The president and the new head coach of Lokomotiv Kuban PBC had a comprehensive talk with The Steal (Perekhvat) telegram channel.
In Russian, you can read it HERE, and following is the translation.
- How did you decide to start coaching? Am I right in understanding that Russian Railways supported you?
- The decision wasn't easy. But at the end of the season I realized that the situation should be changed radically. The club has a development strategy for the next 5 years, therefore we must find a way to form a team around talented Russian players, raised by our Academy. The club's board fully supported me.
- Are you aware of the fans skepticism? Some are worried that a man without coaching experience will hardly be helpful to the team…
- I understand these worries. But I am not new to basketball, I have a lot of experience, and I am ready to share it with the players. The way we play, our results and the players' progress will show who is right. We know what we are doing and we will complete all our tasks. At the moment, it is important to make our goals clear to the team.
- Were you inspired by the recent example of Edouard Sandler, who also headed his own club and made them champions of the Superliga?
- My congratulations to Edouard Sandler. I like his approach and leadership. But I was not inspired by anyone's example. It's just that the situation at Lokomotiv developed in such a way that it became clear: a foreign coach will only work for quick results, and it is far from what we want.
- Did some of famous basketball people tell you something on your new appointment?
- Yes, of course. I talked to Sergey Kushchenko, Ilona Korstin, Andrey Kirilenko. Everyone considers our team the main mystery, they all are interested to see how we will play. However, the season starts soon.
- How will your assistants share areas of responsibility? Will you fully lead the training, or will the team management responsibilities be distributed evenly across the entire staff, with you retaining the final word?
- Our coaching staff is fairly experienced, though young. Their age is not a minus, they have enough knowledge, energy and desire. One of our main tasks is to prepare new coaches for Russian basketball. The area of responsibility of everyone will be clearly defined. We will work as a team, but the final word will be mine.
- You said that there is no coach who could simultaneously achieve big results and put Loko alumni into the team. Do I understand correctly that this was the main reason for the dismissal of Alexander Sekulić, who in the middle of the season switched to foreigners?
- In our "silver" 2022/23 season, we showed excellent results with a team that was built around new names in Russian basketball. I hoped that we would continue this work the next season with even greater enthusiasm and confidence. This did not happen – our game shifted towards legionnaires, and at the same time our result was at the bottom of what, in my opinion, we were capable of. Sekulić stopped trusting Alexander Shcherbenev, Zakhar Vedishchev, Anton Kvitkovskikh, some other Russians. To deepen the bench in the playoffs, we had nothing to do but to sign new legionnaires.
- Was Shcherbenev's time reduced because the coach knew that the player is going to leave Loko?
- I think, the players time was reduced due to the coach's vision first of all. With Shcherbenev as the main point guard, we started the season weakly, , and he lost the coach's trust. As for understanding his transfer to Zenit, of course, we knew that Alexander's contract was expiring, and repeatedly tried to start the extension talks. But neither player, nor his agent responded. I would like our students to have a different attitude towards their home club.
- Now your roster is full of players with no or very little league experience. Are you ready for the results drop at some point?
- In my opinion, we have a great balance of talent, experience and youth. I see fire in our guys' eyes – that's the main thing. Kirill Temirov, Vsevolod Ishchenko, Mikhail Vedishchev, Semyon Medvedev and others have a great potential to play in the VTB United League. Now they can prove themselves faster. And we must work on their confidence. Serious players can only be raised by setting them maximum tasks.
- You did not invite any legionnaires to the position of center. Are you sure this will help Andrey Martyuk and Kirill Yelatontsev to improve faster?
- Yelatontsev has very much room to improve. We will use him a bit differently in the new season to help him progress faster. I also see Martyuk in a different role, more as a power forward. We will work on this. We will focus on developing our talented youngsters – Temirov, Ishchenko, Vedischev and Medvedev – no matter what position they play.
- The power forward position seems to be the weakest spot on your roster. Isaiah Whaley seems a bit unexpected for a big club. Should we expect a bigger minutes for Anton Kvitkovskikh? Or you rely on Dmitry Uzinsky's versatility?
- Whaley can play both center and power forward. He is active, hard-working, with good energy. He can score, but he also knows how to defend. Kvitkovskikh will definitely get more playing time than last season. Uzinsky and BJ Johnson are also capable of playing as some kind of small power forward.
- Did Sekulić receive all his contract money until the summer of 2025 or was it settled in the middle?
- We agreed on mutually beneficial terms. There are no hard feelings on my part, and I hope it's the same on Alexander's part either. I want to thank him again for his work, he is a good coach and a good person.
- Loko is the most travelling team in the VTB United league. Are you ready to spend more time with the team in trains, buses and planes?
- I must be always with the team now, and I will do it, no matter how complicated our logistics will be. So, I'll remember the times when I was a player, lived in hotels, traveled via bus and so on.
- You will obviously spend less time with your family. What did they say about your decision?
- The support of my family will always be the most important thing for me. My appointment was a big surprise for everyone, including my closest ones. But I am sure that at the end this decision will bring new positive emotions to my family and me. I am very grateful to them for the support they continue to show.
- Speaking of family. Your eldest son Zakhar left Loko this summer. Do you think will playing in Yenisey be good for him? Whose decision it was that it would be better for him to try playing outside of Krasnodar?
- Zakhar's contract has expired. It has become clear that it would be better for him to prove himself somewhere else. He is young, he has enough talent to achieve everything on his own. Let him show it. Lokomotiv will closely monitor Zakhar's progress.
- Your second son, Mikhail, went on loan to Vladivostok in the middle of the previous season and became the champion of Superliga. Gold medal is good, but did this trip give him something else?
- Misha left for Vladivostok as a boy, and returned as a man. Not only did he mature in appearance, but he also changed in his thinking. He moved to an adult team that set a goal to win the Superliga – and they did it. You couldn't come up with a better scenario. So, it's time for the new challenge for him – to prove himself in the VTB United League team, which also sets big goals.
- You were in Madrid this spring. You were visiting Real's Academy, am I right?
- Yes, we went to the Real Madrid Academy with my youngest son Pyotr and attended several training sessions of the 2011 team. I saw a completely different principle of training young players: a minimum number of stops, a constantly high pace. Pyotr had two training sessions with his peers from Real, we understood what to work on – first and foremost, on functional readiness and speed endurance. He is a young, goal-oriented guy, and I am sure he will succeed.
- I heard that you built the Lokomotiv Academy with an eye on the best examples in Europe. What, in your opinion, was important to adopt when planning the training facility?
- Yes, before starting to design our Youth Center, I did visit the Real and Valencia Academies. The Loko Academy is more like the Madrid one. Of course, we learned some things from them, although the overall concept of the project is somewhat different.
- And in terms of the structure of youth teams, is there anything to adopt from Spain?
- The overall principle of preparation. Fast, modern basketball. The load is high, but at the same time the recovery is full. First of all, we need to change the coaching mindset, since most of our specialists work for the result, but the main thing must be development.
Share with Friends: