Ataman: “I’m lucky to have Sluka – I’ll do everything for the team to succeed”

Ergin Ataman considered himself lucky for the fact that he has Kostas Slukas in Panathinaikos AKTOR. The Turkish coach pointed out how important the presence of the Greek ace is, as through him he can transmit his mentality to the other players, while underlining that he will do everything to make Panathinaikos successful and his fans happy.

His statements to “Eurohoops” in detail:

For the rise of Panathinaikos from 17th place to 2nd in the Euroleague:

“It’s not the first time I’ve changed the fate of a club. I did the same in Siena, Besiktas, Galatasaray, Efes.”

For the main feature of the group:



“The toughness in defense, which made us perhaps the best defensive team in the tournament.”

For the 6 European ones:



“I like to live in the moment, the feelings of the present. That’s why I have a lot of respect for the club and every time I came here as an opponent, it was amazing to see these posters, the whole tradition of Panathinaikos. On the day of my presentation, I explained how proud I am to be the coach of Panathinaikos and I will do everything to make the club successful again, as in the past.”

For high expectations:



“I knew from the moment I accepted the proposal of Panathinaikos the expectations of Dimitris Giannakopoulos. From the first day I arrived here I also saw the impatience of the people, because there is a great tradition in this club… Of course, it gives me confidence that, as a character, I am never afraid, I never give up.”

For Kostas Sloukas:



“Because I am lucky to have Kostas Sloukas in this team. He has a lot of experience, the same confidence and respect for me and all the team members. So it is easy to pass my mentality through Kostas to the rest of the players, who are all very good and started to believe in what we are doing after the middle of the year. After each victory we said in the locker room that we will qualify for the Final Four”.

For the famous saying that if Panathinaikos does not go to the Final Four, he will not continue in the team:



“In the series against Maccabi we all made mistakes, especially in the first match, at OAKA. I didn’t react correctly either, but I learn something from each of our games.”