“Schroeder likes the way of the Greeks – He said he’s going to the World Cup for the gold!”

A man that few know him Dennis SchroederThe Kostas Papazoglouspoke to News Bulletin 247 for his MVP World Cup. The reason for him Costas Papazoglouone of his first coaches in Germany and Braunschweig and now an assistant coach on the team owned by the Raptors superstar.

The Greek technician spoke about the Shredder’s difficult childhood and the special management and treatment required to bring out his talent, while he focused on his strong personality and self-confidence, stressing that the “bad” image that he can often project does not concern him as long as he achieves his goal. At the same time, he revealed how the German ace likes the Greek way of basketball and referred to his saving grace for the team that brought him up. Finally, he revealed that before he left for the World Cup, Schroeder was clear that his goal is the gold medal with Germany.

In detail, Kostas Papazoglou spoke to Michalis Tsochos about:

– the first years of cooperation with Schröder: “Schröder had not yet turned 18 at the time and I remember that he celebrated his birthday at a tournament. A child fell into our hands who did not play much until then. He was a difficult kid to manage in terms of his character, other coaches didn’t get into the process of working with him wanting the immediate result. But we believed in his talent, we saw a kid who had to play basketball because he was very good and had his chance.”

-the Shredder character: “Dennis never had problems with coaches. He is obedient and disciplined as a player, but his character was not very calm back then. He had a difficult childhood and a story with his father brought him close to basketball. Being a child of different color in Germany he had a difficult childhood and wanted specific management. It’s much more manageable now.”

-how he handled Shredder: “Coach Flevarakis and I had the philosophy that when someone has elements to stand out and reach very high, then our job is to get as much as we can from him. You have to get into the psychology of the other person. Denis had difficult experiences, you can’t have a player like that in constant caress, but also in strict discipline, because you will lose him. At that time we didn’t have a big age difference, he was 19 and I was 28. Maybe then coach Flevarakis played the role of… a bad policeman, while I was closer to him. I believe that in order for a player to perform, he needs to feel that you are authentically close to him. Then you can bring out the best in him.”

-the first images of Schroeder’s talent: “I remember like now the first training session and saying with coach Flevarakis ‘what is this thing?’ We were a little speechless. He was a kid with tremendous speed and tremendous change of direction, who could create very well. It seemed like you could work with him shooting and creating. You could see from the first moment his personality, he believed he could beat the foreigner, the American, who was his opponent. He always had genuine confidence. He believed and knew he was very good.”

-Schroeder’s purchase of Braunschweig: “During the coronavirus period he bought the team and that says a lot about his character. Although he is not the player who made the huge contracts in the NBA, seeing the risk of losing the team, he put a lot of money to cover the debts and took on the next year’s budget.”

-the decision to bring Mr. Papazoglou back to the team: “We had a communication all these years, not every day of course. I believe that the relationship we had built now, but also seeing what I stand for in basketball, chose me to return to the team. Denis is a person who likes the discipline and the way the Greeks play. He needed a person on the team in a very important position. He wanted an experienced partner for the American coach the team had. We talked a lot then about what he wants me to do in the team, about what I would expect from this collaboration and after a very nice conversation the marriage took place and I have been in Braunschweig for the last four years”.

– Mr. Papazoglou’s bond with the city: “When you’ve been in one place for five years, my wife is with us, our dog is with us… It’s like being in Thessaloniki. We have a very good relationship with the residents and I also appreciate a lot here having experienced various things in my career.”

-Schroeder’s vision for the team: “He has many dreams, just as he once had dreams to achieve what he eventually achieved as a player. He wants the team to operate at NBA standards. He knows everything about the team, especially the important things. He is not a simple businessman who does not know what basketball is. He cares about anyone, player, coach, staff, office person… Anyone who needs him can find him and solve their problem.”

-the misunderstood image of Shredder: “Dennis is a very competitive person, but also very intelligent. Many things he does he does on purpose. Like, for example, his argument with Tice, who is his brotherly friend. I wouldn’t say it’s a… role. A lot of what he does, whether we like it or not, is done for a purpose. He wants to find a way to win every game. He also doesn’t care what he puts out as an image, as long as he takes care of the people around him. He doesn’t care what people think.”

-whether he spoke with Schroeder before the World Cup: “We meet often, not only for basketball. We might go out for a meal or a coffee. Completely by chance before he left we had a formal meeting and we talked mainly about the team. We may have been the last ones we saw before he left with the national team. What was coming out of him was ‘I’m going to get the gold’. It’s always in his mind to go win, nothing less.”