National Men’s Basketball Team and Panathinaikos Head Coach Ergin Ataman gave an extensive interview to Euro Insiders. Some highlights from Ataman’s statements are as follows:
‘I HAVE TWO DREAMS…’
Ataman said that he had clearly identified his two main goals in his career. Ataman expressed his goals as follows: “I have two goals. The first is to continue winning the EuroLeague. I have won the cup three times in the last five years… My other goal is to play in the World Cup with the Turkish national team and compete in the Los Angeles Olympics.” The experienced coach emphasized that he would love to fight for an Olympic medal and underlined the difficulty of this goal with the words, “I really want to participate in 2028, but it is not easy.”
“Being with the national team and being one of the people who contribute to my country is very valuable to me.” Many people ask him, “Why are you training the national team instead of taking two or three months off in the summer?” He stated that he asked, and described the reason for this as enjoyment rather than sacrifice. Ataman expressed the different energy of being in this position as follows: “I spoke English in the locker room of all teams throughout my career… But in the national team, there are only your own players, Turkish players. Being able to speak everything in Turkish gives a different energy. I really like it.”
“When I said this at the beginning of the summer, I didn’t say it to throw a dream into the air. No. Because I have experience and I looked at the squad I have… So why should I be afraid? I had to put in great motivation. But believe me, as a coach, I still think about that last three-pointer for Germany when I go to bed at night… I never forget that three-pointer scored by Daniel Theis. Now the next logical step is the gold medal. Of course, the goal should be the gold medal.”
DID YOU RECEIVE AN OFFER FROM THE NBA?
He stated that he could see him in “NBA Europe” and stated that he is not considering the USA right now because they have a different mentality. Ataman stated that he could talk if a serious offer comes after his contract ends, but the situation is clear so far: “To be honest, I have not had a meeting with any club from the NBA, I have not received any serious offer. Professionally, I am not someone who will shine by saying ‘An NBA team is looking at me’.”
ALPEREN ŞENGÜN WORDS
“He attacks very well in the low post, but in my opinion, he is the best center in the world in terms of his passing ability. I think he is even better than Jokic,” he said. He also emphasized that Şengün did not come to the national team with the attitude of “I am an NBA player” and that he was one of the friendliest people in the locker room. Stating that Şengün, who is only 23-24 years old, will go much further with this mentality, Ataman said that they could “even use him as a playmaker” during the match. Ataman said that with the combination of Şengün’s assisting, scoring and rebounding skills, “you will see that he will have at least three or four triple-doubles in the NBA this year. I’m sure of that.”
“In my system, things are very clear: If you are good, you can play. If you cannot do your job well in the system, even if you are the best player in the world, you may not be able to play in some matches.” Ataman said he knew it was difficult for star players, but “you can only win big goals, things like the Final Four, with stars who believe in team chemistry.”
Is the crisis growing?
