By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Sasha Obradovic, a key player for the Serbian national team and a star for Alba Berlin, was destined since his playmaking days to be a coach.
He did in 2005 first for Rhein Energie Cologne, where he served until 2008 and then in Kyiv and Donetsk in Ukraine with a stop in Poland for Turow Zgorzelec and Donetsk. In 2012 he joined Alba Berlin, he won three German cups but the two sides decided last summer that it was time for a change. For the first time since 1987 when he started his career as a player in Crvena Zvezda, Obradovic had some free time which he spend in the other side of the Atlantic.
After his trip, he speaks to Eurohoops about his experience, coach Gregg Popovich – whom he had beaten with Alba Berlin in an exhibition game – and his future.
– What was your experience in the States? How were your trips in Brooklyn, Atlanta and San Antonio?
“Great experience ! I received warm hosting and the best treatment in any place I visited. It’s completely an other dimension of professionalism, organisation, and technology – everybody is doing their part of job and a lot of people are involved in different kind of duties.
Sometimes the picture of the whole organisation seems to be too big and it’s hard to understand the structure but with time you see the importance of each guy in the system. I met wonderful people , coaches who were very open to share experience and give me a crucial advices for my career . I got big help from European legends like Etore Messina , Mike Batiste, Neven Spahija and the rest of coaching stuff from different teams. And of course from the head coaches Kenny Atkinson, Mike Budenholzer and Greg Popovic to whom I am very thankful for giving me an opportunity to follow the practices, travel with them and take part in their coaching meetings “.
– After the loss to Alba Berlin two years ago, San Antonio Spurs head coach Popovic was asked: “When you realised that coach Obradovic is serious about winning the game”. He answered: “What do you mean , he is a Serb, they always play serious …” Many people in Serbia regard coach Pol also as a Serb , do you think the same?
First of all, he is a great person and one of the best coaches all time who had underlined his Serbian roots. People here are cheering for him and the Spurs. He was very open in giving me life changing advices and support for my future career. When I was talking to him you could see that even though we speak a different language, the ideas, the way of thinking and handling the players, the sense of humour are very similar to our great coaches and the mentality of our people.
– Would you feel ready for the challenge to be an assistant in the NBA like many other Europeans?
“Being part of any kind of an NBA organisation would be a great honour for any coach or player. Most probably I would need to make some adjustments in order to integrate in a system and I don’t think that would be a big problem. I was a head coach all my life but if or when this kind of opportunity occur I would defenetly take it in serious consideration . This could be a big upgrade in my career and I will work for this in future”.
– You had a great run in Alba Berlin, after being a star player also as a coach. What the future holds for you?
“After being a coach for 11 years, I realize that the most important thing in this job is to have continuity, develope the domestic players and to be in situation which can enables you to win as much as possible titles . I will keep working hard to achieve my goals and get the best out of each situation. My primary goal is to be part of the Euroleague. Once you feel it you always want to be a part of it and one day, maybe of the NBA”.
– Your name was mentioned during Panathanaikos search for a coach and also recently for Maccabbi Tel Aviv. It was just rumours or something more?
“It’s a great feeling that I draw the interest of such kind of clubs and it’s a big honour for me. This time tjomgs didn’t work out but in the future I am very confident and I have a lot of reasons to believe that my name will be on the lists of big European teams”.
– Do you think you are ready for the bench of a top Euroleague team, as you have some very notable success in your career as a coach?
“I had already a three year Euroleague experience and I am not afraid of any kind of possible challenge in future . I was honoured from my respected colleges and voted Euroleague third coach of the Year 2015. Winning the championship and cup titles in different countries, being voted as best coach in Ukraine and Germany are the facts which I think qualify me for any kind of opportunity in future. I love basketball, I am 24 hours per day on it and that’s why I take advantage of my free time now, in order to become better in every aspect every day”.