By Niki Bakouli/ bakouli@eurohoops.net
Last time we saw David Vanterpool, he was an assistant coach for CSKA Moscowand then we met him in Cleveland when Olympiacos was playing a warm up game against the Cavs (see the photo with coach Mike Brown).
From August of 2010, he is Oklahoma City Thunder‘s scout in the United States and overseas. He was in Istanbul and watched the Nike’s International Junior Tournament, since “its important to see all these young guys playing, to have the opportunity to notice their progress, to watch how they are at their 16, at their 17, at their 18, if someone goes to a big team, if he plays to the Olympics. In nowadays it’s much easier to get to know something, cause you have technology. Some guys don’t film their games, but you can check them out on the internet, at the NBA TV, which broadcasts Euroleague’s games, especially during the summer. It’s still very difficult, actually is a 24 hour job, which never stops. But it’s interesting”.
In Oklahoma City he also keeps track with the development of young guys and he knew that after the end of the lock out at the NBA, it was clear Thunder will have an advantage, at a shorten season, because of their youth and their great lever of energy: “Lot of people ask me that. For us, its funny, cause our youth was the reason we didn’t do something last year and all of the sudden we had a flip flop!”. Of course, during this one year, the young Thunder got to know a lot more better themselves, their teammates and what it needs to be done, to do your job right. “Its very exciting to see them playing and definitely we are happy we improved at the right way”… to the point the “swept” the champs (Dallas Mavericks) and now they are 1-0 against the Lakers.
The perk for him being in Istanbul was of course the chance to be one more time near his beloved CSKA: “My heart is still with them. I had the chance to meet them here, in Istanbul and talk with my friends and some of my old players. I love CSKA. They gave me the opportunity to play for one of the greatest organizations, to have success and after that to be their assistant coach, before I move on to my next career”.
He knew all about the pressure CSKA Moscow’s players had and he knew that an upset is not out of the question: “The real beauty of a Final Four is you cannot predict anything, cause you don’t have a series, but two games and you have to play two perfect games to get the trophy. So, anything can happen. You know how is it to work hard all season, to go through the regular season, then the Top 16 and after that the playoffs where you have series and that means the best teams win, and then to go to the Final Four and… to be like you didn’t do anything, cause you have to prove yourself, all over again? We had an undefeated season, in 2005 and we lost both games at Moscow’s Final Four. It was the worst possible case scenario. But when you see the banner of the champion team going up, on the roof you know it was worth it! It’s the greatest feeling ever”.
And now can this be the case with Oklahoma City with Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook and James Harden leading the way as the new “Big three” of the NBA? “We have a team”, he corrected us, “for somebody might work the “Big three” situation, for others not. We are all about a team organization, which grows with team work. First of all, you have to believe. Whatever your plan is, you need to believe it and to be ambitious, with great will to overcome all the obstacles you are going to find in your way. That ‘s the case with life, too. To truly believe that no matter what, you will find the way. And we are still on a journey. On a great journey”. And the end might be fairy tail like, as it happened with Olympiacos…