by Semih Tuna/ stuna@eurohoops.net
After taking over head-coaching responsibilities at Galatasaray Nef last May, Zvezdan Mitrovic is ready to start from the top of the 2023-24 season.
He talked to Eurohoops about the upcoming campaign, including the Basketball Champions League alongside domestic Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi.
Mitrovic, 53, walked through his coaching career leading to the Lions down the stretch of the previous season. Plenty of individual and team accolades along the way, including his top achievements attached to AS Monaco at the club level and Montenegro at the international level.
Moving to his current job, he opened up about the selections for the 2023-24 roster and the team’s fanbase creating the potential for success.
Part one: Coaching beginnings
Q: First of all, I want to go back a little bit before the time you entered basketball. According to what I’ve read, you tried football before like every child. I’ve seen some water polo stuff too. What drove you to basketball?
A: I started with football, like all of the kids. After football, I played handball. Maybe I was best at playing handball. We were playing on an open court. When I arrived home with my knees full of blood, I remember my mother -who passed away- talking to me ‘Let’s play indoor sport, not outdoor sport’. Football was the number one sport in our country, but basketball was number two. When I was in 7th or 8th class, I went to some kind of casting for young players. They picked me, then I started practicing basketball. I saw players like Divac, Kukoc, Radja, Djordjevic… I really recognized that I was not on the same level. I played for the national team, I scored points but at that moment, I understood that they were much higher than my level. So, I decided to stop my only focus on being professional. I went to the army when I was 18 years old. After the army, I continued to play but not with that same %100 focus on being professional. I studied economics and played basketball. We won the Montenegro championship with my team and we went to the second division, Pro B. There, I started to be the coach, at 22 years old. I started as an assistant coach on that team. This is how I started.
Q: You once said ‘I put two names in a different place than the others: Goran Poli Bojanic and Dusko Vujosevic’. Can you tell me the reason?
A: Goran Poli Bojanic was my first coach. He invited me to be the assistant coach. This really changed my career. He turned my basketball life from amateur to fully professional. We started to order some tapes from the USA and watched them in 1994 and 1995. I remember that the coach was not speaking English, so they were putting subtitles. We were really enthusiastic about it. We really put in so much hard work with him. For me, it was great because I learned a lot. After that, we started to work with the young team for five or six hours a day. Those times were really important for me in my education in basketball. This period with Poli and Dusko… After that, I was really lucky because I had a chance to work and sit in some seminars with names like Zeljko Obradovic and Svetislav Pesic, who are great figures in Yugoslavia basketball. My team sent me to all those different clinics. For a young coach like me, it was very educational. They recognized me as a future coach. I’m thankful.
Q: Twelve years in Ukraine… I can understand the choice, but why 12 years?
A: This is a very interesting story. I decided to be a head coach. They sent me to another team in the second league. I was the head coach but half of the players were older than me. It was a great experience for me. I wanted to be a head coach. There were two teams in the first division at that time. I understand that they had no time to give me a chance back then. Buducnost was the best team, they had a big budget. All the best players in Yugoslavia were playing for them. I’m talking about 1996-97.
I forgot to talk about Bogdan Tanjevic. He brought me back to Buducnost as an assistant. I decided to be the head coach. I’m talking about high-level teams in Montenegro. I asked my agent to find me a job. There were some offers from the second division in Germany and they gave me some explanations about a team named Khimik. They had huge ambitions, they built the best gym I’ve ever worked in until now. They wanted to build a pyramid, there were young players too. I’ve worked with young players before, so I have experience. For me, it was a great challenge. I went there and stayed for five years. It was the period when not only basketball, but everything was growing in Ukraine. They were not on the map in European basketball, but I did a good job there. After that, I worked in Krivbas and won the championship. Then I worked in Budivelnyk for one season.
I have a normal life, my family comes first. I have a wife and three children. My kids started to go to school and we went together. I had some offers but they were not serious. My goal was to go to some Russian team. I had offers from them too, but the war started. Everything has changed. But Ukraine was great. Conditions were good, I had good results, my salary and everything were good. I just waited for serious offers. I didn’t want to leave Ukraine for something low because, after Ukraine, my goal was to go to Russia. Unfortunately, there was war and everything and I came back. This is the story.
Q: Coach, after the adventure in Ukraine, you went to Monaco and your team in Pro B had Moustapha Fall. Did you see the capacity in him who is playing in the EuroLeague final as a starting center?
A: I coached in Monaco’s Pro B team for three months, from March to May. Eleven games exactly. All year, Moustapha worked with a coach from Serbia. They worked individually. The trainer was very special and he worked with Moustapha every day. Moustapha grew up then. He had some problems with the injuries in his leg. He improved a lot. He started to have more minutes. I wanted to sign him when I was in ASVEL. I wanted him in Monaco too. But he became a really good player who plays for amazing money. He changed the game. He is a good guy. He is tall but runs. We are talking about ‘no more big guys in modern basketball’ but at the end of the day, Tavares and Fall changed the game. It is difficult to find a big guy like them who can run up and down on the floor and switch pick-and-rolls.
Q: You finished the Pro A regular season as the leader in your first season in Monaco. This was a great achievement. I remember your first BCL Final Four in Tenerife, I was there too. Do you know Turgay Zeytingöz from then?
A: I met him when we started to play against him. We played against Banvit in the group. After the Final Four, we played in the same group the next season too.
Q: Dee Bost was your point guard in Monaco. Bost was an important name for Galatasaray. I believe he was important to you too, right?
A: Yeah. We worked together twice. He was one of my main players when we won the EuroCup and before. I know Dee Bost from Buducnost. I have known him for a long time.
“Those were great times”
Q: In 2019, you carried Montenegro to the World Cup. Until then, a country with that large population had never participated in the World Cup. How did you feel after that?
A: The moment we went to the World Cup and the moment we won the EuroCup… These two moments are the biggest, biggest achievements for me. We started to play qualification windows. First two games, we played Slovenia and Spain. We lost and everybody was disappointed. During the qualification windows, we started to play better.
To be honest, this qualification windows system could be different. This is not like football. In football, every player can go and play for their national team. We played against Latvia, and at the same time, there was a game between Olympiacos and Real Madrid. Everybody was watching that game. I think this was a mistake. I hope FIBA and the EuroLeague can find a good solution to this situation.
Q: There is only one international window now and it is in February. What do you think about the new system?
A: I don’t like this window system. In football, whenever the windows start, all the leagues in the world stop. If you can organize this for Europe, it would be great. We play without our best players. A great example is France. They play windows with one team when they qualify for the tournament, there is a different team. You see how those players feel bad. Okay, Montenegro doesn’t have as many players as France. We have two or three players playing outside of Montenegro. We played against Latvia and beat them, then the EuroLeague and NBA players arrived and we played against different teams. I think this situation is totally out of sports logic. They need to change something. Okay, one window is easier but before, it wasn’t like that.
Q: You mentioned your EuroCup trophy in your second stint in Monaco. You were not considered one of the favorites before the season. You said that the ‘heart’ wins the final games. Does it?
A: We started in this corona year. We had eight or nine professional players on the roster. It was the lowest budget in Monaco ever. In the first group we played in the EuroCup, we were the best defensive team. That was interesting. After we signed with Rob Gray and went to the second group, we were the best offensive team. The team started to feel full confidence. We played a tough series with Buducnost. We lost by one point. Then we beat them in Slovenia. The team played great basketball on both sides of the floor, even the young guys. We enjoyed and showed heart. The most important game was against Gran Canaria, we beat them on their court. From Pro B to EuroLeague… Those were great times.
Q: Monaco’s Final Four roster was formed under your management but your paths are separated earlier than expected. Did you have any regrets you wish you hadn’t had in your last Monaco stint?
A: No. We separated our ways with good relationships. Nobody fired me. I made mistakes when recruiting players. We changed everything. We started with one budget, but it changed in October. A new president arrived. When looking back, I would have chosen different players according to my playing style and my character. But my perfect relationship with Monaco still stays. ASVEL is a different story.
We agreed with Monaco. We agreed that it was the best time to part ways. In the end, we see now that, Monaco and the new coach Obradovic did great jobs. They went to the playoffs and now, they are one of the best teams in the EuroLeague. They have a perfect organization. I still follow the team, they are my team. After Ukraine, I spent five years there. When I arrive there, they always welcome me. There are no fake people there. Monaco doesn’t have fans like Galatasaray, Partizan, or Buducnost, a different approach to basketball. You feel welcomed, you feel good energy from the people. I always like to go there.
The unexpected offer
Q: You have achieved a lot of great things in your career. What will the success bar be in Galatasaray? You have rivals that have won the EuroLeague.
A: For me, Galatasaray was a very interesting club with all the history and the fans. It was really surprising for me when they called me. I was on holiday in Italy. Dejan Radonjic is my friend and after he was done with Panathinaikos, we sat with our wives and spent a couple of days on holiday. We had a great tour at Toscana. Then my agent called me. I said ‘Okay, nice’.
I took a flight to Istanbul. It was surprising. It is a big challenge for me and, a big motivation. Everything is new for me. I use every opportunity these days to watch the Turkish League, especially the domestic players. I don’t know most of these guys, but I wanted to see and watch them. We can sign Americans, Balkans, and foreign players but I think it is really important to find good domestic players. They need to be the heart of the team. During my career, I always had good domestic players, veteran or young. But I don’t separate the players as foreign and domestic. I always like to play with everybody.
Q: I was going to ask you about this. Sedat and Ege Tan weren’t playing until you arrived. Now, you have a great squad of domestic players, maybe the best Gala had in so many years.
A: I want to give a chance to everybody. Players need to use this. I think we played nine games and I had ten players average 20+ minutes, also two players with 15 minutes. I want to give everybody a chance to everybody. My system is not easy to play. I’m far away from my game right now. First, I want to explore my team, then the opponent teams. All my career, I worked five years with Khimik and five years with Monaco… I want to build a system. This is a difficult way but it gives you some stability and consistency. It will be tough for everybody. There are a lot of good teams in the league. Tournament in Antalya, and now tournament here… I try to watch all the games. All the teams have potential and quality. I need to prepare my team. We played some games, not too much time left for practice. We have one week to play in the Champions League after the league starts. In the summer, there were some players on the national team, some players were injured. Now, we played some games and those games presented a good picture. I can’t build something without practicing. Galatasaray is a team with potential.
We have some super expectations from Galatasaray fans but everybody needs to understand the budget level of Efes, Fener, and even Karsiyaka. But I won the EuroCup with Monaco and it was the lowest budget in the club’s history. Money can help but for me, if you build a good group of players with good characters and build a good chemistry inside… This is the most important thing. But this is a process, we will see.
Q: It has been five months since you came here. What was missing in Galatasaray in the first place when you arrived?
A: I came unprepared. I think the huge expectations after they went to the semifinal in BSL and played good basketball with Trimble, Bost, Kerry… They had a good roster and great players. If you don’t have continuity in players, it is very difficult. When Galatasaray won the EuroCup and went on to play in the EuroLeague, after coach Ataman left, I don’t know how many coaches they worked with. Five, six? How many players have they changed? How can you have good results?
You can have small success but you can’t have constant good results if you change every year. It is very difficult to build something serious. You need to start to work with a team that doesn’t change too much. Okay, some players may go to the next level. I had problems with this when I was in Monaco. We finished the season and all the players had bigger offers, then they left. But if you can’t keep your core, you can’t compete. Like I said, this is new for me. I try to explore everything, my team, and the opponents. We will see. I’m happy about how the team is working right now in practice. We have some problems in the games like everybody, but you can see that I give a chance to everybody. In all games, we had 10-15 minutes that we played well. We have some players who played in great teams but didn’t have much playing time. They are good players, talented players. They need to adapt to the new system, new goals, and new challenges. It is different to play in Efes or Fener and play for Gala right now. You need to have a different approach. If we adapt our good domestic players as far as possible, it will be much better for us.
Q: You stood out more as a defensive coach in the places you worked. I remember your first game here. Merkezefendi scored the lowest points of the season.
A: These things happen. I don’t know. It is not like ‘I gave the captain to point guard and this is the result’. Building a good system depends on the players. In France, I had amazing athletic guys. Now this is a different profile team. What is strange about this team is… Usually, I had domestic players who could defend well, and foreign players who could play well on offense. I have the opposite right now. I have good defensive players and they are foreigners (laughs). This is like a joke. Radebaugh and Walden are the best two defensive players on the team. Even Miralem in the pick-and-roll defense is good. Ismet and Bugra are different (laughs). This is a little bit strange.
Galatasaray is loading
Q: Akwasi Yeboah and Miralem Halilovic were the early additions. There were a lot of comments about people expecting bigger names. How do you evaluate those names? What are the reasons behind those choices?
A: I think Halilovic is a great player. I don’t know a bigger name. Maybe if we had one million, we could buy bigger names but I have my budget and I have to act on it.
I followed Yeboah while he was playing for Darussafaka. I like him too. He plays in the same position as the captain, small forward. You see our captain, he is still fresh. He can play great and help as the leader of the team. I didn’t want to sign a super name for his position. I think he is very important for my team. With his energy on the defense, when he starts to play, everybody follows. Akwasi is a player who can play two positions. I watched the playoff series against Efes. He played good defense against Clyburn. Clyburn started the game pretty well but when Akwasi entered the game, he did a much better job. He is a very good guy. He has confidence and will be better. Like I said, we don’t have an amazing budget. I need to think about the budget. It is easy to comment and talk. I want to sign a player for two million too. But me and management have to think about the budget. This is not easy. You can make some mistakes, but who doesn’t make mistakes? I signed some players when I was in Monaco and after two or three months, we realized that it was a mistake. We can change these things. I believe in this guy. He played very well in games. He was good on both defense and offense. He can improve his offensive game and make it better. I give him a chance because he deserves it. He plays in both 3 and 4, he is a perfect person. I expect him to be much better. If I make a mistake, then it is my mistake.
Q: After that, you got Jonah, Corey, and Jarrell. How hard was that to bring those EuroLeague players over here?
A: These guys played in the EuroLeague but they didn’t play in super roles. You can check the minutes. They had some experience. We have some experienced Champions League players. I talked with those guys. Me, Turgay, and the management explained our missions: ‘We are starting to build something new, a good team. Galatasaray is a big club, and Istanbul is a great city. And we see that they are playing well. Unfortunately, Corey missed four games. It has been a good adaptation process for them. I like that they showed they want to play games, not getting maybe bigger money but sitting on the bench.
Q: For the first time in your career, you are working with a club that has this many fans. Does it give you extra motivation? Although Gala has millions of fans, we see that the interest in basketball has decreased recently. How important will it be for you to attract the fans back to the arena?
A: If we have good results, it will bring fans to the arena. Only Partizan can play badly and still have so much support. Everybody understands that almost all of the fans of Galatasaray are for football. Especially now, that we play in the Champions League and everybody focuses on football, I perfectly understand it. I think only the good results can bring fans back to the arena. Maybe they recognize the players, they play hard. They fight for every point, every moment. My goal is to prepare and build a good team for every game. The next game is always the most important. This has always been my approach. Of course, everybody wants to see and enjoy the victories. They don’t want to see the team lose. But like the situation in Montenegro, it is always remembered how you finish the season. I’m not too old but I have 30 years of experience in my job. Maybe this is a pressure for the players but I don’t follow anything. Now, everybody can comment on social media. I don’t think about it.
Q: There were some arguments about nationalized players in the summer. Some coaches defend and say ‘You can be only one piece away from success’, some say ‘No, we don’t need any nationalized players’. What is your opinion?
A: I’m totally against nationalized players. Best to play with your players. They give players a passport and they can play as domestic players. I don’t like it. Especially in Turkey with a 90 million population… Let’s play with your guys. For Montenegro, we always had one point guard. Perry, even Radebaugh has a Montenegro passport. But I’m against it. If somebody plays in one country for five or six years, it might be okay. But you arrive in one country and they give you the passport the next day. Money for the passport… Come on. This is totally out of sports for me.