Deda: ‘Shock from Gelovac made everyone think

Dimitris Itoudis’ assistant to Hapoel Tel Aviv, Stefanos Dedahosted at GBL’s Podcast, Man to Man Powered by Stoiximan, giving an extremely interesting interview.

The 43 -year -old technician talked, among other things, about his course in coaching, in his passage by AEK, but also the shock they suffered with all with sudden death of Stevan Gelovac, but also for the goals of the Israeli club.

In detail what he said:



For Hapoel Tel Aviv and the ability to get players like Vasilie Michic: “For us it is not something that is a surprise, knowing the owner (ed: Ther Yanai) and his dynamics. He is passionate and crazy to do the best for the team. ”



For Michic’s “Dynasty” for Hapoel: “At the moment, listening to the big words and expectations of all, I as a coach, along with coach Itoudis, what we are thinking and discussing is that we will become a team. How to make chemistry to become efficient. This sounds (ed: regarding the “dynasty”) like the later plan. It takes many years, a lot of money and patience. The owner has this human sturgeon to do something to the end, without being frustrated or giving up in the middle. We want to take the first step to get the team to the playoffs. “

For the relationship with Hapoel’s owner, Effe Janai: “He wanted to work with Coach Itoudi from the beginning. He is demanding, he understands and is not toxic. He is clever, he realizes what is happening and this is evident from trying to do everything. As with Motley, Beverly and now with Michic or even with coach Itoudis. However, he also believes in rollers. It seems to be “I want to get the best”, but what we’ve been through, starting with Dimitris is that basketball is not only played with stars, he wants the … around. The first stimulus to explain to him was when we were watching a match between the playoffs between Maccabi and Panathinaikos in 2024. And Kalaitzakis enters and steals the ball twice from Lorenzo Brown. And I say “that’s how it is …”. It’s not only Centric Nan and Costas Sloukas, but he also wants Kalaitzakis to play defense for a while. “

For Coach Itoudis and the first acquaintance in 2009 when … he was pierced in MENT training and his own choice to be made by the first coach, a direct partner: “My brother was playing in Ment then. When he was 18-19 and I was 15, I had asked if the coach lets me see the training. Since then he was strict, but he accepted with a thousand. There was no man inside. “It’s character, it’s just,” my brother told me when it was to work with Itoudis in CSKA. And I asked him why he tells me that. And he replied that then he wanted to put him key and the MENT players who were … Piazza, A2 players, told him that the little boy could not play now, he came forward and said that anyone would play. Itoudis has his associates high.

As for me, I always try to alternate the role of the first with the assistant. When you are in the first place first, you want a break. But stay active with basketball. The assistant’s position calms you down, gives you the opportunity to see the new trends, to fill batteries, to change your thinking a little, to improve it or even to keep it, confirming yourself that what you did in previous years was right. I don’t think there is first, second, third coach, we are all basketball coaches with specific tasks. “

If he managed to play basketball before training and how it started: “I was playing basketball in Kilkis. We had a very good generation, my brother was playing, from “down” (to the youngest) was Vassiliadis, Mavrokefalidis … I knew I was not such a good player, I could never get to the top. As a player I would be moderate to bad, so I thought it would only be done in the coaching. When I was in the 3rd High School, I asked the team’s president to take over the child. I stayed there for two years. And when in 1999 PAOK made a child. And Spheropoulos had asked me to be a member of Staff. It was an important moment. We had finished the Pan -Hellenic exams and Spheropoulos calls me. He tells me I’m going to the team, he has spoken to Prelevic. I am not discussing it for a university, I had a philologist. I just went to get my fold. I was so happy that I had become a coach that I didn’t even get a second with university. “

For training standards: “I was more looking at Panathinaikos when I was in high school. It was Panathinaikos of Obradovic. We did not understand what was happening, but because I knew Itoudi, my eyes were going to him too. It was the first time we saw a twin talking, getting up. Then we saw it with Gerson and Blatt, with Pianjiani and Banky. Itoudis and Obradovic did something pioneering, to be two coaches at the same time. I really liked the basketball they were showing. I remember and have told Itoudi. It was in 2000, I was in Rhodes for five days and was the final with Maccabi in Pylea. Everyone wanted to go out and I was telling them that I wanted to see the match and I will find them later. Be 200 people and wait for me and say “Deda, we left”! And I was answering that “it has a match, where to go now?” Eventually I stayed, I saw the match and I don’t even remember what I did afterwards. My class was having fun and I saw the final. Opening a dating channel with Itoudis or Spheropoulos had more to do with your passion and that you are going through the message “Whatever happens, I will become a coach”. And this is understood by the one you ask for help. It was better, however, that I didn’t become a philologist … “.

For AEK: “If we exclude the part of Gelovac that was tragic, I had a great time. I liked my team, although we were left with two strangers, with ban, cold in Liosia. Despite the difficulties, I liked the process. I had a great time at AEK. I wouldn’t leave if the team was not neat. At Regular Season he finished 4th place. Of the seven strangers was Colom and Hammer, and Rautin had come in his newsletter in Greece. In the last seven games in Liosia, we did 7/7. I was missing in the match with Olympiacos, I had a covid. We lost despite the 16 -point lead in the 3rd quarter. And the next defeat was again by Olympiacos in the Cup, a team – a fire, with Vezenkov … The whole team, the same trunk, but three years younger. I liked working with Makis (Angelopoulos), he loves the team really. He was calling me every night at 11.30. It’s an evening guy, just like me. He used to say “he is a coach for us, I take him at 12 and he doesn’t sleep.”

For Stevan Gelovac and how much he changed him as a human being and coach: “The first piece when it is fresh and you understand that things show that they will be negative, you feel a shock, in the sense that there are more important things than a game and you think ‘because you are stressed out for a result’. There is a bell on what is important. But to be honest as soon as the negative issue “freezes” and goes to the back of your mind, you think that as a coach you have to win, be satisfied with the world and the administration. These moments are shocked, but they do not change your general rationale. It makes you a stop, a bell, but you are actually exposed to itself. Stevan was in the hospital for weeks, but we had the games in mind. It was an alternation of emotions. Stevan was an amazing kid. The best kid in the team, smiling, educated, kind, good player. It was something that cost the team too much. Then, when a player was in the parquet, everyone was “frozen”. This could not be understood by someone who didn’t live it. It is a match in Thessaloniki against Hercules. AEK is ahead of the score with 18 points and Angola is injured. He runs blood, they take him to the stretcher in the locker room. The team stopped playing. The shock of Stevan made everyone think “which basketball now?”

For war experiences in Israel: “It’s a part of the job. Adopt their habits, lifestyles, good and bad. In Russia you know that money is good but it’s cold. In Israel you know that there is this outstanding situation .. It is different to know it and another to experience it. When I went to Holon, in December 2019, they put me home and there is a weird room with a heavy door. I asked what this is and they replied that it is the Safe Room. I didn’t care, but after a year and a half, there is a serious incident with gauze rockets. Then I understood what Safe Room and Iron Dome are. It’s difficult. But if I go to Tel Aviv now and listening to an alarm, nothing happened. It’s harder if you have your family together. If I’m alone, I don’t even care. ”