Luka Pavićević retiring from Alvark Tokyo’s commander “Head coach should be responsible for failing to produce results” –Basketball Count |

“A Tokyo is a big name team and it’s important to get results in every season.”

The other day, Luka Pavićević of Alvark Tokyo, who announced that he will retire as head coach for this season, held a press conference. After coming to Japan as an advisor to the technical committee of the Japan Basketball Association in 2016 and serving as a provisional head coach for the national team, he took command of A Tokyo from the 2017-18 season and achieved two league titles in his five seasons. “First of all, I have had a wonderful trip as a coach and a human being for the last five years. I am grateful for the opportunity to be the head coach of a wonderful team called Alvark Tokyo. At the same time, Japan. Having a basketball coach in a wonderful country is a treasure for me as well as my family. “

Looking at the history of Pavichevic, he achieved consecutive league titles in his first and second years in office. And in the third year of the 2019-20 season, if he won the FIBA ​​Asia Champions Cup before the start of the league match, it was cut off in the middle of the season due to Korona-ka, but at that point he had the highest winning percentage in the league. However, over the past two years, he missed out on the championship last season, and this season also failed to reach his goal of losing the quarterfinal and regaining the title.

However, in the past two seasons, the Korona-ka has forced the team to stop its activities many times, and there have been many factors to consider, such as a series of disabled people. In addition, Pavichevic’s retirement was a big surprise as he signed a contract until the 2022-23 season.

However, the commander said, “A Tokyo is a big-name team like Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow and the Golden State Warriors. That’s why it’s important not only to maintain high standards in all seasons, but also to achieve results.” He emphasizes that he must win in any situation.

Therefore, he chose to take responsibility for admitting that in the last two seasons, “the result was incomplete combustion and I couldn’t get to what I was aiming for.” “The club has fallen into an unusual situation and can give a lot of logical explanations, but the head coach is responsible for the failure to produce results, and unfortunately this team will start next season. No longer leads. “

Proposals for league schedules and the number of foreign nationals for further growth in Japan

Pavićević brought a lot of glory to A Tokyo, but his influence extends to the entire B League. In order to achieve the overthrow of Alvark, each team began to work on stronger basketball. Pavićević himself has responded to the fact that the existence of Alvark has raised the level of the league.

“By winning the first championship, we were able to raise the standard for the entire B League. I think we have raised the intensity and aggressiveness to a higher level not only in Asia but also on the international stage.”

Also, when he asked the commander who had spent five intense seasons a memorable match, he said, “There are many matches,” but he mentioned the next fight. “Two away games in the first year semi-final, Mikawa. For opponents who have high-level players such as Hiejima (Shin) and Kanamaru (Kosuke), (Hashimoto) Ryoma and (Sakuragi) JR. I still remember winning two games in a row overtime. It was an important game that led me to the final and beat Chiba Jets to win the championship. “

Finally, based on the experience of Pavićević, who has a track record as a player and instructor in Europe and is familiar with the world standard, what is necessary for the B League to further develop, schedule and foreign nationality When I asked about the number of registered people, he gave me the following opinion. Based on the premise that “this is something that the coaches, GMs, and team representatives of each team should all come together to discuss”, first of all, regarding the schedule, “I think it should be reviewed. First of all, the number of games is large. “.

“Among them, weekend battles damage the quality of the game and the condition of the players. After a fierce game, it is difficult for the players to recover to good condition by the next day. Especially Wednesday and weekend battles continue. The level of the game will drop. I have to think about the business side, but I hope I can create a win-win situation that matches the quality of basketball. Now I feel that it is a heavy burden for the players. increase”

He argues that for foreign nationals, the number of registrations should be increased even if the number of people on the court is the same. This is because, in the current situation, there are many teams whose competitiveness suddenly drops due to the appearance of disabled foreign nationals.

“This season, Hiraiwa (Gen) and Yoshii (Yutaka) did their best, but inside, the lack of size and power of the Japanese big man is supplemented by foreign nationals. Now, the foreign nationality of the B League is close to the level of the NBA and the Euro League. Among them, if one of the three foreign nationals fails, or two people like us break down, Big Man It is difficult to stay competitive, and it is easy for people to get out of order due to overcrowded schedules. Also, the lack of guards of foreign nationals limits the opportunity to improve the skills of Japanese guards, which is the greatest strength for the representative. Will end up doing it. “

As an example, Pavichevic gives his personal opinion that, for example, on-the-court is 2 or 3 and foreign nationals are registered on the bench with 5 people. “The tempo of the match will increase with two centers and two power forwards for foreign nationals. Even if there is one other foreign national guard, the main Japanese players in each team will secure play time. I can do it”

“By realistically reviewing the number of foreign nationals, all teams can thicken the center line, and if any team can acquire guard players, it will be the main Japanese player. All teams can compete for the championship, which will improve the quality of the league and make fans more enjoyable. “

Regarding the future, it is undecided, “First of all, I’m tired both physically and mentally, so I’d like to take a rest. The new stage is a blank slate.” But she concludes, “I’m hoping our roads will meet again.” As one who has been impressed with his outstanding knowledge, passion for basketball, and words with implications, I strongly hope that he will have the opportunity to meet Pavichevic again.