Manolopoulos: “We have achieved something that no one had achieved for many years in National Iran”

Iran’s national team celebrated the conquest of the bronze medal at this year’s FIBA ​​Asia Cup, having in its technical leadership Sotiris Manolopoulos!

The Greek coach interviewed the EEC Web Radio, talking about this great success and how he came.

In detail what the Greek coach said:



To conquer the bronze medal in the FIBA ​​Asia Cup: “We made a big overthrow in the ‘8’ against Chinese Taipei. It was an amazing game, in which we lost 22 points in the half and managed to turn it around. New Zealand besides being a very strong team, it also has a lot of talent. It was to go to the final and suddenly found himself in the small final. There we were, I believe, more determined, we wanted 3rd place very much. It has been many years for Iran to get a distinction. In Asian basketball year after year, all teams are greatly improved. That’s why I’m glad, because we made a great course. We won Japan, which is an excellent team. We made a single defeat and a bad defeat from Australia to the semifinals. Because we played in less than 24 hours for the bronze medal, the kids showed huge mental reserves and so we prevailed. “.

For how easy it was to leave behind the heavy defeat in the semifinals in view of the small final: “There has been a lot of work on his part to develop a team that will play a team, based on the team game, which we will all believe together that we can do. With Australia it appeared from the 2nd-3rd minute that things are difficult. We changed things, we changed defense, positions, we applied the whole basketball menu, but we didn’t. We were disappointed because, no matter how better others are, you always have hopes in a semifinal. The frustration was great. After the match we discussed it a lot. I always tell the players that managing emotions is the most important when you do championships and when you do a marathon. We were saddened, but we said that now we have a huge opportunity to do something that no one has done for many years in the National. We returned to the hotel at 23:00, ate and went all for recovery. There I realized that we wanted it a lot and we showed it. “

For the reason he went to Iran and how he experienced this year there: “When I went there I did it for two reasons. First, to make a new team, with young kids, to change the generation essentially. Secondly, to deal with the development, where a lot of work has fallen. I go to see little players, from 14 years old and over, to train the coaches. I have a lot of work on this piece. As for the first team, in November we lost to Qatar. If you see that team with the team in the “windows” of February, it was a completely different team in its composition. In the game with Qatar we realized that we probably needed a more drastic change and we made it. With all the issues that Iran have is far behind and their league and in the party’s party and how to workout. It takes a more drastic change and much more work on the development of new players ».

On how difficult it was with the whole war in Iran to gather players in the preparation for the Panassis: “We started preparing several days after the war was over. All the plans we had made for the preparation went on, when we would start, the friendly. Nothing happened. There was no way to ask a player to leave his family to come to workout. When things calmed down, we made a decision and the players were positive. They wanted to play. Of course the preparation was incomplete. Of the ten friendly we only played five. It was the first friendly I had played with another country, so it was difficult for me to feel the other countries, their way of playing and to learn more about Asian basketball. If you fight as a team and the whole team has a common goal, it helps a lot. I would like to say that Alexander Velissarakos was also lately and his contribution was valuable.”

For that Iran has never organized a FIBA ​​Asia Cup: “Iran has a history of Asian basketball. About this, I don’t know if they want and they can’t get it. I know there are many bans on this issue. “.

Whether great forces in Asia can come back as they were and if smaller basketball countries can evolve: “China was almost playing with its best players at this year’s tournament. Japan is excellent in the party of organization and work. A feature that I am interested in and I want to study it are specific groups, such as South Korea, Chinese Taipei, China, Japan. They have amazing and many shooters. If you see how everyone shoots in South Korea it is impressive. They have elements, it’s not that they don’t have. The bodybuilding is quite different. For example, in the Japan Championship they almost never bring a guard, but tall, because they don’t have ».