Platha: “When AEK calls you, you don’t say no – Our ambitions are big”

The season is officially starting Square at AEK, after the official presentation of the Catalan coach!

The 59-year-old was presented by the yellow and black KAE in New Philadelphia, talking about his decision to come to our country for the sake of AEK, about the team’s goals and the players he intends to add to its roster, while he spoke in the best words about the Greek basketball.

What the new AEK coach said in detail:



“Good evening (s.s. in Greek)! I will try to learn more Greek by the end of the year. To be able to tell you that it is an honor to be a part of Greek basketball. I grew up and learned about basketball watching Galis. In Spain there is a lot of respect for Greek basketball, you have beaten us in many finals. From now on we will try to give a guideline for our world, hoping it will be something they will like. I can’t promise that we will win every game, but I assure you that we will try. Regardless of budget, our ambitions are high. We want to be able to join the administration in earnest and make our world proud.

I have a lot of respect for the league and its coaches. Bartzokas, Ataman, Spanoulis. We want to show our own identity and do our best. What I want is in a year from now to see you happy with me, because we will have achieved our goals”.

On the discussions with AEK and what won him over: “In Spain we respect Greek basketball a lot. When a team like AEK calls you, it’s hard to say no. At the same time, it is clear that if the team is in the same mood as you are, it is very important. I considered it a great honor to be a part of AEK in this anniversary year”.

For the goals: “We will have to see which players we bring in to build our roster, improve and get as close as we can to Panathinaikos and Olympiakos”.

On the difficulties of facing Euroleague teams and whether AEK can overcome Olympiakos and Panathinaikos: “It is clear that there are no magic tricks to change such differences in a few months. That is why it is important to succeed in our transfers and through our work to have consistency in our results in Greece and Europe. The most important thing is to create our own style and apply it. That’s how we can be competitive”.

For the characteristics he wants his team to have: “Initially when he’s coached different teams around Europe, you can’t always have the same playbook and the same systems. Let’s see what players we get so that everyone is happy and we get our own identity. The easiest thing would be to tell you that we will score 100 points in each match and concede 50 in each game. What I will do is see the roster we will have and then I will give you more certainty. Nevertheless, we want to play an eye-catching basketball, I will try to put elements from whatever team I have been in the past”.

On his feeling returning to the stands: “I believe that in the profession we do, we have to recycle. We are constantly learning new things. In the 1.5 years that I didn’t work, I attended Spurs and Celtics training sessions. Practices of Virtus Bologna, the men’s and women’s teams of Spain and I watched daily trainings of Spanish league teams for quite some time. I mean I wasn’t sitting on my couch. I recharged my batteries and have new ideas. I’m ready to go back”.

For transcripts: “The biggest mistake big clubs make is signing names. We are looking for athlete profiles that suit our needs. We will try to find the players that will fit what we want to do always within the capabilities of the team. Let’s not make mistakes in the choices. When you have a budget of 10 million you can make mistakes, we can’t. The most important thing is to find players who want to be with us and it will enter the identity of the team”.

On the Greek players in the team and whether he intends to trust players from Spain: “Spanish players are very expensive, but they may not be suitable to come here. I have spoken to Colon, Oriola, they have told me what to expect. I want to believe that when the team selected me they knew my profile. Wherever I have passed I have left a good legacy. I always manage to improve the domestic players, while we also claimed titles. For serious athletes, there are very few better clubs to go to”΄.

On the team’s young players and how to pronounce his first name: “Call me John too. No problem. I want everyone to know that when I was at Real I signed a kid that nobody knew about. Sergio Yule. I have coached several players who developed and competed at the highest level. In all the teams, alongside the process of developing talent, we also won titles. As for my name, it’s Joan”.