The new head coach of Lokomotiv Kuban gave us an interview after holding his first training session with the team.
- What did you know about Loko before joining?
- All the best things. I know the history of the club, I know how big this club is, they were in the Euroleague Final Four with coach Bartzokas, and many great coaches were here, so I'm pleased and honored to be here now.
- Do you know someone from Loko before?
- Unfortunately, no. So, I'm coming to a totally new ground for me. This may be an even greater challenge for me so I'm very excited and looking forward to it.
- And if we talk about the whole VTB United League? Do you know someone?
- In Crvena Zvezda, we worked together with Luka Mitrović, who is in CSKA now. We had great cooperation for 2 years. Also, the head coach of Avtodor, Milenko Bogićević, is my colleague from the national team of Serbia. Last November, we had some good victories together.
- Have you ever been to Russia before?
- Yeah, a few times, at the VTB Supercups. One time with Mega, another with Crvena Zvezda a couple of years ago. Also, I flew over Russia a couple of times when I was working in China but yes that was just like short stops.
- How can you describe the game that you're going to set in Loko?
- I see basketball fast, with a lot of possessions. To play fast basketball, you must have a great defense. I try to use the best possible strengths of each player. That's my goal here for sure, and I will try hard to put everybody in the purpose of the team.
- Loko’s strategy is to give a lot of playing time to young prospects. Are you ready for this?
- I don't have any problems with that, I even like this. Young guys give a great energy. Maybe we cannot expect the experience from them, but for sure you can expect that they will give their heart on the court. Before Crvena Zvezda I worked in Mega Belgrade, the team with a similar strategy. I know that Loko has the best youth program in Russia, and I am looking forward to working with our prospects.
- You’ve already visited our Academy. Did you like it?
- The facility is amazing! The court, the conditions, everything is really one of the best I’ve seen in my life and I really see the future of Loko bright. These kinds of conditions just show how serious a club is to invest such a money for young players to grow there and to be good.
- What are your impressions after the first training session at Loko?
- My impressions are good. The team had a tough game yesterday, but today they look very focused, which is the most important for me because there's gonna be a lot of new information right now. Every new coach comes with new rules, but I’m satisfied with what I see in their faces and how they react. So, it's gonna be much easier for all of us to adjust to each other.
- Did you like what you saw at yesterday’s game?
- Oh, it was nice. I know it was Christmas, and I believe many people are somewhere else right now, so the arena wasn't fully crowded but even though the support was great. I really believe that next game the arena will be full, because we want as much people as possible to be involved in the game the right way, to be our wind that pushes us in the right direction and gives us extra power. Our next home game will be a big game against Zenit, so I really believe that Loko fans are gonna give us some extra power.
Share with Friends: