Βy Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Are you born a coach or do you become one? Every case is different but for Dimitris Itoudis one thing is a fact. He decided really early that he should be a coach.
He is just 43 years old, but he has already been sitting on a bench for almost 25 years and he can’t remember himself anywhere else, despite he started, as everyone involved in basketball, as a player. His voyage as a coach started during his years in Zagreb, Croatia.
It included stops at PAOK, Panionios, Philipos Salonika, MENT and of course, Panathinaikos. From 1999 until 2012 he was always on the side of most successful coach in European basketball, Zeljko Obradovic.
This cycle ended in the summer of 2012 and one year later he decided to sign with one of the most solid basketball clubs of Turkey, Banvit. It was a bold step, specially after deciding to take the reign of the team as a head coach.
From “Alter Ego” to TBL conqueror
In the majority of the European basketball community, the name Itoudis is almost synonymous with the “Alter Ego” of Obradovic. However this year he has the right to be called the absolute boss in one of the most competitive leagues in Europe, TBL. By signing with Banvit, you are obligated to get used in using every day boat rides around Bosporus. Itoudis has became the whisperer, not only of the Bosporus waves, but also of the Turkish league.
With one regular season game left, Banvit with a 28-1 record is near perfect, having its best season so far and one of the best in the history of Turkish basketball. Only Efes has managed during the nineties to finish the regular season unbeaten with a perfect 30-0 record.
However, Itoudis’ Banvit is turning heads in a season where 12 teams were fighting for the play offs and the level of basketball in Turkey is reaching an all time peak. That’s why Banvit has gained the title of the “team to beat” and it’s totally respected by any opponent.
It’s not just a flash, but the team which will have the absolute home court advantage in the play offs. The city of Bandirma is waiting for this summer, being also proud about a team that has already beat the three Turkish Euroleague teams, Fenerbahce/ Ulker, Galatasaray and Anadolu Efes both at home and on the road.
As the regular season ends and the expectations for Banvit are reaching an all time high, Dimitris Itoudis answers the questions of Eurohoops. It’s more than interesting to read the thoughts of a coach who has won Euroleague five times – as the “absolute assistant” as Zoc himself said – and in his first season in Turkey as a head coach he is breaking more than a few taboos.
– TBL is more than competitive and one gameday before the end of the regular season, Banvit has a 28-1 record. How difficult is to achieve something like that in a league in which at least ten times are very hard to beat at home? What is the secret?
“It’s obviously teamwork. It’s something very hard to achieve. The league is very competitive. If we all agree that Euroleague is the best in Europe and Liga Endesa the number one domestic league, TBL is constantly growing and makes huge steps in quality. The eight play offs teams are decided already, but in total 12 teams were in the run to make the top 8. We have suffered in order to get here.
We don’t have an airport in our city and we have many travels. That’s extra weariness.. We all have our feet on the ground. If we consider the fact that we have beaten two times already the three Euroleague teams, then we can say but we have already achieved something big. But on the same time, that creates even more expectations and demands for our team”.
-During the last four years Banvit is constantly growing as a club. This season is the best yet. What is your target in the play offs against the top clubs of the country which are always targeting the championship title?
“Honestly, I only thing of today and the job that I have to accomplish. The next practice. The next game against Besiktas. Our next goal is the play offs games against Tofas. It’s a very solid team and has recently made a great addition in its roster. They have offensive talent. They have beaten Galatasaray and Fenerbahce at home. It’s a league in which the sixth team of the regular season finally got the title.
That gives the league a wild beauty, but I don’t want to live this aspect from the other side, being the first team of the regular season standings. We are taking things step by step. We know who we are. We want to stay healthy on our body and our soul. I am a professional who is always focused in the imminent future. We are thinking about Tofas and its quality roster. If we get to the semifinals, then we will see the next opponent and we will set a new goal”.
-If Banvit gets the ticket to Euroleague, which will be the solution for traveling to the city? If, for example, Banvit is forced to use Istanbul as its home, will there be a problem with the local community of Bandirma?
“I really don’t have an answer to that. That’s a question for the management of the team and for Euroleague. If we have such a pleasant problem to solve, then I guess we will face it when the time comes”.
-Can TBL emerge in the coming years as the second best league in Europe, or even be as successful as Liga Endesa? There’s money to spend, great fan interest, many good teams and, as time goes by, better know how in the league..
“Under the current situation, time works in favor of TBL. However, Liga Endesa is for many years the best league. It’s an amazing competitions, two teams from Spain are playing in Euroleague’s Final Four and Valencia is playing in Eurocup’s final. They have the organization, the system and a splendid league for many years”.
– The “Russian rule” in TBL about the use of foreign players during the game is a problem for the work of coaches (ed.note: At least two Turkish players has to be all the time on the floor)?
“Of course, it’s natural this rule to affect everybody. In Panathinaikos and in every other team I have been, we always wanted to have as many quality local players as we could, because it was easier for them to understand the importance of the club and the importance of the league. I don’t need a rule to do that. I always want to have good local players in my roster, in this case Turkish players.
This rule creates some issues in coaching. Sometimes you can’t use a foreign player when he deserves to be on the floor. On the other hand, a player who doesn’t deserve to be there on a bad night, has to be on the floor, because of the rule. Personally, I am very satisfied by the local players of my roster.
They have ambitions, they work hard and they are fighters. However, this rule seems already “dead” and the explanation that it helps the national teams can’t be justified. Russia, which invented the rule, and every other country which was using it, now has abandoned it. In Spain and in many more countries, there’s no limit, and you see the results their national teams have”.
– We are learning that the rule is about to change from next season. Do you thing that this will change the league and help some teams?
“I think that this can have only a positive effect on the league. There are many serious investors in basketball. There is a professional environment and the obligations are fulfilled. You can stay focused on basketball, you feel security and the teams can have their minds only on the court. There are many information concerning the change of the rule. I believe that this is a change that will do only good”.
The experience and the collaborators…
-This is your first season outside the Greek borders as a head coach away from Obradovic and so far you have an impressive season with a team which has a good budget, but it’s modest compared to the big clubs of the country. How do you explain the durability of your team?
“I started as a player, but I am many more years a coach. Zeljko gave me enough space in order to evolve in a great club, like Panathinaikos. We had the best conditions, provided by Giannakopoulos family. My responsibilities were much bigger than those of a usual assistant coach.
I was constantly gaining experience. Basketball is a team sport, so this year’s success is not something that I have done alone. There’s the team president Ozcan Kilic, our GM Turgay Cataloluk and my assistants, Selcuk, Sedat and Ertan. Also the owners of our club, Omer and Turgut Gorener. Everyone supports his role in a great way. I am also very lucky because I have with me Andreas Pistiolis who was my collaborator in the last seven seasons at Panathinaikos. In every club you need to have what Panathinaikos had. Ownership, team and fans. Here the fans really adore our team.
When we are talking about budgets in Greece, practically we are referring to Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. In Banvit we can’t compete with club which have a great tradition and sponsors. Still we have our system, our plan and our timetable.
We have some well organized junior teams. We have the ability to hosts in our gym 35 kids coming from all over Turkey. Their life is basketball, school and education. Banvit can be a blueprint for many European clubs. We have a second team, which was playing in the second division in order for our young players to gain experience. We like our players to get minutes, even in other teams, in order to get better”.
The secret? “The ego button”
– Your results prove that you are more than ready to be a head coach. Do you thing that you are ready even for the top Euroleague level? In a big organization with much more demands?
“We have to manage different personalities also in Banvit. If you see the names of our roster, you will understand that. We have players who have won titles and personal awards. Our sport has to do with personalities that have to be shaped up in order to become a unit. It’s logical to have every day problems and tensions.
My job is to convince them to be a unit. I have many experiences and I use them in Banvit, but the players are those who will make them acts on the court. If my players were thinking only something that I said and they didn’t like or it was criticizing them , then they wouldn’t perform like they do this season.
I said to them that I will always be fair and my witness is the image, which can’t be denied. When we see the video of the games, everyone understand the hierarchy of the team and our roles. The rights and the wrongs. I am proud of my players.
The secret for the athletes is to learn how to turn on the “ego button” a little less, but without erasing their personality. Basketball is a sport for smart people, who can read a changing situation instantly under pressure. However, my level will be judged by the people who take decisions for the big clubs. I am happy at Banvit. The club has great confidence in me, a long term plan and a vision”.
“Our relationship and our experiences are above basketball”
– You were a more than successful duo with coach Obradovic. Do you thing that this collaboration is now a thing of the past and you have to get used to the idea of being opponents?
“When you play, the opponent is the team. We have a special relationship with Zeljko, which I believe will endure through time. We have lived many things together, our children have grown together, our families are really close, there are ties above basketball and professional courtesy.
You never know what life will bring. You can’t tell what your future will be and that’s why you have to enjoy every moment. I am proud that I have a friend like Zeljko. We have shared in our hearts many things. In basketball you have to embrace your role. This is a big key to our sport.
It’s a great honor for me the collaboration with Panathinaikos, Zeljko, Giannakopoulos family and the fans of the team. We lived unbelievable moments and every one helped in order to achieve that. I am proud for those achievements and for being part of this run”.
Itoudis the ambassador
– Many Greek players have already been recognized outside the country’s borders and every years members of their elite are signing in other countries. That’s not happening with coaches, at least not in the same numbers. Given the mediocre conditions in the Greek league, do you thing that your success in Banvit can be a path for many to follow, specially coaches of yours or even the youngest generation? Can your work in TBL be the ambassador for Greek coaching abroad?
“I hope it can be like that. If others coaches can work in better conditions, in foreign leagues, it will be more than great. Greek coaches have been watching closely the top level of European basketball and have learned a lot with their interaction with the two Greek clubs which are part of the Euroleague’s elite.
Of course, you need also luck and the right situation. Fotis Katsikaris has made a name for himself in Spain. Giorgos Ketselidis is an other Greek coach who is working abroad and also many others have been coaching foreign national teams. Vasilis Fragkias is the new coach of Qatar. Also coach Zouros has some great work to show outside the Greek borders.
You have to understand that in this job you will always have a suitcase in your hand. If your family can follow you, then it’s the ideal. What I hope is that my job in Banvit can also help other Greek coaches make the step outside Greece”.
Coach Itoudis’ season is turning heads in the calm waters of Bosphorus. And they seem to be the start in his own personal wager. European basketball is turning into an ‘international business affair” and historically Greeks have thrived in an international environment.
It will be interesting to see a Turkish club fighting for the championship title under a Greek coach. What seemed inconceivable some years ago is now reality and can be the blueprint of a basketball future in the old continent in which borders will be just a footnote, if they are not already are. After all, the result count is all that count at the end and so far, the results of coach Itoudis are spectacular.