By Semih Tuna / info@eurohoops.net
Starting the season 2-0 in the Basketball Champions League, Darussafaka then went on a three-game losing streak, risking missing the appointment with the next stage. However, thanks to an outstanding comeback against VEF Riga in Istanbul, they made it to the Play-Ins where losing the home-court advantage, they will start this phase of the competition on the road against MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg.
Talking to Eurohoops – full interview in Turkish here -, Darussafaka’s head coach Yakup Sekizkok commented on what the Turkish team had to go through, with eight players (five of them foreigners) leaving the club in a very short time. “We had already assembled a team based on our budget. However, unexpected charges emerged on the tax and SSI-related expenses side. This happened to all clubs, not just us”, he first commented.
The green-and-black team dealt with the situation straight away. We didn’t wait until March and April to deal with this matter. We let the players go because we wanted to lower the contractual burden on the club and achieve a salary size we could afford”, he continued. “Players don’t always have interest, they don’t always get the contracts and bids they’re looking for. A player wants to consider an offer from a reputable club or league when he receives it. That window might not open again after it closes”, he added.
The remorse stays there. “We had to complete this task at that time for that reason. Otherwise, if we consider it from the standpoint of sports… We would currently be in second or third place in the league if we had started these things on January 1. We had a good chance of winning the Champions League group if everything went according to plan”, Yakup Sekizkok commented.
Among others, Kyle Allman and David McCormack left the team, heading respectively to Besiktas and Galatasaray. “One of the two top teams in the league at the moment, Beşiktaş, made Kyle Allman an offer. An influential team like Galatasaray sent an offer to David (McCormack). Playing in the EuroLeague opportunity came for Rıdvan Öncel. Permission granted, they left, and here we are”, he commented.
What happened between Janis Timma and Darussafaka?
He also touched on Janis Timma’s recent circumstances. “We signed a deal with an option. We benefited greatly from this deal throughout the first two months. This would result in a significant increase in the contract price if we continued it until the end of the season. We said farewell since we were unable to fulfill that responsibility given our existing circumstances. Three weeks after parting ways, Janis reached me. He was going to come to Istanbul for ten days and asked me to train with us”, he first said.
The Latvian forward was welcomed back. “I accepted with pleasure. Our players were already on their way out. We lacked players on the roster. We were bringing in players from the youth teams, but the level wasn’t at the same level as it used to be even with the youths’ best efforts and intentions. This was leading to a drop in training sessions’ quality. We did not terminate his contract. Because, according to the rules, he must sign a loan contract in order to join a team in Turkey”, Yakup Sekizkok added.
“He said following his first training session, ‘Coach, I’ll be here for 10 days. There are three games you have in the schedule. I want to play for the club and you, I don’t have any expectations”. Naturally, playing a game straight away was difficult for a player who had not participated in contact training for three weeks. Janis was ready to play after a week of preparation. We have one or two more games with him on the field with us”, he also said about the experienced forward.
Finally, he continued talking about the Latvian veteran. “We want him to stay until the end of the year. We offered what we could do, given our own resources. He’s considering this. He hasn’t made a positive response yet. His objectives are likewise different; he wants to compete in the EuroLeague. Given his skill and expertise, he deserves this. We are still exchanging ideas with each other. I’m hoping he’ll play with us until he gets the deal he’s looking for”, Darussafaka’s head coach ended.
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League