By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
Coming off the bench with Partizan Belgrade in last year’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Yam Madar decided to move to Istanbul to open a new chapter in his career, joining Dimitris Itoudis in yellow and blue.
Ahead of his clash with the past, as the Serbian team hosts Fenerbahce tonight at 20:30 CET in the Regular Season Round 7 at the Stark Arena, Yam Madar will probably spend more minutes than usual on the court considering the Turkish team’s absences.
Talking to Milun Nesovic from Meridian Sport, the Greek head coach commented on the playmaker’s arrival to Turkey in the summer. “I told him this summer that he was leaving a very successful team and coach, and that he has strong competition here in his position. He said: “I don’t care, whoever is there is welcome, and I’m going to prove that I matter”. It speaks to his character”, Dimitris Itoudis said.
As natural, he revealed he had a conversation with his master in Panathinaikos about the young point guard. “He was a free agent. I also spoke with Zeljko [Obradovic] when we were offered a player who was certainly interesting to us. I was the first to say that we were not interested if he was not free. And I was convinced that it was under contract. That’s why I turned to Zeljko [Obradovic], to see what was happening there. It’s not my job to judge if those nuances were from the legal side”, he added.
Dimitris Itoudis with great words for Yam Madar
Moving on to Yam Madar’s attitude, he had nothing but great words. “He belongs to the category of players who live for basketball, and love the game. It’s nice to see that because he respects basketball and it will pay him back. He has a lot of room to improve. He worked under Zeljko Obradovic: it’s easier for me and for the team”, he commented.
“He is very explosive, he reads situations very well. He has an enthusiasm that needs to be curbed a bit, but he is a very strong defensive player who always competes. He motivates himself. In defense, he can take on any player, he gives us aggressiveness from the first line”, the former CSKA Moscow head coach stated before touching on his current feelings.
“It is not easy for him because of everything that is happening, especially in Turkey. But he is so focused. He loves basketball and the team, as do his teammates. He is one of them. He is not alone in his thoughts”, Dimitris Itoudis finally said about Yam Madar.
After making his European debut with the black-and-white side in the 2021-22 EuroCup, Yam Madar debuted in the EuroLeague last year, averaging 5.8 points and 1.8 assists per game over 13:24 minutes per game. With Fenerbahce so far he has improved to 7.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.
PHOTO CREDIT: Fenerbahce