The next one will be your first EL season as a head coach, first year with such a full calendar with so many games. You saw an 82-game season as a member of Utah’s staff, but in Europe and as head coach how will you manage games and trainings?
Before that I’d been 10 years in Fener as assistant, I experienced so many things over there. I worked with by far the greatest basketball mind of the world, Zeljko Obradovic: I had the chance to observe him, I observed NBA’s calendar schedule, I had my own schedule and preparation too. First season won’t be easy, it’s difficult in any context: last year was my first year in EuroCup and it wasn’t easy at all, but now I had so many talented players. They have great charachters, I met with all of them during these weeks, one by one. Great chemistry, great players, great history of club. There are lots of things which motivate you to get in this challenge!
Coach Can will be Ataman’s heir on Efes’ bench, after spending so many years side by side with Zeljko at Fener. What can such great basketball coaches and men teach to an assistant who looks at them and works with them? What have you learned not only on the court but also through relationships they built with players?
That’s a focal point: I told so many times Zeljko Obradovic is such a special and unique person before being an unbelievable basketball master. Personality, leadership, charisma… he has all! Thanks to a great empathy he can wear his players’ shoes: players are players but coaches have to understand they’re humans! They had their lives, outside of basketball that life affects the majority of them. If you don’t put yourself in their shoes you don’t understand what they live and you cannot have right chemistry. Chemistry starts with head coach’s will: leader goes not always in front but sometimes stays all way behind and tries to give shoulder to ones who fell down. It’s easy to run in front but, if you do that, you can’t see people left behind and help immediately when they need you the most! If you’re a leader you have to stay behind in the right moment and in front in the others. To put my team together, I have to have them both.
Media and journalist tell basketball from external eye, coaches and players make basketball. We have a different point of view of the same object. How can we improve our relationship to create a better product? Unfortunately we pictured you for so many years as a “meme” with your moustaches on Fener bench, no-one knew Erdem Can’s real personality. Now as head coach you could be a great comunicator and connector between fans and media. How can you help us and viceversa? How can we approach your presence better?
I’m 24/7 open to discuss basketball and answer to questions. I can’t do more than that because my job is to coach a basketball team, not to be here to be a popstar or to make everyone happy with my face. How I work, how I live… I am who I am! The way I enjoy life and live it want to be discovered more, and you could be my guest, I’ll answer to your questions. I can’t be a figure just putting himself out and making people like him because I have good friends, I have people I love in my life, I have places I love to live with my friends. I know people who knows me what they think about me but I can’t spend energy to make everyone like me or know me, they don’t need it.
