Efes’ coach Ataman: “Real Madrid will be a tough opponent. Euroleague should return to NBA model”

Here below the full transcript of Ergin Ataman’s interview with Sevsin Teleke, taped on Tuesday April 13.

You will face with Real Madrid in the play-offs of the EuroLeague, how do you evaluate this series and your chances to win it all?

We will face a very tough opponent. Real Madrid has a similar structure to ours. They have been playing with the same main players for years. Pablo Laso has been their head coach for many years. However, they had unexpected situations this season. At the beginning of the season, Real Madrid was one of the EuroLeague’s biggest favorites. The departure and injuries of their players, I think, threw them out of the first four.

It is obviously a disadvantage for us to play with Real Madrid in the play-offs. Maybe our level of form lately may look better, we may have won the game we played in Madrid differently, but they have a very experienced team that has won a lot of championships and a team that is very used to compete in the play-offs. It is sure to be a very difficult series. Real Madrid was one of the 3-4 teams with the most chances of winning the championship with us at the beginning of the season. We will have to beat them to reach our goal.

How do you motivate your team?

I don’t have a very specific motivation method. We have a team that has been working together for three years and we understand each other’s language well. The players also get along well with each other, everyone knows what the others will do when they are on the field. We can say that we have a mutual understanding with the staff and the players. Apart from that, I tell my players this: this team belongs to the supporters, Anadolu Efes Group, me as a coach, but above all it is your team. I try to motivate my players by creating sense of ownership.

How would you evaluate the fight in ING Basketball Super League?

Turkish League this year was a bit strange league. Maybe it seems to me like this because we clinched the first place weeks ago. We value both Turkish League and EuroLeague from the beginning. Sometimes we rotate the players, but we get a full squad for target matches. We only lost once in 28 games we have played so far. When I look at the other games, I see that there is a struggle on the court, there are teams that play good basketball. There are good foreign players and we can see that Turkish players step in more. The lack of spectators is a factor, of course.

However, the league’s visibility is very low, it is not covered enough in the media, there are no side TV programs. I accidentally watched a program about Turkish Basketball League recently on television, there were such programs made 30 years ago. Now, those who follow the league, especially young people, have different expectations. Digitalization has begun. I do not see any marketing work in order to increase the value and visibility of the league. My close friends do not even watch the Turkish League. This is also a problem. Basketball is not just about European cups. I think Turkish Basketball League is not being followed, this is the biggest problem. Otherwise, we cannot deny the struggle of the teams on the field.

Turkey played national games in February and won the right to participate in the 2022 EuroBasket. How did you find the overall performance of the national team?

I liked that national team that competed in the FIBA ​​window in February. There was a more dynamic and competitive team on the field. We have seen that young players add even more dynamism and quality to the national team. Also players like Sertaç, Buğrahan, Melih and Metecan who gets more time and responsibility in their clubs in Turkish League adapted to the national team. Besides I think there will be a high-quality national team with Shane Larkin and NBA players. I believe there will be a strong national team in both the Olympic Qualifiers and the EuroBasket.

In addition, Turkish Basketball Federation’s focus must now be directed at reaching the goal. We have been talking about a new geneation since 2014, this started in 2014 already. Afterwards, the results should have come in the period after 2017, but they did not. Senior National Team is not a place to train players, when it comes to this place, one should head towards the goal and success should come from the tournaments. At the head of the National Team, there is a very experienced coach like Orhun Ene, there is a good technical staff. Orhun Ene has been the captain of the national team for years, he is a person who can analyze tournaments well. Therefore, I think that the national team that played in the last window can now go reach the goal.

Speaking of the national team, you previously said that playing in the national team is a very important and emotional side, and that players should take a break where they can rest, let’s play seven double match weeks instead of five in the EuroLeague season and let the players play comfortably in the national team. A few weeks ago, Panathinaikos and head coach of the Israeli national basketball team head coach, Oded Kattash, made a similar statement: "We won’t die if we don’t play in the EuroLeague on Friday for two weeks. We can adjust the calendar, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that.” What do you say on this?

Absolutely right. Giving a break for the national teams is both important to show the value of European club tournaments and in terms of countries’ basketball. In each country, the national team is always very valuable and important. What is important for a country’s basketball is not only the success of the clubs of that country, but also the success of their national team and the visibility of national teams’ games. Making national teams more valuable also increases the value of basketball in all of Europe. Not only us in Turkey, the whole Europe is suffering from these problems.

Here I think the EuroLeague organization should solve the calendar problem with FIBA. It can be in different formats, but it is not nice to have a game on the same day that the national team plays. There is Anadolu Efes or Fenerbahçe Beko playing EuroLeague game on the same day when Turkey’s national team has a game. So people are also getting surprised by this. I think a solution must be found. In my opinion, the EuroLeague and the national league season can be played with a more intense schedule and can be completed in 6 months, not 7 months, such as the NBA, and national teams can be allowed. Of course, players should be given a 40-45 day rest period. Also as I said before, instead of five, we can play seven double-game weeks in the EuroLeague.

EuroLeague being a closed league?

I think the EuroLeague should return to the NBA model. Unfortunately, in many countries, serious budgetary and investment differences have started to emerge. This situation also affects the national leagues badly. Apart from that, in order for big clubs that invest so much in this business to earn more income, I think EuroLeague should see the facts and switch to a closed model in European basketball. Of course, I do not know with how many teams they can do this. I think that a model in which only the EuroLeague games will be played in a 6-7 month period in which these teams will play more matches with each other during the season and generate more income will be much better. There may be a model that the teams outside of the EuroLeague can participate in a more competitive competition in their national leagues and champions or finalists from those leagues, can participate in other European cups, and the biggest teams will compete with each other. I think this will be more suitable for everyone. As far as I can see, the EuroLeague organization has such an opinion, but of course I understand that it is not easy. After all, there are teams of different countries here. The level on the court is high in the EuroLeague, this is a fact, but the incomes are very low. There is a huge difference between the money that clubs spend and the income they earn from the EuroLeague organization. If there will be a model like this, then I think there will be a better timing for the national teams.

Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahce Beko plays with the reserve team in several matches in Turkish League. Not only in Turkey, Italy, Russia or other countries have similar problems. Take a look at other international organizations, for example. Can a tennis player play Nadal right after receiving a tennis championship in Turkey? No, he can only do it if he reaches that level. Other teams also can join the EuroLeague when they have the power to participate. In fact, why are there only 2 Turkish teams in the EuroLeague organization? This is something that should be questioned.

Galatasaray was here before, for example, if they want to be here again, they can be. This can also add value to the EuroLeague. This also goes for Beşiktaş. But why aren’t they here? Because they look at EuroLeague and see that there is no income here. Then they don’t come in here. That is why the EuroLeague should develop a different model and teams that have the power to play in EuroLeague should be here. Other teams can play in their own leagues. Then other teams may be able to compete for the championship. Currently, except for a few surprises in Turkish League, champion is either Fenerbahce or Efes. As it is now, an open door can be left for other teams to participate in the EuroLeague. Currently available through EuroCup. But Turkish teams escaped from EuroCup. Teams such as Galatasaray and Darüşşafaka that could be assertive in the EuroCup left the EuroCup.

What would you say about your book, The Path to Victory: Ergin Ataman? Also last week you mentioned that you want to shoot the Ergin Ataman documentary?

I received a biography proposal for this book, and I accepted it. I did not have time to write myself when I was in such a busy pace. We wrote this biography both with the gap in the pandemic period last year and the arrival of such a proposal. I am not someone who quit basketball at the age of 35-36 and started coaching as a top professional basketball player. So I think I have a coaching life that every Turkish young person can take as a model. By constantly improving myself, I came to a place in European basketball. While writing this book, we aimed to convey to young people and people of all professions how I got where I got. As for the documentary, I think if we can turn this book into a documentary one day, it will remain as an archive. I haven’t won 10 EuroLeague championships or a World Cup championship title with the National Team maybe, but I am a coach that grew up in Turkey and I achieved something that was not reached in any sports in Turkey. I think watching this can also open people’s visions. I wish people from all professions could document what they experienced in that profession and how they came to that point, and people would watch it.

You said you will go to NBA if an offer comes.

When I said if an offer comes from NBA I will go, I mean any coach in Europe will think about it if this offer comes from the NBA. Of course, this has not happened until today, there is no head coach in the NBA who comes from Europe. There was David Blatt, but he is also American. Apart from that, there is no one who was successful in Europe and then went to the NBA as the head coach. This emerged after the style of basketball currently played by Anadolu Efes was seen as NBA-like. But I know that it is very difficult to get an offer from the NBA fo the coach of Anadolu Efes. I will consider it if it comes. I do not hesitate, I do not say that I cannot do there. I can go and do it. I said it from that point of view. I don’t necessarily dream of going to coach in the NBA. I am currently coaching at Anadolu Efes with great pleasure, and I am very happy and at peace. As long as I am not fired, I will not go anywhere other than Anadolu Efes.