Interview du Coach Linos Gavriel Pantelis au site EUROBASKET - Par Chris MAMMIDES The Cypriot Head Coach Linos Gavriel who managed to drive his team, the Tunisian team Etoile Sportive Rades all all the way to the finals of the African Cup spent some time with us to answer 17 questions which we select to ask.... 1. Lino, firstly let me congratulate you for the second place in the African cup, so your team managed to end up as a finalist in the African cup and you did it from the place of the absolute outsider, how did you manage that? 1. Thanks a lot for your wishes ..it was a small miracle for the people that they understand and feel what I am saying ..WE manage to finish second in the continent at first time with a lot of hard work. Nobody is working harder than our team here in Africa and I strongly believe what I state, second I believe that we have excellent relationship among the members of the team and this is the key of this success. 2. Do you think that you could have won the Cup? If yes what went wrong? 2. Yes I believe we could have won the title of course ,but Libolo is a team with a budget of 3,5 million US Dollars and consists of players with vast experience ,so the result is logical even if we believe we could do it ,anybody who respect himself believe that can do the impossible . Our team participated in the African championship first time in the history of the club and only to qualify in this final round was big success, it was a dream come true, so the final for us was and honor to participate. 3. What is your philosophy of coaching in Etoile Sportive Rades? 3. My philosophy never changes wherever I coach, my motive is hard work, focus in details and create good atmosphere and relationship among the team members. 4. How do you deal with multiple sport athlete culture with African and/or American players in your team? 4. An athlete is an athlete, if you approach him correctly and you care for him then he will perform the way a Coach wants, my players are excellent characters, all of them, so I dont need to spend energy for culture issues. 5. You have been coaching in Greece and Cyprus, whats the difference of the level of the African basketball? 5. There are a lot of great players and great teams in Africa that people dont know about, but believe me, there is so much talent and athleticism here that will surprise many people... There are many teams that are better from most of the teams in Cyprus and even in Greece and this is a fact. 6. What was the role of your assistant coach (Dimitris Varvounis) coming from the same culture, in both the African cup and the local league? 6. Dimitris is an excellent young coach, first of all I am happy having him because i speak every day my mother tongue, Greek. He helped me a lot and the rest of the stuff but especially the players to understand the European mentality and discipline that we try to have them follow every day. Without him things would be really difficult. 7. How do you plan on improving as a coach from year to year? 7. I work as a professional coach last 14 years, I try to improve every day by watching basketball clinics online, during the summer, discussing with many big coaches when I have the opportunity to meet or contact them. Anybody that he or she has a healthy way of thinking wants and trys to improve himself in anything he or she does, same with me, we learn until we die as the Hellene Philosopher Plato said learning never ends. 8. Describe a coachs role as motivator. How do you plan on motivating players and getting them to buy in to their role on the team each year? 8. Like I said before, in order to motivate them you need to talk to your players, explaining the way you want them to play and their role in the team and how this will affect positively the team. After that you should show them that you really care of their improvement as players and persons if you really feel you want to help them improve. Players understand if you just talk to them and you dont mean what you say, we should be human first and then coaches to motivate them. 9. What is your philosophy in regards to juniors or younger players and freshman players being moved up to Rades mens team? 9. Rades has big history in Tunisian league ,had won the most titles in the country but if something that is well known here is the talented young players the team have. The philosophy doesnt change, hard work, playing time as much as possible and when is possible and also to teach them to be humble. 10. What coaches, teacher or other people have been great influences in your life and why or how? 10. I would say my family ,mother and father for sure, if I need to choose the coaching I would say many coaches that I worked with them especially Nick Linardos, Ilias Armenis, Zoran Martic ,Charles Barton and from my time working as professor in sports department in university of Cyprus Mr. Michalis Krassias. I have also many other friends that they influence me positively in my life but I cannot mentioned all of them. From all of them I learn something and they helped me to become a better coach and a better man. 11. Who is your greatest role model either personally or as a coach? 11. For me as I consider myself still a young man, my role model was Magic Johnson due to the way he approached the game wanting to make his teammates happy by sharing the ball all over even if he was also a great scorer, he preaches teamwork and especially they way he approach life after he suffer from HIV. He tried to inspire and help people suffering from AIDS all his life and he succeeds doing that. From coaches I have as a role model Mr. Zeliko Obradovic is the coach I admire because he is always working harder than anyone, he always try to motivate his player with different ways, he never give up and he is successful because he is real and he inspires players and people around him even if he use sometimes crazy methods and not so orthodox ways. 12. What one word or phrase do you want people to associate with your name? 12. Hard worker 13. What person and or event had the most influence on your coaching life? Why? 13. The European championship of Greece 1987 when Greece made a miracle winning the power house USSR in the finals, from that particular moment I fell in love with basketball for the first time and until now is a big part of my life, is actually the biggest part. Also Aris Thessaloniki (my favorite team and I would love to coach one day in Thessaloniki) and of course the legendary Nikos Galis who is my all time favorite player, for the way he performed in the court! 14. What are your coaching goals? Where do you hope to be firstly next season and then in 5, 10, 15 years? 14. My goal is to be healthy and work where people want me to help them create a competitive team that wins and improve the level of young players, I do not have specific goal I just want to be somewhere with good circumstances and especially good people that they understand my philosophy and they accept me for the person I am. 15. Who are your role models in coaching and why? 15. As answered above is the head coach Zeliko Obradovic 16. What are your best and worst memories in coaching? 16. Best memory I will say when I got my first coaching Job as an assistant in Apoel Nicosia back in 2001 the team that I and all my family supports and the worst when in 2011, I was 3 months without job for the first time and it was new feeling for me, in December of that year I signed in Apoel Nicosia returning back as a head coach after 4 years. 17. Would you be considering a proposal from a European club? If yes how serious? 17. Yes I would is logical anyone wants to work in Europe, as long as is with good circumstances and logical people that I can communicate and set common goals.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 22:00:47 +0000
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