Takianos: “I feel very proud to have served the idea of ​​PAOK – I left with my head held high”

For his departure from PAOKbut also about the new chapter of his career in Kazakhstan with the Astana team, he spoke on EEC web radio Fotis Takianos.

Fotis Takianos’ statements in detail:



On how the case of Astana arose but also on his path to PAOK: “In the process last summer there was something intense between another VTB team, so the buying process had been ‘opened’ more towards that league. So what happened was that something happened very quickly and there was definitely a process that I was on the Astana team list. Since something came up which was the “opening” in this team, the day after my collaboration with the PAOK team was terminated, I received an official offer from them. In other words, there was a process and an interest from before.”



On the reason he went to Kazakhstan: “There are two things. One is the challenge process. When I accepted the offer the first thing I thought was that it is a challenge to enter a league that is very strong with the teams involved. Especially now, Russia’s teams, because of the war, are not allowed to participate in the Euroleague. So it’s a high level league with very good teams. It’s the challenge of the new, I’m going to work in a league I’ve never been to. The experience, the “opening” of new horizons and new perspectives played an important role. Rest never crossed my mind, because the profession of a coach is experienced on the field. It is a process that is written in his dna to be active. Being on the field, in his daily life, being on the team bench and coaching on match days, and that’s a process that, if you’re missing, it’s like you’re missing something very important.”

For the quick decision he answered: “The coach in his everyday life learns and lives with rhythms that are very difficult, but when he misses them he looks for them. I didn’t feel tired, the week was intense and I would say more psychologically, but the psychological load can also be overcome through the process of the new challenge. All of this worked to such an extent that there was a quick decision.”

For team goals: “The Astana team has a very difficult schedule of 12 games with 7 away games and 5 at home. The realistic difficult goal is to be able to finish in the top four of the group and be able to be in the play-offs. This process is very difficult in the sense that it pushes the program. When we talk about 7 games away from home in this league, we are talking about hard and long trips.”



Regarding his tenure at PAOK, he said: “The truth is that last February I took over the team in 8th place, at a very difficult turning point, especially in the psychological part. We managed at the end of last year’s championship for the team to take 4th place. 4th place automatically gave us qualification to the BCL groups and the right to participate in the Super Cup. We continue our course, the team of the year 2023-24 is created, it enters a very difficult group of the BCL, perhaps the most difficult. We are also playing for the Super Cup, especially honorable for PAOK to be able to participate for another title. During the Greek championship and the BCL, if I separate our two courses, I realistically consider our course excellent in the BCL, where we won the right to have home advantage in the play-ins”.

About the unfortunate situations he experienced this year at PAOK: “In the Greek championship, there are three unfortunate situations that did not let us find our rhythm. The team was “built” with a process, very quickly comes the injury of McNeese that leaves him out for 2 months and we make our first corrective move with Smith instead of Flaten. So we enter a second phase to get the team back into a rhythm and achieve results in BCL and Basket League. We reach December 31st, which is the event that marked our course this year. Finding very good competitive balance and roles in the team with the addition of Alston and Smith, the incident with Kendall Smith occurs two days before the 1st match against Tofas, which upset the team in the competitive and psychological part, bringing a turmoil that we could not overcome it for the next period. We changed the team again for the 3rd time and it is very difficult in one season to have to set up the team three times. Thus, we entered a process of losing our competitive “identity” and our competitive rhythm”.

Regarding how he judges his move from PAOK, he replied: “Because this is my 3rd transfer from PAOK, it was always in my mind that I am in the team and serving the idea of ​​PAOK. This was very deeply rooted in me, because PAOK represents and represents things that are above a match, a result or an appearance. It is the philosophy and the idea. I feel very proud to have served this concept above all else. As we had agreed with the management people, we wanted to succeed this year in making the best possible course in the BCL and for the team to be in the first 6 teams of the Basket League, always keeping in mind the size of the budget we had to manage and that the group simultaneously had the great goal of financial consolidation. I am very proud because I am handing over the team to the organization and to this idea that I served, having a very good run and the team in 6th place. That is, the goals have been achieved. Regarding the fact that the team has not played well lately, I am sure that if we continued to work we would show the best game. I’m leaving with my head held high, because I know what I did in my everyday life serving the idea called PAOK”.



Finally for the Men’s National Team game against the Czech Republic (23/02) he said: “It is a special game, in the sense that it is the new coach’s maiden game. A new effort, a new philosophy is going to be “built” and I wish all the actors good success. The game has its own special difficulty. If we can name a clear favourite, it is our National team, but we should be very careful, because the Czech units are remarkable and have shown it in the past. We shouldn’t let them get into a rhythm that, if they get in, they’ll hardly get out afterwards. On the other hand, if we impose ourselves through our competitive side, we can dominate”.