by Yiğit Alp Kalkancı & Buğra Uzar, Translation: M. Bahadır Akgün / info@eurohoops.net
Having gone through a huge change during the offseason, Besiktas Sompo Japan appointed Dusko Ivanovic, one of the most experienced coaches of Europe, as head coach following Ufuk Sarıca‘s departure.
After working at EuroLeague powerhouses for many years, Ivanovic faces a new challenge with Besiktas, trying to restore the pride of the “Black Eagles” as the club is nicknamed. Despite the fact that Besiktas built its roster relatively late, it seems that the experienced coach has already shown his impact on the team. Besiktas won two out of three games so far in the season failing only against one of the best teams in Europe, Fenerbahce, against which they really put up a fight.
Eurohoops met with Dusko Ivanovic and talked about his decision to take over Besiktas, his goals with the team, the best players he’s worked with and his message to Besiktas’ fans.
– After a one-year break, you are back in action as a head coach. Did you miss basketball? Was it hard for you to be away from the sport?
“Sometimes it’s good to have a little holiday. However, I remained related to basketball during that period as well. I saw games in person by traveling all around. I guess I was 13 or 14 years old when I started playing basketball. Basketball is my life. It does not matter if I am on a sabbatical, it’s always in my mind”.
– How did you decide to accept Besiktas Sompo Japan’s offer in the summer?
“I saw the desire for competition and to be better when I spoke to the Besiktas officials. I could see that they love basketball and they have the same mindset with me. These were the main reasons for me to come here. Besiktas is a really great club in my opinion. I believe that we can accomplish something special”.
– It has not been so long since you came here, but what would you like to say about the Besiktas organization?
“It has just been a month, and I have not seen much yet, but so far everything has been great. I can see that it’s a great organisation. People over here are coming to work willingly, happily. Besides that, when I watched football games of Besiktas, I saw the incredible support of the fans”.
– Speaking of which, will we see you at Vodafone Park, the Besiktas football team’s home stadium, in the future?
“I already watched two games. Everything was amazing. I was impressed by the fans”.
– You started building the roster a little bit late this year. Do you think this will be a huge disadvantage for you? The team looked pretty good during the first games. How did you manage it?
“Yes, we built the roster a bit late. I signed late, we made our moves late and we started practicing late. However, none of these are excuses. We should definitely play hard and do our best with the roster we have. My players are working really hard and right now everyone is focused. Hopefully, it will continue to be the same way”.
– What were the main criteria while making moves in the offseason?
“We, the coaches, first of look at the quality of a player. They should have quality not only on the court but also as persons. This is really important about how they will adjust to the team. I do not think that players win something just thanks to their quality. As long as they are united with the rest of the team and on the same page, you can have success. I think a real team is much more important than a great-but-out-of-team player”.
– Turkish Lira lost a lot of value against the Euro and the Dollar this summer, which made things harder for many teams. Naturally, Besiktas was affected, as well. How did you handle this situation? Did you talk to the board?
“I talked to the board before our transfer moves. We tried to sign the best possible players in the market. Of course, it was not a good timing, as we were a bit late. Some players that we wanted were too expensive for us, but it had nothing to do with Turkish Lira losing value. The players were really expensive. (Laughs). Considering our budget, I think we could find pretty good players”.
– Do you have any plans to make additions to the current roster? Plus, Robin Benzing has an option in his contract. Will he remain here?
“Robin Benzing will stay with us. He had an option for one month, and he will be here till the end of the season. We will probably add one more player. We are planning to have six foreign players, but of course, you cannot know what may happen in the season”.
– The team played well in the first games, especially in defense. You used all the players. What’s the secret for having such a good start early in the season?
“I think we worked very hard during all practices. My players gave more than their 100%. Surely, working hard and doing a good job will have as a result playing hard in the games. Everyone in the team is quite hungry early in the season. All players have energy and they are ambitious. Sure, we will see how it goes in 2-3 weeks, but for now, we are on the right path”.
– What do you think is the biggest advantage of Besiktas this season?
“I think it will be our defense. We have some issues in the offensive end at the moment and we need some time, but I can say that we have been good in the defensive end. Still, I think we can be better by developing ourselves. It is hard to seperate defense and offense, but if you play hard in the defense, players will be more comfortable in the offense. Even if they miss chances in the offense, they can compensate with a good defensive performance. On the other hand, if they play bad defense, they should make all their shots, which would put the pressure on their back”.