Ataman: “Giannakopoulos’ contribution is huge – With… a calm president, you can be alone in crises”

A very interesting interview was given by Ergin Ataman in Serbian Meridian Sports. The Turkish coach spoke about his contribution Dimitris Giannakopoulou in his successes Panathinaikos AKTORnot only through his investments, but also with the support he provided to him and the team in difficult times.

At the same time Ataman referred to confidence which always brings her out as well emphasis he gives on the spiritual partbut also on freedoms he gives to his playersas well as in the difficulties of tonight’s match with Red Star in Belgrade. He spoke in detail about:

-the match with Red Star: “They had a great start until Boloboi got injured, who is very important for them. They had some problems, they lost to Barcelona and Zalgiris, but they are a very good team, with great players and a very experienced coach. It will be a very difficult match. When Panathinaikos plays in difficult places away from home, it is never easy. We all like to play in bigger stadiums, but now we will play in the older but beautiful stadium of ‘Hala Pionir’. We understand the situation and will adapt.”

– the self-confidence it gives: “That’s my character. I believe that in sports not everything depends on the playing field. You should also be active in the psychological part outside the field, so that you mentally unite the group, the players, the club, your assistants, everything. It is very important. To improve the system, sometimes you have to send negative messages, but sometimes positive action brings improvement. And this is spiritual work, work in the spiritual part. Of course, in our work you must always have the courage to speak your mind. I never think about what will happen if I lose, but how I will win every game. If I lose, then I will think about what I should do in this situation.”

– the collaboration with Dimitris Giannakopoulos: “I consider myself a person who can work with everyone. The president I had in Ephesus was completely different from Dimitris Giannakopoulos. We worked together for five years and had great results. Panathinaikos is a different club from Efes and the feeling that exists here meant a lot for the rebuilding of the team. The passion and emotion of Dimitris Giannakopoulos were very important in this process. It made my job easier. In such a club, if you have a calmer president, you can sometimes be left alone in times of crisis. Not here. Giannakopoulos contributed very significantly to our successes, not only with the budget he allocated and his investments, but also with the great support for me, the players and the team. He was a huge contributor to our great successes.”

-the freedom it gives players: “I believe that players should not be bored. The rules are set at the beginning of the season and the kids should be able to enjoy it, go to training and games with joy. They don’t need long, but shorter workouts. And then on the field, with the rules that have been set, they should be given freedom. Because at the end of the day, I don’t believe coaches win or lose. The players bring the wins. As coaches you should give them appropriate instructions, manage the group well and prepare them mentally. Training is primarily done individually. Of course we work on team tactics, but we don’t stay two hours for tactical details. I care more about my own team, in every match we make some adjustments, we have short meetings and we talk before every match. This has brought me great success over the past five years and I will continue to work in the same way.”

-how he managed to succeed with a brand new team: “I don’t really believe in the term ‘new team’. I believe more in the ‘new chemistry’. If you pick good players, create good chemistry and do a good job in preparation, you have done a good job as a manager. If synergy and unity is created throughout the team, the foundation has been laid. What does it mean to have a team that for ten years plays without patience and emotion? That way you can’t bring results. I believe in this approach, because I did the same in Ephesus and the result was the same. It’s important to make good choices and build good chemistry. For me, basketball is not that complicated, it’s simple.”

-the Final 4: “I hope it happens again in Europe. I don’t know if we will be there, there are many teams with the same goal and the mission is more difficult. I would like to be in the Eurobasket final and win the gold, but I don’t know who our opponent will be.”