The head coach of Lokomotiv Kuban PBC commented on the victory over BETCITY PARMA (106:84).
- Your comment on the game, please.
- To be honest—and I realize how this might sound given the result—I cannot be entirely satisfied with today’s performance. For the first 25 minutes or so, we struggled with concentration; it was as if the players had completely forgotten everything we told them in our scouting reports. As I mentioned before the game, BETCITY PARMA is a team with a great offensive talent, yet we allowed them too much freedom. Fortunately, toward the end of the game, we began to guard their key players properly, and—more importantly—we gained control of the offensive rebounds, which ultimately secured the result.
- Despite this, you used only one timeout during the second half. Why?
- Yes, there are coaches who call timeouts at every possible opportunity, trying to show that they keep control of the situation. I prefer a different approach. There are matters that a team can sort out for itself on the court. By refraining from calling timeouts, I show my players that I trust them—I trust their experience and their ability to navigate difficult situations on their own. So, yes, I can confirm that I am certainly not a timeout guy.
- Some players, such as Alen Hadzibegovic or Anton Kvitkovskikh, started the game quite well in our view; but after being substituted out, it took a long time for them to get another chance to step onto the court. Don’t you think that interval was too long?
- To some extent, you're right. But that’s what happens when you have a full roster of well-prepared players. Before the game, we even had to give some serious thought to who should be included in the roster. From my point of view, it’s important early on in a game to get as many players as possible onto the court—to see how how ready they are to give their all. As for Alen, he ran into foul trouble quite early. Regarding Anton, I can say that he is one of my favorite players. I can always trust him—he leads by example and always responds positively to any coaching decision. IMaybe I kept him on the bench a bit too long, but, as I said, when you have a full squad of players ready to play, someone is inevitably going to have less court time. In a situation like that, a coach has to make certain decisions, and I am ready to take responsibility for everything I do.
- And what can you say about Ivan Samoylenko's performance?
- That’s the question we should have started with! Vanya is the perfect example of how to fight for a spot in the rotation. He embraces the role we assign him and always gives his absolute all. The pace and energy he brings on the defensive end are a huge part of what allows us to play our style of basketball. When I subbed him out today after he picked up his 2nd personal foul, he asked, "Is it because I’m at risk of fouling out?" I told him, "Not at all—you’re doing everything right; keep it up." I hope that bit of support helped him get back into the game later with the same intensity we needed from him.
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