By Stavros Barbarousis/ info@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda coach Giannis Sfairopoulos explained why he believes both his team and their archrival Partizan Belgrade should receive closed contracts by EuroLeague and have a spot in the competition secured.
“Both Crvena Zvezda and Partizan are top-level clubs,” Sfairopoulos told Eurohoops on the two Serbian powerhouses. “But it’s not only about that. They also have many fans and they are packing their home arenas. They are atop of the EuroLeague in that category. When this kind of team has such a dynamic, they should be in the EuroLeague. Both teams should have a closed contract, I believe. Especially considering how well-organized both clubs are and that they are moving upwards to the highest level.”
Sfairopoulos joined Zvezda on October 22, replacing Dusko Ivanovic. So far the team is 5-9 in the EuroLeague and first in the ABA League standings at 10-1.
“The most important thing is winning games now that we aren’t 100 percent ready so that we can make a jump when we are ready,” Sfairopoulos said. “For me, it’s important to have our injured guys back. Adam Hanga and Branko Lazic.”
“Of course, the goals of a team like Crvena Zvezda are big. This is a team that wants to compete for every goal in all competitions. This is what we’re trying to do.”
Zvezda is the third EuroLeague club that Sfairopoulos has joined as head coach after Olympiacos Piraeus and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
“Crvena Zvezda is one of the traditional powers of European and Serbian basketball,” Sfairopoulos said on signing with Red Star. “I knew what kind of club I was going to join. You need to adjust quickly to the team and then begin modifying the team and adjusting it [to you]. We’re still in this process. We haven’t completed this transition from the previous state to the new one. But the team begins to incorporate new things on both offense and defense and that’s the most important thing to improve our game”
“I thought that Zvezda is a team that gives me the opportunity to work as a coach at the highest level,” the Greek coach also mentioned. “They have a big dynamic also because of their numerous fans. Together with the president and the management, we can make something good for this season and the next with this team.”
Speaking about the past, Sfairopoulos added about his tenure with Olympiacos that he would want, if that was possible, to replay the 2015 final against Real Madrid and also the 2017 final against Fenerbahce: “The match that was a milestone in my career is the one where we beat Barcelona at home and went to the Final Four in 2015, with Printezis’ three-pointer. In 2015, Real Madrid had 20 years to with the EuroLeague, they had a fearsome team that had played in the finals the previous two years and lost them in details. The situation was the same with Fenerbahce, we faced both on their home courts and we had to overachieve”.
Asked about which player he’d want to coach, Sfairopoulos picked a particular NBA superstar who’s also a well-known Zvezda fan. “Luka Doncic,” he said. “An enormous talent.”