how capable he is of creating problems for opposing teams. And of course, we have one of the best big men, the best rebounders from Karsiyaka, Angel Delgado. He is also a national team player.

This is the story that we wanted. Even though the club offered me to go with more foreigners, I wanted to stop at five. Why? Because we have nice, talented domestic players. I like to use all these players. Berk Ugurlu is one of the most experienced and one of the best point guards in the league. He knows how to play and read situations. I think he is one of the best point guards right now for sure. We have Yigit and Ege, two great shooters, and great characters. They want to prove themselves and improve their defense to help the team better. We have Berkan who played very well in Karsiyaka last year. They went to the finals.

We have two kids, Kerem Konan 18 and Samet Yigitoglu 19. These players are not less important. They are for sure two of the biggest, maybe even the biggest prospects of Turkish basketball. Other guys are not too much older too. At practices, more kids join us from junior teams because we have 14-15 players. Our average age is around 22. We have the future. The biggest thing is, I think we can be much better in one month. We will be so much better in December. With these improvements, we will be best in the end.

Q: As you mentioned, you were very active in the domestic player market. We can see that the players who are working with you take a jump in their games and careers. Was this the reason to get them to Besiktas?

A: To be honest, I’m very proud of the fact that now, domestic players come and want to play with me. It is not easy. Everybody knows that I’m not an easy-handled coach. Everybody knows that we are practicing too much. I’m really surprised and have good feelings about everybody wanting to come when I talk to them. When I talked with domestic players two years ago, I was doing everything to convince them to come and play for me. Right now, it is very easy. One conversation, one lunch and then it is done. Also, our GM did a great job in those moments. We chose names that we wanted to be aggressive on. I think this summer, we did a good job on the market.

Q: You already mentioned some names but I have to ask some too. I remember the first Karsiyaka away game in Izmir. Delgado had the highest number of offensive rebounds in one game across all of Europe. Was it the time that you said ‘Okay, at some point I have to get him’?

A: He made a lot of trouble for us even though we prepared for him well. At least we thought that we prepared for him well. He features something different. There are some things in his game that he can still improve. I believe he has the potential to go to the highest level. The best thing about this team and Delgado is, that they are ready to improve and to change themselves for the better. Delgado is one of the best players with his sense of being in the right place at the right time and getting offensive rebounds. I think he was the best rebounder in the league last season. This is something that every team needs. When we watched him, we saw how much he contributed to his team. Okay, when you get rebounds, people will not respect you as much as you get points but we need players who can contribute to our game in this way. This is something that we need.

Q: Jonah Mathews is having a great pre-season. He was a EuroLeague scorer. Was it hard to convince him to come here? I always thought that Matt Mitchell was a EuroLeague player. Do you think the same about him?

A: Absolutely. To be honest, you watch all the players in all the teams in the Turkish League, and all of them are potential player candidates for the EuroLeague. Turkish League is a strong league, the second-best league in Europe. Everybody has respect for some players with good roles and good numbers. And if their team has success, people will respect them more. Teams will chase those players more than others. I think in my team, everybody is a candidate for the highest level. It will depend on only them, how they will treat this season.

Jonah Mathews had some EuroLeague offers on the table before he signed with us. I think in the conversations I had with him, I successfully convinced him to come here for some different reasons. I’m always saying ‘EuroCup is not a bad level’. We can say that it is a great level, especially this year. We have a lot of candidates for the EuroLeague. We have Paris and London and no one is talking about them. But we know that the EuroLeague wants these two cities in the league. There are other great teams too. In this year’s EuroCup, teams are more equal and there are a lot of players who came from the EuroLeague to the EuroCup to have a good role, then return to the EuroLeague with another role. That was the case with Jonah. I think he wanted to show himself with spotlights on him. He wanted to show that he is not just a guy that scores when you pass him. He is a guy who can offer many other things. He can create for others, he can defend. He can contribute in many different ways. He and Matt Mitchell have the quality for another level without a doubt.

“Very interesting how fast the expectations change”

Q: After a very long time, you will play with a deep rotation this year. You can throw almost all the players to the court. How do you feel about that? You haven’t had that chance in Bursa. 

A: I think this is the biggest strength of my team this year. We have 11 players in the rotation, and there are three kids (Yagiz Aksu, Ata Ozbek, and Yigit Coban) who are coming to practice with us and develop themselves. They are also practicing well. They are coming from our basketball school. This is the biggest advantage. When you play in strong competitions like EuroCup and Turkish League, play a game every two or three days, you need all the players in rotation. The season is long, injuries are part of our job. We have to be prepared for all these things. Also, if you want to play with 100% energy on both offense and defense, this is important. It is not possible to play big minutes and have quality every three days in both competitions. This is the thing that I’m proud of. Domestic players, foreign players… All of them contribute a lot to the court.

Q: You set the bar very high in Bursa. I think getting Dusan Alimpijevic to Besiktas created the same vibe. Am I wrong?

A: This is very interesting how fast the expectations change. One year, Besiktas is fighting to stay in the league; now, something very successful is being asked. To be honest, I am also very happy about this. Do you know why? Because if you want to be big, you have to think big. Right now, we think big. We want to make this club stable. We don’t even want to talk about these kinds of things (fighting to stay in the league) anymore. This is a big club, a big community with 20 or more million fans. This club doesn’t deserve to worry about these things like staying in the league. We will go to every game to fight till the end, and try to win as much as possible. I said in the beginning, it is not a secret: We want to get to the playoffs in both competitions, even though in EuroCup this year is more difficult than years before because now six teams will advance instead of eight of 10. You saw the names, the clubs in our group. Who knows? Maybe it is better. I’m not a guy who escapes from these tough games.

Q: As you mentioned earlier, even though the club offered you six foreigners, you will start with five foreigners. Should we expect another move during the season?

A: The club made a good gesture from their side like ‘Hey coach, just know this, if you need, you can tell us’. They didn’t push anything, they just wanted to show that they were serious and they wanted to help me. They told me to talk with them if I need a player. But our scrimmage games showed us that we don’t need right now. We are not thinking about this because there are 11 players in the rotation and they are giving their maximum for the team. To be honest, right now I don’t think about one more foreigner.

Foreign players

Q: We have endless arguments regarding the number of foreign players. One day six foreigners, another day five, another day six again… As a great basketball mind, I want to get your opinion. Is there any correct answer?

A: For me, six.

Q: Why?

A: To help Turkish players. They become very relaxed in other cases. My work ethic is terrible. I’m not talking about my players right now. I’m very satisfied with the approach of my domestic players. I’m very satisfied with their work ethic and behavior. If I’d known that all clubs would have players like I have right now as far as behavior, approach, work ethic, and taking care of their bodies; then five foreigners would do no problem for sure. But, this is my third season here. Four because I’ve had a half-season too. I’m starting my fourth season here.

I’m talking with my colleagues, I know everybody has the same problem. I’m not saying I have this problem right now but the main thing is, players become very comfortable. Players become very tough to work with. They are like ‘Everything is too much, everything is hard, everything is long, we should rest, why so many kilos in the lifting room, I never lifted like this, who cares about the kilos’. Who cares they came fat to the beginning of the season, who cares? When you have five foreigners, they have seven guaranteed places.

If you ask me, prices went up too much. There are unrealistic prices for domestic players. When you have great players, you have to pay for them. I have no problem with this. I have to pay good players, I’m the first one that wants to pay something good. But there are a lot of fake teams. Why? Only because you are a domestic player, only because there is a rule. I know that a lot of players after reading this can comment on me.

One more time, I have to repeat: If I know that I have domestic players with a good approach, and work ethic like right now with my players, I have no problem. But I saw with my own eyes what was happening. If you go with six foreign players, then domestic players have to fight more for their contracts, for their money, for their season. They will not spend their whole summer in Bodrum or Cesme. Maybe they will come a little bit earlier to work with their physical coaches.

Do you know how it is in Serbia? In Serbia, you have players who are coming off of hard seasons. You have a lot of EuroLeague, NBA, EuroCup players. They are hungry even with these big contracts they have because nothing is guaranteed for them. Why? Because they are foreigners in other countries. So, do you know what they do? They are coming, they spend one week with their family, they spend 10 more days with their family on some vacation, then they come back and start to work. Rest of the summer, they are working, all of them. They are working with physical coaches, they are working with basketball coaches.

If you work a little bit, who forbids you from going out or hanging out with your friends? This is something that I always tell my players, maybe I mentioned to you too in one of our interviews: Only hungry dogs go hunting. I think the main problem is, these players are not hungry enough. They think ‘I’m in Denizli, if I have a problem here then I will pick up my stuff and go to Petkim. After Petkim, I’ll go to Turk Telekom. After Turk Telekom, if I have one good season, I will go to Fener for one year. After Fener, I’ll go to Galatasaray, Besiktas, whatever’. They are circling.

National teams

Q: Let’s move to another argument. There were some arguments about naturalized players in the summer like all the summers. Some coaches defend and say ‘You can be only one piece away from success’, some say ‘No, we don’t need any naturalized players’. What is your opinion?

A: I’m not in for naturalizing players. For example, your country has enough good players. Okay, if you are missing only one position, maybe you can make it. But I’m not in favor of giving a lot of passports to foreign players in this country because you are taking something away from these domestic players. Let’s tell the truth. If we talked like that in the question before, then also we have to be honest in the same way about this situation. You have domestic players, you have to work with them and make them better. This is also the coach’s job.

The easiest way is to give someone a passport somehow, then you will have a good player. But we have to do something with these players. We have to invest some knowledge, work, and time and we have to be patient to get something from them. So, I’m not so in about neutralizing players, giving them passports for nothing. This is a country of 84 million people. There are a lot of talented players. We need to change their habits, we need to change their work ethic, and approach. We need to change these as coaches. Right now, I’m going home from my practice fully satisfied because I have no problems. Will we lose sometimes? Of course, we will lose sometimes. But I have a good group of people we will find right away.

Q: The last question is about the Serbian national team. Did you expect this kind of story from them? No Jokic, no Micic, no Kalinic, etc. but they are at the top of the world again. Okay, they lost the final but I don’t care about that. What is important is being there. 

A: If someone says to you that he was expecting something like this, he is lying. This is a big success. Don’t forget that we are not Yugoslavia anymore. We are Serbia and we have seven million people. The market is smaller but we still raise those talents in all sports, not just basketball. For a small country like ours, this is an unbelievable success. They got huge respect after the championship from everybody which is a little bit rude. We should support them more. I’m sticking with this opinion of mine: Chemistry and a good atmosphere in the team brings results.

If you have a group of individuals, it is not a team. The team is something different. A team is made of these individuals who put their egos, arrogance, and selfishness aside and come to play for the national team accepting their roles. They support each other. They played aggressively. One of these guys gave his kidney to the country. This was very emotional for us and our country. I’m not sure we will be better with all these names. Maybe one name could help us too much in the future, we will never find out. But hats off to this national team. I know these relationships because our physical coach this year in Besiktas is the physical coach for the Serbian national team.

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BOLOGNA, Italy – In a summer full of transformations all around Europe, there has been an under-the-radar revolution regarding the point guard spot in Berlin. Not only did Maodo Lo join Johannes Voigtmann in Milano, but Jaleen Smith also flew to Italy to sign with Virtus Bologna.

Prior to his first trophy won with the black-and-white team, capturing the LBA Italian Supercup 2023 in Brescia against the hosts, the 28-year-old guard spoke to Eurohoops during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Media Day to first touch on his first Italian days.

“It’s been really good, I’ve been around the city. It’s really nice to have teammates that are basically in the same situation I’ve been in, and who have families. They’re all very good professionals, we all come in to take care of our business on the court. Off the court, we joke around, and it’s a different experience than what I’ve been with”, the former ALBA Berlin player opened.

“I’ve been on young teams, even last year my teammates didn’t really have kids. Maodo Lo had his little boy so we really connected on that. It’s been really good just to have teammates who are in the same situation as you, it’s really good”, he then added.

Talking about the 30-year-old German playmaker, they shared the same locker room for two years. Having played with such a versatile guard already, it won’t be problematic to adjust to a squad with Daniel Hackett, Iffe Lundberg, and Alessandro Pajola for Jaleen Smith.

The former Heidelberg and Ludwigsburg player said there’s one particular aspect of the game in which he can be a solid addition. “I’ve improved my shooting ability from the perimeter, which can really help the guards. My versatility playing on and off the ball, adds more dynamic ability for the coaches to use me. Even my defensive ability, I think I put myself a lot on that. It’s just gonna enrich what the coach can use. It’s not gonna be a tough choice, because all four of us can be very versatile in any way we can”, he commented.

 

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Un post condiviso da Jaleen Smith (@jaleensmith3)

Learning from the best (and most experienced) ones

Jumping straight from the NCAA – where he played from 2013 to 2017 with the UNH Wildcats – to Germany may have been difficult for Jaleen Smith, who still found a way to establish himself as a valid EuroLeague guard all the way from the second division in Germany.

A similar path saw Bryant Dunston become one of the best defensive players in the history of the competition by finding his way up to the EuroLeague through uncertainties and difficult seasons.

Sharing the locker room with the 37-year-old veteran will be a constant source of teaching for the former ALBA Berlin player. “I’ve already asked him some questions about how his journey was, and it’s no different than mine. He started by not playing so much, and when he moved to Varese he gave it all and ended up getting a job in the EuroLeague. And he’s been there ever since”, he first commented on the former Anadolu Efes – where he won back-to-back EuroLeague titles – center.

At the end of the day, overseas players who manage to reach the élite competition in Europe all share similar trajectories. “Hearing stories like that is really crazy, because you come from small teams in Europe, wherever you at, and the big teams know the guys who are going be hard workers, and professionals because of what they’ve been through. I’ve been to the second league in Germany with Heidelberg and went to the first league with Ludwigsburg without playing in an International competition before I moved to the EuroLeague. It’s been really good”, Jaleen Smith added.

While he will learn from Bryant Dunston, he already had a veteran teammate in the past. “In Ludwigsburg, I played with a veteran there like Tremmell Darden, he has been playing with Madrid, Zalgiris, and Bryant [Dunston] for one year in Olympiacos. Seeing him playing with Bayern it’s crazy! It’s gonna be 42, and he’s still balling. That shows the love for the game. I learned that he takes care of his body every day before and after practice. I tried to copy that to my resume as well. It’s always good to have veterans like that to build your experience up, and learn from them every single day. It’s been really beneficial in my growth”, the newest Virtus Bologna guard commented on Tremmell Darden.

I can’t say how great God is for the opportunity to compete at this Euroleague level! The grace of God is truly amazing!

— tremmell darden (@tremenduz) September 17, 2023

Both will be coached by Luca Banchi, who replaced Sergio Scariolo in Bologna and said to Eurohoops that he expects growth from Jaleen Smith in terms of basketball personality. “Being coached by him will bring freedom, and the ability to make reads. Even in one of our first practices together, it was more of just read: whatever the defense gives us, he’s gonna let us play off that. It’s not gonna be like tic tac toe. We still gonna look at some things on offense, but it’s not gonna be like “This guy is gonna get the ball”, or “You are gonna do this or that”, the 28-year-old player touched on his head coach.

“It’s more reads. You can see him with Jordan right now, talking about what he can do on different reads”, he said during the interview, when Luca Banchi was teaching Jordan Mickey certain adjustments on the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Media Day. “Even with our bigs, who can pop and roll: it’s gonna bring more versatility for them, and consequently for us playing off that. It’s gonna be playing whatever the defense gives us, being free on the court”, Jaleen Smith added on Latvia’s national team head coach.

From Sikma to Toko and the experience with Croatia

Maodo Lo wasn’t the only player with whom Jaleen Smith shared the court in Berlin who left ALBA to try another experience in the EuroLeague, as Luke Sikma moved to Olympiacos to try filling the gap following Sasha Vezenkov’s departure to the NBA.

Having said playing with the American power forward helped his playmaking abilities a lot, Jaleen Smith will find another power forward who likes to distribute the ball: Tornike Shengelia, who won the award for the Best Assistman – and MVP – of the 2023 Italian Supercup, where Jaleen Smith averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in his first two official games with Virtus Bologna.

“They always have their head up”, he said about both Luke Sikma and Toko Shengelia. “One time in practice I told him I’d go backdoor, playing it off like I was doing a handoff, and go backdoor. And it’s Luke’s set: if he’s not there, he keeps it. He’s a really good scorer to know that the defense he’s not helping, he’s gonna attack; if they are, instead, he knows that we are gonna be there. All you have to do is to make eye contact with him, he knows what to do with the ball. And that’s where the similarity with Toko comes in: they always have their eyes open, not just looking for themselves but for other guys as well”, Jaleen Smith added about his former and new teammates.

Unlike Toko Shengelia, the 28-year-old guard couldn’t participate in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where the former CSKA Moscow power forward was leading Georgia. However, Jaleen Smith still found a way to be effective with the national team, helping Croatia book a ticket to next year’s FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament.

Entering the debate over naturalized players, he said he “completely agrees with” Mike Tobey’s point of view on the matter. “Teams are just one key piece away from being competitive. For Slovenia, they needed a big man who could stretch the floor, or even pop down, and Mike was a perfect complement player for their whole national team”, he first said about the current Crvena Zvezda player, who commented on this topic before facing Canada in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Then, Jaleen Smith talked about his own situation. “With Croatia, they were just missing that glue guy. I’m not the most selfish guy, I’m not gonna try to go get 20 points every night. I know we have NBA guys, so I think my role there is to do a little bit of everything while still being a threat on the court. I fit perfectly well with that Croatian team: they treated me like their own Croatian teammate, and after everything that happened nothing negative came out”, he said.

“I’ve been enjoying my time with the national team. It’s gonna be more of a thing. It happened more often last year than it has probably happened before in the past. For teams, it’s gonna be putting in the time and finding the right guy they need. It’s gonna be a big step. It sucks for the countries that try to develop those guys, but every team wants to compete. And one way to do it, at the end of the day, could be bringing at least one naturalized player on board”, the newest Virtus Bologna guard finally stated.

𝙅𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙣 on
24+5+3 with Croatian @JaleenSmith0

@FIBA pic.twitter.com/wxcnRY1cpp

— Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) August 15, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna

The post Jaleen Smith on learning from Bryant Dunston, comparing Luke Sikma and Toko Shengelia appeared first on Eurohoops.

MILAN, Italy – Only behind Bayern Basketball (Niels Giffey, Isaac Bonga, and Andreas Obst) and tied with the Orlando Magic (Franz and Moritz Wagner), Olimpia Milano was the club with the most representatives among the German national team that conquered gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

It may sound surprising, but that was possible since Johannes Voigtmann, already with the Italian side since September 2022 – averaging 4.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game in last year’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague -, was joined by his countryman Maodo Lo, who will now start his first European experience out of the German borders, where he has played with Bamberg, Bayern Munich, and ALBA Berlin.

Talking about his newest teammates in the red-and-white backcourt, Johannes Voigtmann has nothing but great words. “I have known Maodo [Lo] for a long time. We’ve experienced a lot on the national team, the good and bad times. I have a very good relationship with him, he’s a guy who I like to talk to off the court, and he’s a great basketball player. I’m very happy he joined us, he can bring a lot to the team. I’m happy he finally made the step out of the BBL”, the power forward said to Eurohoops during the EuroLeague Media Day.

The connection between the two, who both debuted with the senior national team in 2015, is recognized by the 30-year-old point guard as well. “It’s good because we have a certain understanding and comfort level with each other. We achieved something historical in Germany with the World Cup. This bond together is a deep understanding of each other, trust, and confidence. In the midst of a competitive EuroLeague season, this could be a fundamental part, something that supports our relationship and can help us hopefully on the court”, Maodo Lo expressed later on to Eurohoops.

This could lead the Italian side to good results also for what they are both able to express on the court. “Maodo [Lo] knows how to create his own shot, I think that’s one big strength of him. He’s a very elegant player, he knows how to move on the court. He’s very creative, which is probably good for us”, Voitgmann said about Maodo Lo’s abilities before the former ALBA Berlin playmaker described him.

“He’s able to do things at his position that players at his position usually can’t do. He’s able to open up the floor with passes, and he has a good understanding of the game, so he can create spacing with a smart cut by making a sprint to the rim, and coming up to a drag P&R. He understands when to do what, and he spaces the floor with shooting. He has skills and a vision of basketball which usually smaller players have”, he commented on the former CSKA Moscow player.

Is there any World Champion around here?#insieme #ForzaOlimpia #OlimpiaMilano pic.twitter.com/fkjh3h0EBi

— Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) September 28, 2023

Starting from (different) bottoms, now they’re here

While Johannes Voigtmann and Maodo Lo are now wearing the same jersey in Mediolanum Forum, they come off very different experiences in their growing basketball trajectories.

If the first one started to spread his name at home, establishing himself as one of the most promising bigs in Europe under coach Gordon Herbert – with whom he won the 2015-16 FIBA Europe Cup – with the Skyliners Frankfurt before moving out of Germany, Maodo Lo has a whole different background.

“We’ve talked about it sometimes, and you can see that it works for some people to leave Germany early, and it works for others to stay”, Johannes Voigtmann said when asked if they share their experiences to take something out of it. “I think it’s a matter of the right fit. If you find a club or a college that is willing to put work into you, to invest in your time and manpower to let you grow as a player, living with your decision. That’s important”, he added.

His newest club teammate, in fact, experienced something totally different before deciding to come back home to represent Brose Bamberg in 2016 to share the court with Nicolò Melli. Named “Maodo” – which means “The Great” in Senegalese – after the religious figure of Malick Sy, he’s the son of Elvira Bach, a German post-modern artist whose paintings are shown all over the world.

Including New York, where the playmaker established himself as a promising figure from 2012 to 2016, at Columbia University. “Maodo [Lo] enjoyed his time in New York, it was good for him as a human to go out of his comfort zone to see what life is there, it helped him to grow”, Johannes Voigtmann continued on his countryman.

“What matters is where you land at the end. You live in the present. You can learn things from looking at the past from different players, you can gain strength. Sometimes you look at different paths and maybe you see some parallel things, some things that are different. Sometimes you do compare career paths”, Maodo Lo himself added on the number of different stories that can be shared in a locker room like the German national team’s, where every player has something unique to share.

Talking about Germany, they caught the world’s attention at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, ending the most anticipated tournament of the year on an unbeaten 8-0 run which includes the semifinal’s 113-111 win against the United States and the final victory against Serbia to capture the first-ever gold medal in this kind of competition in the country’s history.

Considering the growth his group has had throughout the past few years, it’s fair to say the bar is getting higher and higher. Johannes Voigtmann, however, likes to “not go too high with the emotions”, remembering where they are coming from. “I often remember back to times when it didn’t go well, when we almost didn’t qualify for EuroBasket for example, or when we went out in the first round in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. I often think about those moments to not go too high with the emotions, because you know how low you were when it was really bad”, he said.

“I’m proud to be part of it, I’m proud to be on the team. I think it’s great for German basketball in general to have this upward project. That helped us a lot to set high goals. I have no idea what the future will reserve for us. I’m still processing everything that happened”, he then added about the golden achievement his national team found at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.

The three-year project coach Gordon Herbert talked about in the Philippines, starting with Year 1 in 2022, coinciding with the bronze medal at EuroBasket and which continued on top of the World in 2023, has its roots back in the past, according to Maodo Lo. “This success that we are having now as a team didn’t start last year. It began previously, in 2015, with coach Fleming, when he was still the head coach of the German national team. He really started back then with this new generation of players, with Dennis Schroder, Johannes Voigtmann, Daniel Theis, and myself. Johannes Thiemann came a little later, Niels Giffey”, the former Bayern Munich and ALBA Berlin point guard said.

Chris Fleming, who coached the German national team from 2014 to 2017, before handing it to Henrik Rodl, who stepped down in 2021 after the Olympic Games, initiated the whole process. “He really restored a lot of confidence in German basketball culture. He told us to not be afraid of anyone and that we could compete with any team, we could believe in ourselves. I don’t think anyone has said it so far, but he really introduced the seeds. And then we continued with this group of guys, we kept coming together every summer, sacrificing for the national team. We all developed as players. We have a lot of talent, a lot of quality, plus the continuation of always reuniting every year”, Maodo Lo added.

However, without the Canadian head coach, this golden possibility couldn’t have turned into reality. “Coach Herbert came in a moment when this generation of players had reached a certain experience and level, the seeds became a tree. He came with the right mindset and continued introducing a winning culture. This has been the result of not just last year and the three-year plan, but of the last previous years of the German national team. Even prior, when we didn’t win medals, we played some solid tournaments”, he continued before touching on previous accolades.

Even without medals on their necks, Germany brought home several satisfactions. “We played in EuroBasket 2017 in Tel Aviv and Istanbul, we kicked out France and we played good basketball; we didn’t end up on the podium, losing to Spain in the quarter-finals with Marc Gasol playing an incredible game. But still, we were there to compete. Prior to EuroBasket, we qualified for the Olympic Games, we played in Tokyo. German basketball is not on the map in Europe, people don’t really respect it too much, but we’ve been quietly there and now last year with the bronze, and this year’s success came as a result”, Maodo Lo finally stated.

“People don’t care about basketball in Germany”

Despite confetti coming down from the sky to celebrate Germany after the 2023 FIBA World Cup Final and players champagne-showering both head coach Gordon Herbert and the MVP Dennis Schroder, the German captain expressed his disappointment in Manila for how this team was treated.

“We first thought the tournament was going to be on the TV. Only the final was on the TV. Basketball is a great sport and I hope we can get our respect for what we are doing the last two years. I wish that every single game is on TV”, the newest Toronto Raptors guard said right after the win.

Talking about the lack of public communication regarding basketball, Johannes Voigtmann said the World Cup triumph will be beneficial “in the short term, for sure”. However, the former Baskonia’s power forward has doubts about what the future will reserve. “The thing is how do you manage that long-term, and that’s for other people to manage. We are the players, we can do our part. We can play at a high level and use all of our tools to reach people, but the bigger picture is gonna be handled by other people. It’s gonna be how much basketball will be part of people’s life”, he said.

Keeping it real, the soon-to-be 31-year-old said it will be difficult for basketball to emerge even after this golden accolade. “In Germany, it’s not part of a lot of people’s lives, but it has been for the last month. The thing is now how do we keep it that way? That’s not for us to decide. We can do our part, and we did it pretty well. I hope it gets more attention, but in Germany, every sport is fighting to get that, whether it’s hockey, handball, or whatever. It’s tough to establish something behind football”, Voigtmann commented.

While the power forward remained doubtful, Maodo Lo has his mind clear regarding the way basketball will be perceived from now on in Germany. “Winning the World Cup is not gonna change the status of basketball drastically in Germany. Overnight, all of a sudden, German basketball won’t be broadcast on live television. That’s football: that’s number one in Germany. People don’t care about basketball. People don’t care. I think what we achieved, what we did now with the World Cup, the bronze at EuroBasket, maybe will initiate a change to get more popularity, not for next year, not for the next two years”, he confessed.

Something will actually change, perhaps. “Maybe in ten years, fifteen years. We might have inspired children who want to start playing basketball or switching sports. This is what we achieved: more participation and interest. But to say “Hey, now we expect German basketball to be close to football” is simply not going to happen. It isn’t reality, it’s maybe wishful thinking. But it won’t happen. We implemented the seeds, the first catalyzer for something bigger to happen. And that’s what we can be proud of”, Maodo Lo added.

“Maybe we don’t really have much recognition from the European landscape: there’s a lot of reporting for Serbian or Spanish basketball for example, and there’s a lot of respect there. There’s not much respect for German basketball, but at the same time, we can’t expect to get respect from other European countries if our own country doesn’t even respect it. There are a lot of components to it, towards recognition”, the newest Olimpia Milano player also said.

However, he can start his new adventure in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with certainty. “But regardless of all of this, we were able to win a World Cup. It’s history, it’s written. No one can say anything, no one can talk. It’s done, and it’s an achievement we can really be proud of”, he finally said, entering a new chapter of his career next to his friend Johannes Voigtmann. As World Champions.

Congratulazioni Campioni del Mondo
https://t.co/xi13QT5Bp1

Congratulations World Champions
https://t.co/EqMnDIbLc9#fibawc #olimpiamilano #worldchampions pic.twitter.com/98f4duMvNR

— Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) September 10, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Olimpia Milano

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The post World Champions Voigtmann and Lo are sharing a new experience in Milano appeared first on Eurohoops.

Dimitris Itoudis is starting his second season on the coaching bench of Fenerbahce Beko and before the first official BSL match against Cagdas Bodrum Spor (01/09), the experienced Greek coach talked to Eurohoops about expectations, new faces in the locker room, but also about keeping the core together.

Fenerbahce retained players like Scottie Wilbekin, Tyler Dorsey, Marko Guduric, Dyshawn Pierre, Nigeh Hayes Davis, and Johnathan Motley and added five new players: Yam Madar, Raul Neto, Nate Sestina, Georgios Papagiannis, and Sertac Sanli. Ambitions are running high.

Itoudis also touched on ending his journey with the Greek national team after the 2023 FIBA World Cup and gave his two cents about last summer’s hot topic – naturalized players in national teams.

Q: Coach, this summer, you kept the core of the team and made additions such as Madar, Papagiannis, Sanli, and Sestina. What kind of Fenerbahce should we expect this season?

A: It is very important that we kept the core untouched. I need to thank Mr. Ali Koc, Mr. Sertac Komsuoglu, Mr. Derya Yannier, and Mr. Maurizio Gherardini publicly for their summer efforts. Mr. Ali Koc proved once again that he loves Fenerbahce. He supported us with all these additions. Unfortunately, we lost Raul Neto early in the season with the injury he had in the Brazil national team, but we added players who are willing to play for Fenerbahce. They like to be over here, and they are all about the team. First of all, Sertac Sanli knows the environment very well and brings tons of experience from the EuroLeague and Turkish League. I’m asking him to do different roles as well: playing together with Papagiannis, playing together with Motley… We are trying to have a different dimension with him on the floor, offensively and defensively. He is a very intelligent player. Sestina is going to make his debut in the EuroLeague, but in the EuroCup, he has proved that he can really be a factor and a very important player. Papagiannis made it clear from the beginning: He wanted to change the environment after so many great years he had in Panathinaikos and so many things he got as a young player from the family of Panathinaikos. I’m very happy that he is going to bring a different dimension to our game. Yam Madar is a rising star coming from a great teacher and a great coach, Zeljko Obradovic, and a great club, Partizan. The first thing he said to me proves his character: ‘Coach, I don’t care who is going to be in my position, who is going to be the ball handler. I want to earn minutes. I want to come over there and try to earn my position.’ That shows that he has a tremendous belief in what he can do for this team. We are happy because we brought people together with the core that can really have a bond. They are all about the team. That’s what we need: no personal agendas.

Q: You mentioned Raul Neto. How is he doing right now? Should we expect to see him on the court any time soon?

A: I don’t have a clear picture of his availability. We need to talk to the doctor about that, more specific and more to the point. But I know that he sacrificed lots of money to accept our offer and play for us. He had another offer which was bigger, but he wanted to come to Fenerbahce. He liked our picture and our environment more. We wish him to come healthy; we will see from there.

Q: How was Zagars’ transfer process? Did you think that you shouldn’t miss the opportunity after his performance at the World Cup?

A: We were talking with the club. It is great that the club is investing in the future. I really like that. Every fan should be proud that Fenerbahce has open eyes and ears. The process is this: Zagars is going to be loaned, and we are going to evaluate his development. We are going to be closer and closer. I also have to make some phone calls more now that we are getting back into terms of how he is going to develop. That is some addition for the future. So, it is great for Fenerbahce.

Q: After Neto’s injury, we thought that maybe he could be used?

A: No, he is going to be on loan.

Q: In recent years, Fenerbahce always made some big changes in the roster. This time, you kept the core. If we look at the EuroLeague champions in recent history, this is a general trend. Do you think that we will see the positive reflections of this situation?

A: We do hope that. Continuity is what gives you the results, definitely. Hopefully, we have some good luck in terms of not having bad injuries anymore.

Q: Last year, you missed most of the preparation process due to EuroBasket. But this time, you joined earlier. Do you think that this will have its advantages?

A: I wanted to be more with the team. Therefore, I also took the decision not to continue with the national team full-time. I still remain as the biggest fan of the Greece national team. I realized how small we are as names. When you represent the country, you represent the nation, anthem… That will never change. I was very honored and privileged to be the coach of my national team. But I have too many obligations keeping me back. So, I need to focus 100% on what Fenerbahce represents. But as I said, we need to deliver, and we are looking forward.

Q: There were some arguments about naturalized players in the summer. Some coaches defend and say, ‘You can be only one piece away from success,’ and some say, ‘No, naturalized players cannot be played on national teams.’ What is your opinion?

A: If I take it from my experience, Thomas Walkup was giving his best self and was so motivated and proud to represent Greece. I believe it is pretty much the same with Scottie Wilbekin or Shane Larkin, who represent Turkey or other naturalized players that helping different countries. That’s the law, and it is a rule. You can use it. I’m not against it.

The post Dimitris Itoudis on Fenerbahce’s new signings, Raul Neto’s injury and Greek national team appeared first on Eurohoops.

After taking over head-coaching responsibilities at Galatasaray Nef last May, Zvezdan Mitrovic is ready to start from the top of the 2023-24 season.

He talked to Eurohoops about the upcoming campaign, including the Basketball Champions League alongside domestic Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi.

Mitrovic, 53, walked through his coaching career leading to the Lions down the stretch of the previous season. Plenty of individual and team accolades along the way, including his top achievements attached to AS Monaco at the club level and Montenegro at the international level.

Moving to his current job, he opened up about the selections for the 2023-24 roster and the team’s fanbase creating the potential for success.

The post Zvezdan Mitrovic: “Galatasaray is a team with potential” appeared first on Eurohoops.

Huge confidence is one of the things that define Olympiacos Piraeus swingman Shaq McKissic. And that immense amount of faith extends to both his own capabilities as well as the potential of his team in the upcoming EuroLeague season.

“All respect to the other [EuroLeague] teams because a lot of teams got better, but… I think we’re already the best and it’s yet to be known if we’ll remain the best,” McKissic told Eurohoops. He was asked if he believes that Olympiacos, the 2023 EuroLeague finalist and top-seeded team in the regular season, is still a contender given the departures of MVP Sasha Vezenkov (to the Sacramento Kings) and star contributor Kostas Sloukas (to Olympiacos’ archrival Panathinaikos Athens).

“I see the same team in the locker room,” McKissic said. “Of course we miss Sasha. You can’t replace something like that. Him as a person and him as a player. That’s hard to replace. But we’re going to get them from other places.” He also sent a warning to other teams regarding the defensive prowess of Olympiacos, especially considering the presence of big men Moustapha Fall and Nikola Milutinov.

“I think we bulked up on defense in ways I don’t think anybody’s prepared for,” MacKissic added.

McKissic also talked about being now a veteran of Olympiacos who will serve as a guide to newcomers and whether there’s a necessity to add new elements to his game as the years pass and the athleticism that characterizes him as a player begins to wane. He also commented on archrival Panathinaikos making a parade of impressive signings.

Eurohoops: First thing’s first. This is a thing many Olympiacos fans are wondering about because you haven’t been active in the preseason so far. How’s your health situation now that we speak?

Shac McKissic: According to me my health is perfect. I’m just trusting the process. A lot of early mornings in the weight room. Just getting prepared for this upcoming season.

EH: You haven’t played in any preseason game of Olympiacos. But the SuperCup is next. First title of the season. Also probably against Panathinaikos as well so it’s a big deal.

Right now, do you feel ready to play in the SuperCup?

S.M.: Do I feel ready. I always feel ready. Whether

EH: What I meant by ready, is if you feel physically ready.

S.M: Ah, physically ready. I would say so.

EH: I don’t know if you were aware of that. After Kostas Papanikolaou you are the longest-standing member of Olympiacos. Have you realized that? Thought about it?

S.M.: Yeah, man. I’ve had a lot of teammates over the years. Some I miss, some I don’t. I think right now we’ve gone to that point where there’s a lot of returning players. Year, year. Hopefully we’re going to keep that tradition of me not having many teammates. I like to be familiar with the guys around me.

I’m aware of that.

EH: There haven’t been many years that you are on the team but you are a kind of veteran on the team, considering what I said about you and Kostas Papanikolaou. Do you feel that also your role is changing in that department?. Do you feel that maybe you are becoming a veteran and also one of the leaders that have to be more vocal on the locker room. Saying something extra things other players?

S.M.: I get it. I’m 33 now, I’m getting older. I still feel young though. But when you got guys like Brazdeikis that come in, I think that’s really my job kind of explaining the ropes, taking them under my wing and letting them know how things go around here. You know, I think that’s my job as a veteran.

EH: You gave me a pass, in a sort of way to ask you this question. You said you are getting older. You are a player who’s using his athleticism, his speed. You have been the best slasher of Olympiacos, one of the best slashers and maybe the best in-game dunker in Europe this last couple of years. But it’s natural for this athleticism and speed to be waning as the years pass.

How do you handle this as a player? Do you feel that there are some kind of elements that you need to implement in your game?

S.M.: That’s a really good question. For me, I think every year I run into new problems with people’s perception of me. ‘I can’t do this, I can’t do that’. I don’t go out there to prove them wrong, I just go out there to be the best version of myself. I think until my body betrays me, I’ll just keep getting better and better. Even from the first year that I got here, I’ve got better over the last seasons. And I plan this to be one of my best years.

So to answer your question, the athleticism… I hope it’s still there but even if it’s not… good luck to everybody.

EH: What I meant basically with this question is if there are any specific elements you put in your game. For example last season – that’s the way I saw your game at least –  I was watching you pass the ball a lot more after doing the drives to the basket, I saw you looking for your teammates.

S.M.: I think if you go back to my younger years I had a bigger role. For whatever reason now over the past two years my role has been limited due to us having certain players, certain big-time guys. You know, the roster has turned over, flipped over, we’re adding new pieces so I don’t know what I’ll have to add to my game that the coach will need me to do this season. But I’m sure, I’m pretty confident that I’ll be able to fulfill the role that he places upon me.

EH: How important was it for you to renew your contract before the offseason?

S.M.: For me, it was important just for the comfort of living in Athens. Honestly, I think this is the best any family can live. For me, I didn’t want to play anywhere else. A lot of players are shy about saying that. But for me, I have amazing coaches, amazing presidents, amazing teammates, amazing city, amazing friends. If I asked anything, it’s almost being greedy.

EH: Last season Olympiacos was widely considered one of the best if not the best offensive team in EuroLeague. You made the Final Four, lost the championship because of one shot that did go in, one shot that didn’t go in. Last-second details. In Greece, you rolled over all competition.

Given the departures of Sasha Vezenkov and Kostas Sloukas, two very important players for this team, do you think you can such retain such a highly successful level of basketball? Are you still a contender in EuroLeague?

S.M.: I see the same team in the locker room. Of course, we miss Sasha. You can’t replace something like that. Him as a person, him as a player. That’s hard to replace. But we’re going to get it from other places. I think we bulked up on defense in ways I don’t think anybody’s prepared for. When I look in the locker room I see guys like Moustapha Fall, Nikola Milutinov. I don’t know the game plans of other teams. I’m pretty sure there will be some strategy there.

But I would be afraid to go against either one of them. Knowing that if we stay healthy, you’re going to have to face one of them every single night. That’s going to be very difficult for teams. I don’t know why is this looked over.

I have extreme faith in this team. It’s unbelievable how much faith I have in this team. I called it the last two years. First year, when Sasha and Sloukas came, we got [Thomas] Walkup, Fall. I said that this is a Final Four team. Last year, I said that we’re going to finish first in EuroLeague. This year, hopefully we’ll win the EuroLeague, that’s the plan. We got as good chances as anybody else.

All respect to the other teams because a lot of teams got better. But I think we’re already the best and it’s yet to be known if we’ll remain the best.

EH: You first became a favorite with Olympiacos fans because in one of your first appearances you had a fantastic game in a win over Panathinaikos and that matters a lot as you are well aware now. It was thanks to your performances consistently against Panathinaikos that you became a fan favorite. Now, the Panathinaikos that you and Olympiacos are going to face this year will be a lot of different.

S.M.: They are always a lot different.

EH: Now they are stronger, at least on paper – they made some big signings, quality signings. How do you feel about that and about this new challenge that the archrival is going to pose on Olympiacos?

S.M.: Man, that’s a good question. There’s so much uncertainty. Every year when Pana makes a new team, we make a new team and you never know what to expect. In our minds we think we’re the best. In their minds, we think they think that they are the best. With that being said… I just hope it’s fun. Give the fans what they want on both sides. The last two years, I don’t think it was a representation of what that club means to Greek basketball. But I think we raised our profile and we put all of Europe on notice. That we’re here and we’re here to stay.

As far as the rivalry, I’m excited. I still think we’re the better team. I still think we should win the majority of the games. Nobody in our locker room is scared of them. Every time I go to the PANA arena, I love it, I feed off it, I embrace it. So, I hope the first game is sold out,. Completely.

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At the top of his fourth campaign with Real Madrid, Vincent Poirier is keen on stability, beyond his career but also to Real Madrid as a team.

Poirier, 29, talked to Eurohoops about the 2023-24 roster, focusing on the reunion with Facundo Campazzo.

Boosting the new season by winning the 2023 Supercopa Endesa in Murcia, the French center expressed hope and set the goal of adding more titles until the end of the season.

His interview with Eurohoops also includes an update on his status regarding the French senior national team, after missing the cut for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

“It’s great to start with a trophy”

Eurohoops: We are only a few weeks into the season, but you guys already won a title. Is it the best way to start a very challenging season?

Vincent Poirier: It’s always great to start with a trophy. It sets the competitiveness for the rest of the season. And it’s a positive way to start.

EH: We have seen a lot of players leaving the NBA to come to Europe this summer. Why do you think this is happening?

VP: A lot of people in the NBA are thinking about the Euroleague, so it’s getting more and more attractive for players, to play and to be competitive. You can maybe find stability or they want to try something else. They see that Euroleague is great and they can be happy here.

“I’m not scared of anything”

EH: It wasn’t this summer, but one of the players who recently came back from the NBA was Facundo Campazzo. You only played with him for some weeks before he left, but now he has come back. Seeing how things went in Murcia, it kind of felt that time hadn’t passed and everything was like before he left: one of the main players of Real Madrid.

VP: For sure. He is a great player, he always has been. He showed that in the NBA and now he is in Real Madrid. He knows everything since he has been here for years. And he showed that last season too with Crvena Zvezda. Everybody knows him, the way he plays, the talent he has. It’s a good help for us to have him on the team and to be more and more competitive this season.

EH: The Argentinian point guard is the only signing that Real Madrid made this season. Big clubs like yours play a lot of games and seasons can get exhausting and very long. Many players left Real Madrid this summer, are you afraid that this season will be even tougher? 

VP: No, because last year we saw that even with three or four players down we were still a really good team, a winning team. We won the Euroleague without two or three players. It’s good, for stability, to keep the same players. We lost four players but we got Campazzo, I think it’s good for the stability of the team. Everything can happen in a season but right now. I’m not scared of anything. We will see who the best team in Europe is.

EH: You are talking about stability and I really wanted to talk about this. One of the things that Real Madrid has been able to do throughout the years is keep the core of great players that have that winning mentality. How important would you say this is in today’s basketball?

VP: We know that the old guys, the two Sergios and Rudy, have been wearing the jersey of Real Madrid for a long time. They know what it means to win. They bring the competitiveness and the winning mentality. That is the most important in a team. They are the base of the team. We all look for them. And it is positive to have a great team every year, keeping the key players.

“I don’t consider myself less of a champion”

EH: We were talking about how tough last season was and you know this very well since you had some injuries that prevented you from playing the last games of the Euroleague. How it was to see your teammates go through those battles without being able to help them?

VP: Nobody will remember in ten years if I played or not. They will only remember that our team won the Euroleague. It’s not just one game, it’s a whole season. If you are injured at the beginning of the season or the end, you are still a champion. Last year, I tried to push my body a little too much and it didn’t work. But I was behind them every game with them, I was always there for them. I don’t consider myself less of a champion because I didn’t play in the Final Four.

EH: The fact that you weren’t able to play that much in the final weeks of the season probably played a role in you being left out of France’s roster for the FIBA World Cup. Things obviously didn’t go well for your country but France will be hosting next year’s Olympic Games. Do you take this season with a little bit of extra motivation to make it to the national team?

VP: First of all, I don’t think my injury had anything to do with whether I was in the team or not. The coach chose to go with another guy who played great last year, that’s it. The Olympic Games? It would be good to be in Paris, but right now I’m not thinking about that. I’m only thinking about the season with Real Madrid, getting as many trophies as we can get, it’s my last year of contract. The Olympic Games can wait, we will see what happens.

acb Photo / P. Castillo

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From a child, he loved to copy many of his father’s movements and behaviors. They were, after all, alike in many ways. A stout chest, long arms, and a look that even if it didn’t qualify as frightening, was at least impossible to pass up.

One thing was different about them. Sigis Brazdeikis, father of new Olympiacos player, Ignas Brazdeikis, remains usually expressionless. His 24-year-old son rarely hides his smile. The former University of Michigan, Knicks, Sixers, and Magic player in the NBA as well as Zalgiris Kaunas, was perpetually smiling in his first appearance in the Peace and Friendship Stadium.

He may have said, before he sat down in front of the Eurohoops camera, that “I’ll pretend I know where to go and what to do!”, but the important thing for him and his new team is to know what to do on the court.

Brazdeikis spoke about the new challenge of his career and how his experience helps him stay unaffected by any big change in his life and career.

Just like he used to change his life and places as a kid, five days ago, although he arrived in Cyprus for the “Neophitos Chandriotis” tournament with Zalgiris, the plane brought him to Faliro, from the green to the red and white. Although he confided a nickname that has a direct color association with his new team, but avoids being associated with it…

Ignas Brazdeikis explained how the deal with the Greek champions happened, pointed out the role of family in his character and “warned” that “I can defend players in many positions”. He has already “ticked” the desired “boxes” that coach Giorgos Bartzokas is looking for in his players’ resumes…

Giorgos Bartzokas on adjusting to new season: “Basketball is a team sport”

 

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Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη Ignas Brazdeikis (@_iggy_braz)

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After spending his rookie season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Fenerbahce, averaging 8.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game, Carsen Edwards moved to Bayern Munich for his second year in the European competition.

Averaging 19.4 points over eight preseason games with the Bavarian team, the 25-year-old is feeling good in his newest team’s backcourt. “I try to be the best version of myself every time. It’s still early days and I’m just taking advantage of the opportunities I get in preparation. The point is to improve and build confidence”, he said in an interview with Eurohoops.

After completing the preseason with the German side, including a road trip to OAKA for the “Pavlos Giannakopoulos” Tournament with Panathinaikos, Anadolu Efes, and Partizan Belgrade, the former NBA player commented on his adjustments to Europe. “I’m adjusting to basketball in Europe, and I need more time. I’m constantly trying to learn things and find ways to be effective at the EuroLeague level”, he explained.

For this reason, nothing will be rushed during the first year of this new chapter for Bayern Munich. “I don’t want to think too far ahead, I prefer to move forward step by step. We are a new team and we still have a lot of work to do. We will try to get as many wins as possible, add them up at the end, and see what the result is”, Carsen Edwards commented on the German team’s path.

One of the motivations why he decided to move to Germany relies on the fact that Pablo Laso has been appointed as the newest head coach of the German powerhouse. “I enjoy playing under coach [Pablo] Laso, for coach [Pablo] Laso. He helps me improve by correcting my mistakes and explaining to me what I did wrong so that I don’t repeat it. I want to do well to justify why he and the team chose me”, he said praising the legendary Spanish head coach.

When you ask who is the most stylish person in @FCBBasketball locker room, it seems that @Cboogie_3 has the answer ready made pic.twitter.com/YkN1vk0WEU

— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) September 26, 2023

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The Ergin Ataman era with Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague will start in nine days, but the Turkish head coach already knows how to make expectations regarding his new experience with the green-and-white Greek powerhouse.

Talking to Eurohoops during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Media Day in OAKA, in fact, the former Anadolu Efes coach admitted he wants to take his new club up to another level.

The past with Efes and the ambition with Pana

Coaching for almost 30 years, the 57-year-old experienced leader still knows how to find motivation to go on sitting on EuroLeague benches. “I like it, I enjoy it. It’s a way of life for me to train on the court, so I keep going. And now I continue in a great team, with a great history, which gives me more energy”, he first said on his motivation to keep coaching.

Considering the basketball history he wrote in Turkey, winning back-to-back EuroLeague titles with Efes, Ergin Ataman kept it clear when asked if he could top that in Greece. “Better in terms of glory than Panathinaikos? Definitely no”, he answered. “The team has already won six Euroleague titles with great coaches and players coming through here. After too many years of absence from the Final Four and last year’s 17th place in the Euroleague, it will be a big challenge for me and everyone on the team to bring Panathinaikos back to the highest level, just as this team, this stadium, these fans in OAKA deserves”, he then explained.

Talking about the new Panathinaikos, Ergin Ataman said that his contract length will be sufficient to succeed. “For us coaches, two years is enough”, he first said laughing. “We may need to present work in two months or immediately. No one will be sitting around waiting to see what you’ll do in year two, starting with me. We built this team for immediate results. Yes, there are a lot of new players, but we have completed the basic preparation stage, we have played games in the preseason and we still have a few days before the start of the year in the EuroLeague. I hope that we will be 100% ready to fight for our big goals”, he said.

The biggest goal, however, remains traveling to Berlin in May 2024, saying that a successful season is defined by “qualifying for the Final Four”. Ergin Ataman explained it: “Obviously for the team that finished 17th last year in the Euroleague, qualifying for the playoffs will be a good result. Not for me. For me, the goal, the main goal, is to qualify for the Final Four. But we have to go step by step. You must first finish in the top six to qualify directly for the playoffs, otherwise, you will need to play in the play-in tournament. If you go through there and make it to the Final Four, everything is open after that. Single semifinal, single final. Everyone’s big expectation, starting with me, is to make it to the Final Four”.

Kostas Sloukas’ leadership and warning to Olympiacos

Among the 11 new players brought in by Panathinaikos for the 2023-24 EuroLeague season, there’s also Kostas Sloukas, of course. “Definitely yes”, he said when asked if the 33-year-old point guard would be the leader of the Greens. “He will be our captain, he is our player with the most experience in the Euroleague and one of the best point guards in recent years. He has played in so many Final Fours, while last year he lost the title in the last second. He will be the leader of this group”, he added about Sloukas.

Touching on Olympiacos’ decision to part ways with him, Ergin Ataman commented that Kostas Sloukas’ move to the red-and-white team’s fiercest rivals is not a rare thing to see. “I have a lot of respect for Olympiacos, but that’s the way sports are, things happen. It also happened in the past with [Vassilis] Spanoulis from Panathinaikos to Olympiacos. It has also happened to many players in football. It may be an emotionally intense situation for the fans, but these things happen in professional sports”, the Turkish head coach explained.

Heading to the first game of the EuroLeague season which will be the Greek Derby, Ergin Ataman went on talking about Olympiacos’ head coach Georgios Bartzokas. “He’s a very good coach, I respect him a lot, he is a good friend of mine. I think he will always remember how he lost to Efes in the semifinal in 2022 with bad luck, with Micic’s last shot, and how he lost in a similar way to Real Madrid in the final in 2023. If it was me, I’d be nervous if I had such an opponent coach. That’s why I said it”, he explained when referring to his “Bartzokas should be worried” sentence.

“Also, they know how they dominated the last two years in Greece. But, from the first day I signed for Panathinaikos, no one knew that we were preparing such a team, but they did at Olympiacos. They know me very well and they know that Ergin Ataman did not come to Panathinaikos just to get the position, just to work at Panathinaikos. He came to win. This is causing stress for the team that has dominated the past two years. I want to say that Olympiacos has done a great job, especially with Bartzokas in the last two years. They have my utmost respect for their results. They were unlucky in the way they lost in the final, they deserved to win. I’m sorry, but I don’t know what they will do against Panathinaikos this year”, he finally stated on their rivals.

 Interview: John Rammas
 Camera & editing: Stathis Pavlidis

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Leaving Maccabi Tel Aviv in the summer of 2022 to join Dimitris Itoudis’ Fenerbahce, Scottie Wilbekin is now ready to begin his second straight season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with the yellow-and-blue powerhouse.

After averaging 11.1 points and 2.6 assists per game with the Turkish team in last year’s EuroLeague, he was supposed to join Turkey’s training camp for the upcoming 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in the summer. However, things got complicated during the summer, and both Scottie Wilbekin and Shane Larkin’s situations with the Turkish national team are now problematic.

During Fenerbahce’s EuroLeague Media Day, the 30-year-old experienced guard, who moved overseas back in 2015 to join AEK, before moving on to Darussafaka, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and finally Fener, spoke about the controversial situation with the national team, among other topics.

What happened with Turkey?

Asked to give his perspective on what happened with the Turkish national team, Scottie Wilbekin opened the conversation. “I just found out right before this interview that they’re making a decision on my appeal process very soon. I don’t want to talk too much about it but I will say that the situation we are in is unfortunate”, he first said. “I think some of the actions that were taken are a little bit unnecessary because I feel like there were valid reasons for everything that transpired”, he added.

Among the accusations Turkey stated throughout the summer, it was also said both he and Shane Larkin didn’t answer the phone when called up for the national team. “If there is anything that I want to clarify, it is that I did answer the phone. There was no time that they were not able to reach me. I even offered to reach out to specific people within the federation, even reaching out on my own to specific people. I won’t say any names but I have the text messages to prove it. I was the one that ignored it”, he explained.

“Hopefully, everything will be resolved soon and the right decision will be made, so we can put all of this behind us”, Scottie Wilbekin also said before touching on Shane Larkin, who’s also involved in this controversy. “I don’t want to talk too much about it but hearing Shane’s comments… I didn’t talk to him personally but hearing his comments, it seems like the same thing happened to him. He experienced one reality and saw a different one presented to the media and everyone on social media. I don’t want to talk too much about it”, he added.

Averaging 10.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, the current Fenerbahce guard proved to care about Turkey more than once. “I’m sure that if things don’t go the way that I think they should, then more stuff will probably come out. But if not, there is no reason for me to talk about it. I have a love for the national team. I gave my blood, my sweat, my tears to fight for wins for Turkey in the national team. I hope to continue to do that. I was not hard to reach in the summer. They know that because they were the ones in contact with me”, Scottie Wilbekin also said.

“Public perception is an important thing in today’s culture. They wanted to get ahead of it or something, I’m not sure. I don’t hold it against them. I know that they have their own jobs and they are under pressure to do what they need to do. Hopefully, in the future, this doesn’t show itself as an attack on my character. This is really the only thing that I had a big issue with, saying I did something that I didn’t do in public”, he finally stated.

Us waiting for the season to start pic.twitter.com/vWx0eYUqjz

— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) September 26, 2023

Another EuroLeague season with Fenerbahce

Moving on from the Turkish national team’s agenda, the 30-year-old guard talked about the injury problems that forced him to miss some games in last year’s EuroLeague. “I’m feeling good. I’m getting closer to be hundred percent. My main focus is staying healthy. Last year was rough, not being available for my teammates was not easy. This year, the work that I’ve been putting in the summer will pay off”, he said about preparing for this year’s competitions.

Next to a well-built core of players who stayed together from 2022-23, Fenerbahce added some more weapons to its roster this summer. Asked what they would bring to the table, Scottie Wilbekin kept it clear. “Hopefully more wins. I hope that these changes will lead to more wins”, he first said laughing. “I think we will play differently in times because we have different types of players on the team this year. It is going to be interesting that how the coach will work the rotations. Also, we obviously have a deep roster”, he added.

“There are a lot of guys that can play. Hopefully, we can get everybody to click, play well together, and bring out each other’s best”, he then added about his year’s squad, which includes also Sertac Sanli, with whom he played in the national team. “He can spread the floor, he is a great shooter. He’s smart, he knows how to play the game. It is easy to play with somebody who can shoot and has a high IQ”, Scottie Wilbekin said about the former Anadolu Efes and Barcelona center.

Another addition brought to the new Fenerbahce has been Yam Madar, with whom he will share the backcourt. “We can expect Yam to terrorize whoever he is guarding”, he joked. “Beyond that, we will see. I know from personal experience that Yam really gets into the opponent’s space and makes it uncomfortable for them. You can definitely expect that”, Scottie Wilbekin commented on the Israeli guard.

Among newcomers, the head coach will still be Dimitris Itoudis, who joined the Turkish team a little earlier this summer compared to last year’s after EuroBasket 2022 with the Greek national team. “It has been easier with more time with him. He is getting us where he wants us to be, fine-tuning plays here and there, and also on defense”, the 30-year-old Gainesville native commented on Itoudis.

“It is hard to compare because we have a different team this year and the guys who are coming back. We have new guys, so we are playing a little bit differently at some times. I think having him for an extra week or two will help us in the long run”, he finally said about the differences in the EuroLeague preseason between last year and this one, with the Greek head coach on board for a longer time.

 

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One of the biggest hits of this summer’s transfer market in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague saw the four-time NBA All-Star Kemba Walker moving to Monaco to help the red-and-white side grow even more.

After reaching the EuroLeague Final Four in the Monegasque club’s second-ever season in the most important European competition, Sasa Obradovic’s team decided to add another piece to the puzzle, bringing the 33-year-old point guard overseas.

The American playmaker, who’s yet to debut with his new team in the LNB, where AS Monaco is currently on top of the standings with a 3-0 record, talked to Eurohoops about this new adventure. “I don’t really have any expectations, to be honest, I’m just here to play basketball. I’ve been on new teams plenty of times, I don’t look at it any differently. The guys are hoopers, really good hoopers. Really good people, easy to get along with”, he first said about the environment he found so far.

Playing against hot crowds like in Belgrade – both with Partizan and Crvena Zvezda -, Athens – same with Olympiacos and Panathinaikos -, or Tel Aviv, the former Charlotte Hornets, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks player will experience something way different in terms of audiences.

“It’s something I’m really looking forward to experiencing”, he said about playing in places like the Stark Arena, or the most buzzing European arenas. “I’ve heard great things about the different environments, and how wild some of the different places are. That’s what I love about the game, one of the biggest differences between European basketball and the NBA”, Kemba Walker added.

No matter what Kemba Walker remains the biggest signing in Europe.

And he has arrived pic.twitter.com/izoPrnVaMl

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) August 16, 2023

Former EuroLeague players influenced Kemba Walker

In his first interview coming to Europe, the American point guard explained one of his friends and former teammates with the UConn Huskies Shabazz Napier, who moved to the EuroLeague first with Milano and now with Crvena Zvezda, had high words for the competition when discussing about it.

However, he wasn’t the only one who influenced Kemba Walker in his decision to sign for AS Monaco. “Two of my friends, Edgar Sosa and James Feldeine, two guys who played in the EuroLeague once upon a time. They had nothing but great things to say about it”, he explained by referring respectively to the former Dinamo Sassari and former Panathinaikos and Crvena Zvezda players.

“They were other influences for me to really accept it. I know how good of a league it is, everything doesn’t have to be the NBA. EuroLeague is one of the best basketball leagues in the world, I’m happy to be here”, he went on to add regarding his decision to cross the Atlantic Ocean. “I’ve been having a great time thus far. It’s definitely different, but it’s a beautiful place to be and I’m happy to be able to experience it. This is something really cool. I had my experiences in the NBA, so for me to experience that and be able to experience this, I appreciate it”, he then said about his first weeks in Monaco.

Before the countdown to the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season could start, the 2023 FIBA World Cup saw Team USA finishing out of the podium for the second straight time, ending the International competition without a medal on their neck.

Kemba Walker, who represented his country back in 2019 by averaging 14.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game, talked about what’s like playing that kind of tournament. “It’s fun, it’s a great experience. You play against other guys around the world, and it’s very different. It’s a different style of basketball, physicality. You have to adjust. In any sport, it’s all about who’s better that night. In the game of basketball, anybody can come prepared on any given night”, the four-time NBA All-Star finally added.

𝑲𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒂 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 pic.twitter.com/3v3lOvfa5J

— SKWEEK (@skweektv) September 21, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: AS Monaco Basket

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Kostas Sloukas made a move this summer that pretty much shocked the European basketball community. And it happened in the blink of an eye.

The new member of Panathinaikos confided in Eurohoops the reasons for the decision to leave Olympiakos for the “Greens”, he said that “everything happened quickly”, but he refused to mention those who guided him in the first part of his own “decision”.

The only thing he pointed out is that “Olympiakos fans have their reasons for speaking badly about me. They don’t know what has happened behind the scenes… What is written is not the whole truth.”

Kostas Sloukas admitted that he was “won over” by the “highest motivation that Panathinaikos had” and for Olympiacos, he added: “There is no discussion anywhere about participation time and role. The idea that I would ask to play two minutes more or two minutes less, I consider it at least funny…”.

“I am confident in every decision I make”

– Big decisions always involve challenge, intrigue, and a lot of discussion. How does Kostas Sloukas make the big decisions of his life and career?

“After much thought and discussion with my people, I am always 100% conscious, of whatever decision I make. And I’m confident in every decision I make.”

– Many players, especially in the NBA, say they can’t wait to feel the atmosphere of free agency. You, as one of the “hot” names in the market, how did you live it?

“It’s nice when teams approach you and show their interest because that means you’re doing something well. And especially when the biggest clubs in Europe approach you. It’s an honor and that gives me more motivation and push to continue.”

– Before the decision on Panathinaikos, were there substantial discussions with these foreign teams?

“There were many teams that showed interest, but because I didn’t want to have any discussions before talking to Olympiacos, no talks progressed.”

“Not the whole truth has been written – Panathinaikos’ motivation is higher”

– Every movement between the two major Greek basketball teams includes headlines, a lot of talk, and exaggerations. What was the process of this transition based on your mind, heart, or just logic?

“The truth is that I have said many times – and it has helped me, especially at the age of 33 – that, in this respectable career that I have had, I am not influenced and I do not generally listen to what everyone says. Everyone has their opinion and, for example, Olympiakos fans have their reasons for speaking badly about me. They don’t know what has happened behind the scenes… What is written is not the whole truth, but I only care about the opinion of my people, my family, and my friends, who are the ones I have been walking with for the last few years. I am proud to have them with me and they support me in whatever decision I make.”

– What was it or what made you accept Panathinaikos’ offer?

“Everything happened very quickly. The situation with Olympiakos also played an important role, in what people don’t know and those who should and who were present, know it. My decision is not to speak about this and I will not. The approach of Panathinaikos was very good. One of the main reasons is coach Ataman, whom I particularly appreciate. In my career, the word that characterizes me is motivation. When I saw that both Panathinaikos and I have a higher motivation to achieve something very nice, they were the main reasons for us to come together.”

– There’s a toxicity that obviously and admittedly exists. How do you athletes experience it?

“People are doing their job and we are here to do ours. The Olympiakos fans will boo me and my teammates and that’s normal. Of course, there are also extreme situations in which I am completely indifferent to what they write or say. I look at my own close family environment, which does not consist of many people, and I am interested in the opinion of my coach, my teammates, and the management. I take these seriously and they trouble me.”

– You have played against Panathinaikos, now Olympiacos will be the opponent. How do you expect that night to be, this time in “Green”?

“It won’t be easy. I have done it before with Fenerbahce and I was booed. And when I left Olympiakos, again the situations were not written exactly as they happened, just like now… This time there will be more boos. The fans do their job and Olympiakos fans love their team selflessly and give their soul for their team. We, me and my teammates, have to do our job because we are professionals and we have a common goal, to get as high as we can.”

– You have a premiere with Olympiakos in the Euroleague and a possible final in the Greek Super Cup, in a few days. Do you think it’s too early for such a special match, for all of you?

“I can’t say it’s early… There’s maybe the excuse that we’re twelve new players and a new coach, but it’s an excuse I wouldn’t like to mention. The Super Cup is the first title of the year, the motivation is very high and the atmosphere and environment of Panathinaikos, outside the lines, is such that he can’t wait to see the team compete. Expectations have been created. May we live up to expectations.”

– They say that the language of basketball is one and universal. In the vocabulary of Panathinaikos is there the well-known “patience” or “we need time” mantra, for a team with almost a dozen new players?

“In the sports fan world, I think it exists. It seems that while there is a good mix of players, it’s early and we’re still talking about preparation and we’ve had bad spells. With Efes and Bayern we got a 15-point advantage and lost it straight away. It is also logical, because of the preparation and because of the many new players. For us, the coaches and the players, however, there is no excuse because the EuroLeague is relentless, every result counts, and in the end you cash in. Therefore, every game is “life or death”.

The “relaxed Ataman”

– You were many times rivals, now “allies”. What is Coach Ataman like?

“He’s a nice guy, off the court. He is relaxed, with his style, but within the lines of the court, he has his philosophy. I experienced him when he took over Efes at its worst and in three years he made it the European champion. He had good players, but that says something about his character and his philosophy. All this has made him special and one of the best coaches in Europe and indeed of all time!”.

– Are there differences or commonalities, both competitive and approach, with your previous coaches?

“Everyone has their philosophy. Coach Ataman follows his perception of coaching ability and routine. Every coach has his own beliefs and walks through them.”

– In the summer there was a lot of talk about your role – where you play – and the label of “leader”… Who will Kostas Sloukas be in his new team?

“There is no discussion anywhere about the time of participation and the role. We haven’t spoken with my coach about it. When you are good, you will compete, when you are not, you will not play. You cannot state how much you will play. The idea that I would ask to play two minutes more or two minutes less, I consider it at least funny…”.

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Ioannis Papapetrou talked to Eurohoops about returning to Panathinaikos following the four-year run from 2018 to 2022.

Papapetrou, 29, is preparing alongside his teammates to start official action through Greece’s Super Cup in Rhodes. The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 1 will be next with a home game opposite his former team and archrival of the Greens Olympiacos on October 6.

“We must prepare to be at our best and begin the season with a win,” he told Eurohoops previewing the derby of the eternal enemies, “I believe we can achieve the win. Talent and quality are there, despite us being a brand new team.”

Hiring Ergin Ataman as the new head coach sparked a massive rebuild. Besides Papapetrou, other summer signings included Olek Balcerowski, Jerian Grant, Kyle Guy, Juan Hernangomez, Mathias Lessort, Kostas Sloukas, and Luca Vildoza.

“Certainly, the feeling is different,” Papapetrou compared previous and current situations, “We have a very good team this season, following many solid moves in the summer. That is my priority. Everyone on the team, including myself, wants to be successful this season. We are looking forward to the season.”

Inking a two-year contract to return reunited Papapetrou with the Greens loyals.

“Panathinaikos fans always supported and loved me. I love them too,” Papapetrou described the relationship, “I am happy to be here and part of all this. We will try to make them happy.”

Spending the tenth EuroLeague campaign of his career with Partizan Mozzart Bet, he averaged 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest over 38 appearances, including 24 starts.

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The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague runner-up is back. Olympiacos faces challenges at the start of the new season, including Sasha Vezenkov leaving to join the Sacramento Kings.

The head coach of the Greek giant, Giorgos Bartzokas talked to Eurohoops about his plans for the 2023-24 squad.

“Unfortunately, many players missed large chunks of the preseason,” he mentioned, “Evaluating talent and combinations comes through team practices. We have the right pieces to once more play team basketball. We will try to make adjustments in defense and offense, based on our players from last season. In a short period, I will be able to expand. Overall, I am happy.”

Creating a philosophy beyond selfishness resurfaces once more for the 58-year-old Greek tactician.

“It is not about what I want. Fortunately, basketball is heading in that direction,” he clarified, “Playing 80-85 games each year, teams relying heavily on one player no longer can exist in European basketball.”

“We aim for versatility with players capable of playing in multiple positions,” he focused on the Reds, “I believe basketball now has separate roles for ‘1’ and ‘5’. I would like the rest to bring in multiple different variations of their game. It is not necessary to limit a player to ‘2’, ‘3’, or ‘4’.

“Missing Vezenkov is big”

Vezenkov, 28, was named MVP of the 2022-23 EuroLeague season. Directly replacing him with another player would be a tough task and far from Bartzokas’ aspirations.

“Missing Vezenkov is big. He was the EuroLeague MVP. It would be a mistake to ignore that,” he said, “I believe basketball is a team sport. People work together defensively and offensively, players cooperate with coaches, trainers, doctors, and management. Everybody must be on the same page. Whatever the level of talent, nothing can be done without working alongside each other.”

“Every player expressed feelings in favor of more playing time, each one in his way. That is normal,” he added to the topic referring to the 2022-23 season, “Players want to play more, get more shots, and play for themselves, to feel important. We must achieve the latter, but at the same time manage the game itself. Our job is always in the same direction, but not always from the same starting point. I believe in characters and if someone is positive, he will overcome adversity.”

Besides Vezenkov, Kostas Sloukas also left Olympiacos and joined archrival Panathinaikos. “No,” was the brief answer of Bartzokas on talking with his former player about possibly signing a contract extension.

The example of Gregg Popovich

The relationship between coaches and players changes the approach for all people involved, including Bartzokas. Asked about Gregg Popovich allowing players to make decisions during timeouts, he cited longevity as the key to opening the door.

“Popovich had Parker, Duncan, Ginobili, Diaw, and was with them for many years. Things could work naturally. In the same team for many years, this can happen,” he replied, “I trust the instinct of the players. I don’t make calls on every single offensive play. I care about the game’s flow and intensity. The playmaker often makes decisions.”

Competing in Greece’s Super Cup marks the first official challenge of the season for the team guided by Bartzokas. Besides a possible collision with Panathinaikos in Rhodes this week, the rivals are guaranteed to meet in Round 1 of the EuroLeague Regular Season on October 6.

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Jabari Parker has resumed his career at FC Barcelona. Beyond the NBA, his overseas options led to the powerhouse of European and arguably global basketball.

Following a rocky start and the loss to archrival Real Madrid in Supercopa Endesa, his new team launched the Liga Endesa Regular Season with a win against Joventut Badalona. Tipping off the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season will be next in fresh new starts after two more affairs at the domestic level.

Parker, 28, marked one of the most impressive offseason moves in Europe by joining the Catalonia outfit. The second pick of the 2014 NBA draft, determined to get his career back on track, arrived as the replacement for Nikola Mirotic.

In an interview with Eurohoops, he walked through adapting to Barca and European basketball, weighed in on the World Champion debate, and shared his view on the business aspect of the NBA.

Eurohoops: How are you feeling, Jabari? How would you say the team is right now?

I feel good, personally, about coming into the year with this much depth and experience. So far it’s been alright, I think it’s going to be good.

EH: This is your first experience outside the United States so there is a mandatory first question: what would you say the biggest difference between NBA and European basketball is?

I don’t have so much of an opinion because I am inexperienced, but I think later I will figure it out. So far it’s pretty much similar to how we played in high school or college, where you could stay in the paint since there is no defensive three. So far it’s nice.

EH: I wanted to ask what’s your take on the whole “NBA champions are world champions” drama.

Well, you see it now, right? Everybody can lose. The game has grown since the ’60s and ’70s, when it was predominantly American. Now basketball has been global, to be the world champion you have to play against the best in the world. And especially Euroleague might have, arguably, some of the better players consistently on a team. In the NBA you have a lot of counterparts that don’t really contribute to a talent, maybe political, maybe a favor, whatever. Out here you have to play, you have to be able to be good, you have to have some experience and you see it with teams like us: Abrines played with OKC, Jan played in the Wizards, Sato… This is not like baseball where you have veterans that stay on a team, there is no minor league, where is the room for experienced guys and veterans? That arguably says that you do have some better talent just from the experience. If you have a roster full of guys that have been pro for +10 years, how are rookies or two-year guys exceeding them? You see that around Europe, with many other teams, not only ourselves. Real Madrid has some really good guys on their team too.

EH: You are now mentioning Real Madrid, Barça’s biggest rival which you have already played against this season. The one you played in Supercopa was the first of many Clasicos that will come this season, did you feel it was a different game?

I did, but since it was on a neutral site so I didn’t really see the difference in the fans, there was some balance.

EH: Things didn’t end well in Murcia since the team lost, but there were some positive things too. One of them was seeing you play with a lot of confidence, with no signs of physical problems.

I tore my ACL five years ago, and ever since then I have been playing. My surgery was in 2017 and it’s 2023, that’s a long time between here and there. The injuries are years behind.

EH: Many players decided to move from the NBA and come to Europe to play. Since you are one of them, let me ask you: why is this happening?

I just want to be a part of something legitimate. I want to be a part of ‘every game matters’. Sadly, the NBA is a business and there are 10-12 teams that try to win every game and the other half try to get a Draft pick. Where does that leave good players? You either have to be super good or bad, to lose games. It’s no excuse to see DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard, or John Wall, guys who are potentially going into the Hall of Fame… seeing those guys not have a job? We are seeing the league getting watered down, unfortunately. It’s a lot of things that are out of our control. Euroleague and the fans are expecting a lot, and we as players expect a lot from ourselves and we want to compete.

EH: Your signing with Barça was a huge shock, both because of how big is your name and because nobody was expecting Barça to make this kind of move. Can you explain how everything happened?

I knew I wanted to play this season and I didn’t want to wait. I didn’t want to have to go through the extenuating process of trying to figure out an NBA team that was going to take a chance on me. As soon as we had the conversations with Mario Bruno Fernández I got down here, they pretty much gave me an offer that I couldn’t refuse. I decided this was the best place for me.

EH: Is playing here, in Barcelona and in the Euroleague, a way of getting back to the NBA or there is room to play some more years overseas before heading back to the United States?

I like to be in the moment. Everywhere that I go and anywhere that I play is a blessing, just to be on the court. And I know that I will be playing against some great competition, and I want to make this year the best experience that I can.

acb Photo / S. Gordon

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Kostas Papanikolaou retained the captain’s armband of Olympiacos, renewing his contract with the Red and Whites, and hopes to find himself again lifting trophies, as happened three times last year, after winning the domestic championship, Greek Cup, and Supercup.

“The philosophy remains the same. You don’t change something successful. The coach’s philosophy in recent years has shown that it leads the team on a successful path, so we will rely on that,” said Papanikolaou to Eurohoops during Olympiacos’ EuroLeague media day.

The team lost to key pieces from the last season, with Sasha Vezenkov leaving for the NBA with Sacramento Kings and Kostas Sloukas moving to arch-rivals Panathinaikos.

“Surely, last year cannot predict the next. Every time you start, you start from scratch. No matter how many changes you have, the goal is to do the best you can. Certainly, there have been changes in the roster. Two crucial and important players left the team, but as history has shown, we managed to find a way to keep Olympiacos at the top.”

Papanikolaou renewed his contract with Olympiacos this year and may end his career with the red-whites after this new agreement.

“The truth is that after so many years, there is very good communication with the presidents, Mr. Panagiotis and George Angelopoulos. We can discuss more openly and clearly. There is mutual respect, and certainly, all these work beneficially and help bring the two sides closer. Since I am satisfied with the team and the team’s behavior that I feel I have, I didn’t see a reason for anything to change.”

He’s honored to be the captain of Olympiacos, following the footsteps of two club legends, Vassilis Spanoulis and Georgios Printezis.

“The honor of being the captain of Olympiacos, the biggest club in Greece and one of the biggest in Europe, says a lot. There are no words. I am lucky to have coincided with these two guys, Vassilis and Georgios. We experienced many moments together, and I am lucky not only for these but mainly because I can call them friends. Because a relationship was created that counts more than anything competitive.”

Goals for the upcoming season are clear: Olympiacos continues to fight for all the available trophies.

“It will sound very cliché because Olympiacos is ‘doomed’ to fight for the best possible. Any title in front of us is an obligation to chase because this is what this specific team has learned to do.”

Kostas Papanikolaou also touched on the natural disasters within Greek borders, with the country fighting against fires and floods in the previous year.

“Because I said it back then in the Philippines, the essence is not to talk, for everyone to say what they have to say. Right, wrong, strange or not. The essence is for solutions to be found. Other things intervened, as you said correctly. The essence is not to see such problems, or at least not to this extent. Words are easy and we all say them. The issue is for actions to be taken and for them to become substance,” Papanikolaou said.

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Talking to Eurohoops during Anadolu Efes media day, the new head coach of Turkish champions Erdem Can touched on various topics, from his signing with the Istanbul team, new squad, to his aspirations for the NBA.

He admits it was an honor receiving an offer from Anadolu Efes, which fits in with his ambitions.

“I have big goals in my life. Being part of large and powerful organizations is important to achieve these goals. I see myself as constantly evolving as a coach. Getting an offer from Efes was very honorable for me,” Can said to Eurohoops.

Before leading Turk Telekom to the EuroCup final last season, Can spent a year in the NBA, working as a part of the Utah Jazz’s coaching staff with Quin Snyder.

“When you’re in the NBA, the purpose of being there is very important. The experience I gained there greatly contributed to my basketball philosophy, the system I have in mind, and what I want to accomplish. But I always had the desire and motivation to be a head coach. So, after that period, I felt it was time to move towards being a head coach.”

Can doesn’t rule out returning to the NBA.

“I’m still in touch with him. I continue to communicate with other coaches, managers, and general managers in the NBA, but I want to achieve bigger things as a head coach and then go back to the NBA in a stronger way.”

Anadolu Efes head coach believes completing the roster early this summer, with the exception of Justus Hollatz, didn’t bring many benefits.

“We didn’t really see much benefit in completing it early. Because Dogus Ozdemiroglu got injured early, and as you know, Shane has an issue with his Turkish nationality status. The dynamics we considered when completing the squad early suddenly changed. So, we entered a new evaluation process.”

Anadolu Efes changed the roster drasticlly, adding eight new players, including Darius Thompson from Baskonia, and Turkish BSL MVP Tyrique Jones, who played under Can in Ankara last season.

“The team’s picture is clear. We have several very successful players at the EuroLeague level. In addition to them, we have players who are hungry for success and have potential. We also have young players who are just starting to play at the EuroLeague level. So, everyone has their own story. Some will enhance their success even further and write their own story. Some will prove that they can be permanent here. But every player has potential.”

Thompson practically came as a replacement for Vasilije Micic, who went to the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“Darius Thompson’s characteristics are not the same as Vasilije Micic’s, but our team is not the same team either. We will try to build a structure where everyone can work together, get the most out of what they can do, and produce better results when they are together. So, I don’t think we operate in an environment where we compare Vasa with Darius or assess players’ performances from last season or previous seasons. Because there are new players with them, there’s a new coach, and there’s a new basketball philosophy. We are working to see how much we can grow together with the right chemistry.”

Jones was also of interest to other EuroLeague teams this season, not just Anadolu Efes, but Can assured he wanted to be part of the team.

“It’s up to Tyrique. His ability to take ownership of himself within the style of basketball we will play and contribute here is directly proportional. Of course, he has potential, or else we wouldn’t want to see him here. Despite having other offers, he wanted to be with us. Because he’s aware of the strength of the Anadolu Efes organization. He wanted to be part of a big structure.”

Erdem Can commit to helping Turkish players evolve and will try to give them as many chances as possible.

“This is a promise I made to myself. As a Turkish coach, having a structure where we can involve these players is what I really want. Unfortunately, Dogus’s injury this season really affected us a lot.”

Coach of the year in EuroCup last season hopes for a successful first season and points out the motivations of players as the most important aspect of the team.

“It’s going well so far. We have a very eager and motivated group of players. They really want to be successful. Their motivation is the most important factor. No matter how eager you are as a coach, it’s the motivation of your players that is the most valuable part. I hope we all come together on the same page and have a successful season with the right chemistry,” Can concluded.

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