By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
You can call him “king of titles” in German basketball without being over the top. Chris Fleming has won as the head coach of Brose Baskets four championship titles, four cups and 3 super cups, an impressive total of 11 trophies.
Despite having a contract for two more years, he parted ways with the club and now he is the national team coach in a country where basketball is growing rapidly on professional level.
His next challenge will be the upcoming Eurobasket and the first round group games which will be played in Berlin. This is expected to be a historic event, since for the first and probably the last team Dirk Nowitzki will get the chance to perform with the national team that he adores in front of his country’s audience in official games.
That’s one reason that made an interview of coach Fleming a must, but it was not the only one. Enjoy our talk with a basketball mastermind.
– Is working in a national team the biggest challenge in your career?
“It’s a totally different challenge than being in the bench of a club. It’s something completely new for me, despite having the chance in 2005 to coach the U20 team. It’s a little strange for me, but it’s very interesting. I see players all over the country, a travel a lot, I prepare myself to be completely informed about anyone and fair”.
– Germany has won the Eurobasket title in 1993, when the tournament was held in the country. Still the biggest bet for the team is to get consistent as a national team. Do you agree with that and is it some possible?
“I agree and it will be quite an achievement. This new generation of German players has a lot of talent. It’s like other national teams with players competing together since they were juniors, like it happened in Greece, in Spain and lately in France. There’s a seems of camaraderie, there’s chemistry on the court, everything you need. It’s a combination of talent and unity. There’s need to be respect. It’s a job you have to do in a limited amount of time and that’s why you have to manage things in a different way than in a club”
– You group is quite hard. Five teams have high ambitions, that’s why getting to the next round will not be easy. However if you get to avoid crossing paths with France, anything could happen…
(Laughs) “That’s what a lot of people in Germany think! Everyone talks about the “group of death”. For start, you have to survive. The teams which will be better prepared will advance. You don’t want to be in fourth place, because you will probably pay against France. I think it’s up to us. We have to do everything in the right moment, to start the tournament focused and of course to have a great pre-tournament preparation”.
– For the first time there are many players that can be considered NBA prospects or even more. Do you consider a starting five of Schröder, Giffey, Kleber, Nowitzki and Kaman? I don’t think there ever was more talent in the team…
“Still we have to see how all those players work together, in which condition they will be in order to work with us. We have to see them all together. For sure there’s a lot of talent and we may see those five you mentioned at some point together on the court. However, some of them don’t have a lot of European experience, or experience in FIBA tournaments. Let’s not forget that. We have to build from scratch, but I am positive about the talent”.
– In such tournament, roster depth can get you to your goal. Is there such a depth in your case?
“What’s clear is that you play 5 games in 6 days. You want players ready for anything and quite a large number of them, ready to sacrifice themselves and play different roles than those they were used to. It’s a key for all of them to understand their roles and embrace them. Every year the German national team had quite a different roster. Now we want to be competitive, but we also want to build a quality core”.
– Tell us about the level of the grassroots program of German federation. Is there a good pool of talent between the players born from 1994 to 2000? With the exception of Nowitzki, Germany hasn’t produced in recent years a top talent.
“We are in the right path. It’s true that we have to work a lot in our grassroots project. The situation has already been improved. I have seen the U20 team recently, the same group age I coached nine years ago. Compared to then, there’s a great improvement. There a good omens about the future of Germany in international level. The fact that some players compete outside the country’s border is a good sign. Still it’s a long way”.
– Have you talked with Nowitzki? How does he approach the chance to play for the first time in his career official national team games in front of the German fans?
“We expect his final decision in order to play for us and I hope that he will do it. He want to get to the end and he has great motive. He was always devoted in the national team. For many years he played in the NBA and you couldn’t see the games in Germany. It’s incredible. That’s why it will be something great to have the chance to play and the fans to enjoy him live. And it will be great also for his teammates. To see how he thinks and how he works. It will be a huge gain for their career. He has done so many things for his country, but he always wants to give more. It will be a great situation”.
– Still playing for the first time in front of German audience, will be a unique situation for him and he would like to please the fans. Can this bring more pressure?
“He loves to play under pressure! He had done it many times and he has won an NBA title playing under pressure…”
– Who is going to be more excited? Dirk or you who will get the chance to coach him?
“Well, me is the logical answer! I want a lot to work with him and I hope that it will happen. Working with such a player, you can also become a better coach”.
– Can a team beat the USA in FIBA tournaments in the near future, or things have changes and TEAM USA knows better not to underestimate anyone?
“It will be pretty hard, you are right. Spain has the talent to compete with them. They are smart, they are talented, they can create problems for USA. However in the recent final against Serbia they made all their shots! What can you do then? I want also to see the full version of France, including Noah and Parker. The French are playing together for years That’s the two most competitive match ups for the US at this point”.
– You are considered one of the best in Europe in picking up affordable and unknown players from the US market who have great potential. But now the NBA is always looking in Europe in order to get talent…
“Everyone is copying the best team! How many Americans had the Spurs last season? Three? (laughs) Those players have proven that they can compete in the highest level and make a difference. There are many who deserve to have important roles in the best league of the world”.
– Can you pick three young players who can dominate in the NBA and become super stars?
“I want to speak first of all about Germans. I will not be surprised if I see Kleber being very competitive in the NBA. Also Schröder made a big step this season. He is still growing as a player. He can be even more consistent and professional and also understand better the game. He is amazing in defense, but he needs to work a lot in offense. He is just 21 years old. After that, I think that by now everyone has understood the talent of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Saric is also a player who will eventually play in the NBA and will have a career”.
– If we go back to a Final Four five years ago, it’s obvious that the difference in speed and athletic ability is great. What’s the evolution of European basketball and how do you imagine it five years from now?
“It’s like that. The game is getting faster and faster, while athletic ability is much more important. We have also many players who can play in more than in one poition. The good guards are making the rules, that’s why you see many undersized centers who are faster and stronger, playing in top tames and many times dominating. Those can keep up with the tempo and the speed of the guards”.
– Were you bitter by the way you left Brose Baskets?
“I am not happy about the handling of the situation. But I don’t have time to think about it. I am focused on the project I have undertaken”.
– Ιs it part of your future plans to get back on the bench of a club?
“I can coach a club in the next season, I have a clause in my contract that permits it. However I don’t have time to think about it, until the end of Eurobasket”.
– Who is the favorite in BBL?
“Alba is the best team, the most stable. They have produced the best basketball until now. Bayern and Brose Baskets are also contenders. Those are the teams which will fight for the title”.
– The four teams of Euroleague’s Final Four?
It’s hard to tell. I am thinking about 5 or 6 teams. For me, this year the top is quite open. CSKA will get there. Also the two Spanish powerhouses, Real and Barcelona. Olympiacos is always among the top teams during the last seasons. Then there’s Efes and Fenerbahce. I am sure that CSKA will be there, Real has a lot of chances and also Barcelona, if the team gets healthy. Then there’s Olympiacos and after them the Turkish clubs”.
– Who is the best player, the one you would like to get in your team in order to have more chances to win the Euroleague?
“There are two many, but Spanoulis is the guy who will make you win the Euroleague title”.