By Nikos Varlas
After a 20 years career as a pro he is spending his last season in the court… Being 39 years old, Inaki de Miguel feels that his time as a player is running out, but before he retires, he is already a professional coach!
After an illustrious career in teams like Estundiantes, Alicante, Malaga, Cajasol and of course Real Madrid and Olympiacos, the former national team player from Spain competes in the Spanish “LEB plata” league as a player of “Las Rozas”! He is living in his beloved Madrid and speaks to Eurohoops.net about his upcoming transition from player to coach.
“This is my last season. I am old, I have knee problems and I don’t play well”, says with blatant honesty De Miguel who is registering 4.3 ppg and 2.2 rpg in 12 mpg. He is ready to sit on the bench as the boss of a team.
“I have in my hands my coaching diploma! I will start working as a coach by the summer. I will see what proposals there will be for me. I want to start a new career as a first coach in a small team, or maybe as an assistant coach in the higher level. My goal is to be a coach, it’s a very exciting future for me”.
The question is how he managed to play and study to be a coach. The answer is simple in Spain: “You can take coaching courses in every Spanish city if you are already a player. I got send books, I read them, I took exams, I did everything I should and I got my professional diploma! After 2,5 years of study I am glad that I made it. Now, I am qualified to work even in a ACB league club”.
Does he feels more a player, or a coach now: “I am still in the court playing basketball, but from the moment I got my diploma, I am thinking more as a coach, than a player! I don’t think that I will need much time to… kill the player inside me. I am ready and eager to work as a coach. I want so badly to be a good coach. I don’t care if this is going to happen to my city, Madrid, or my home country, Spain, or anywhere in Europe. I will go wherever I will find a good opportunity to start”.
Did he has a special place in his heart for one of his old teams: “Real Madrid means a lot to me, because of my origin and my childhood experiences. I had also a great time in Alicante and in Olympiacos, where I made many friends”. What is he expecting to see in the Euroleague Final Four: “The four teams deserve to be there. In theory CSKA has the best roster, but when it’s game time, everybody has a chance. In the other semifinal I will root for Olympiacos”!
Is he hostile towards Barcelona. “No, don’t get it wrong! I am a true Castilian and I have beautiful memories from Greece and Olympiacos! It is natural to root for the Reds”, says Iniaki and laughs loudly!
After 20 years in the courts as a player and a future as a coach de Miguel seems truly happy: “Basketball and my family are my life. I am always around to people that are close to me and now I am ready to make a new start in basketball. I don’t have to abandon it”.