Coach Sfairopoulos, you’re one of main figures and charachters of EHCB. For the first time referees come and share their ideas with coaches around rules and interpretations, also group of training scientists as Kinexon’s provides new technologies which can evolve basketball’s vision. What do tou think about 2023 Congress in Antalya? Do you feel that coaches are opening their mind to accept tips not only from basketball’s assistant but also from other stuffs?
Of course this is future. All technlogies involved particularly in basketball are always welcome to help and give us higher knowledge, more informations on how we can play and perform better. From coaches’ side, it’s really valuable first meeting with EL board and referees’ department. Mr Bodiroga and Mr Hierrezuelo came and visited all us, me and Bodiroga, ELPA and UEBO already met in Kaunas during Final 4. All these cooperations are in favor of sport. As EHCB we’re very happy to have all partecipants with us. We had her also coaches and assistants of EuroCup: all of them can join our union. We want everybody to get involved, come with us and exchange ideas. Masterclasses and clinic were more successful than previous years’ ones. We hope we’ll expand through coaches of all Europe, not only EL’s world, so we can empower coaches’ voice, to share our knowledge between us and young coaches who attend clinics.
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? How can you help us and viceversa? how can we approach your presence better and how can you understand our intention and need to report better?
Primarily, both sides should have mutual respect. It’s so important that each one of us respect others. We want media’s criticism because criticism will make us better and improve ourselves. On the other side, journalists should listen to coaches when they talk about X’s and O’s: media don’t know what happens on the court sometimes but we do, it’s our profession. When everybody understands that coaches had to do their job and journalists had to do their job, cooperation is in the right way. I believe that during latest years relationship between coaches, players and media is gettin’ better and better. New generations are more open to discuss and support basketball. We can’t forget we have our job because of this sport! If you write something bad about basketball, this is against your job and our job. If coaches say something bad referring to journalists, that’s against all interests. Our community is very small: it’s a global sport but basketball community in Europe is very small, everybody knows each other. At the end of the day, we must have, all of us, the love for sport. This love for basketball proceeds with respect, preparation and work ethic.
According to your opinion, on and off the court, which are best young coaching minds in Europe that will have a bright future in Europe, Euroleague or all over the world? Don’t you see as an endorsement or tampering!
I don’t want to put a finger on one, two, three of them because I think all coaches of young generation should have same way and opportunity to reach the top. We can see a lot of young coaches beginning well their career in Europe, they’re growing and developing. I’ll give no names but I see a lot of kids in the right way. Plus, I believe we’ll have better and bigger staffs in next years too.
