Dimitris Itoudis: ‘This match is not between Obradovic and me, it’s between Fenerbahce and Partizan’

Fenerbahce’s legendary coach Zeljko Obradovic will return to Ataşehir on the occasion of this match. However, Fenerbahce’s new coach, Dimitris Itoudis, is Obradovic’s former student.

Dimitris Itoudis made a statement before an encounter that had such a deep meaning. Speaking to Sportal, the successful coach first talked about the condition of the injured players: “The injury problems continue, but some players have started training. Scottie Wilbekin and Johnathan Motley started training. Kostas Antetokounmpo has joined the team. All of this is a process. An injured player will not be able to form immediately when he returns to the court. But when I saw them in training, they were better than they were a month ago.”

Saying that he could not find the opportunity to watch Partizan matches, Itoudis drew attention to the physicality of the opponent: “I can’t follow Partizan and Zeljko as much as you do. Partizan is a passionate and modern basketball team. They have a large staff both in width and length. Due to our recent trajectory, we feel the need to start over. We may have problems, but we’re not playing at the same level we used to play. Ahead of us is a serious competitor with experienced players. It is a very important step for us to return to our good performances.”

Referring to the emotional dimension of the match, Itoudis added that they will have dinner with Obradovic when the final whistle is blown: “I think the club is preparing something for him as it should be. A big round of applause, a gift and appreciation for everything he does. It will be emotional and it should be. I don’t know the details but a nice welcome is expected for an important coach who contributes to this club.”

“I think we’re past that emotional part already. Emotions are always present. I am happy to see Zeljko again, both as a coach and as a person. He loves Partizan. We all know what Partizan means to him. We also know what Zeljko means to me. When the game starts, we will both be focused on the win. But we will go to dinner after the game.”

Itoudis stated that both sides are familiar with the opponent, and in this case, match preparation becomes important: “I am familiar with Zeljko Obradovic’s game because we have worked together for 13 years. Likewise, Zeljko is familiar with certain parts of Fenerbahçe’s game. But the important thing here is how much time you have to prepare for the match. Neither we nor they had much time for this match. I think about how I can improve injured players. We’ll see how they fare in the final practice on Thursday. There are many details that have changed. Zeljko, myself and other colleagues guide our team according to what the game brings us. You prepare your plan A, but some of your colleagues have a plan B or C. It’s important to read and feel the game and know how to add some things that might help players.”

The successful coach is not satisfied with the fact that this match is read only through names. Itoudis stated that both coaches were on the pitch for the club: “You like to say that this game is a game between Zeljko and me. But this match is played between Partizan and Fenerbahce. I didn’t even know such a statistic existed. It doesn’t matter if you get one more win or one less win. I just want Fenerbahçe to win against Partizan. We will both do everything to help our teams.”(Eurohoops)