Sergio Scariolo weighs in on European basketball calendar, Milos Teodosic's uniqueness / News - Basketnews.com

Sergio Scariolo talked about facing Partizan in the EuroLeague again, working with Rudy Fernandez and Milos Teodosic, and the tough decisions he had to make at the Spanish NT.

Credit: Michele Nucci Credit Michele Nucci

Former European champions Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Virtus Segafredo Bologna once again share the largest continental stage.

The Serbian side returned to the elite after eight years, while their Italian counterparts after 14. They went through difficult times, but the deep mark they left behind during their glory days helped them get back on track. Now, they're back where they belong. Tonight will mark their first match-up since 2003.

At the heart of duel lies the battle of two of the most important coaches in Europe's club and national teams' history: Zeljko Obradovic and Sergio Scariolo. The Italian coach returned to Belgrade for the first time since 2014, when he played a EuroLeague game with Baskonia vs. Crvena Zvezda, a pairing that EuroLeague fans watched on Wednesday night.

Scariolo, 61, hadn't been a part of European club basketball for the past seven years. In the meantime, he won two EuroBasket and one World Cup trophies with Spain, while finishing 3rd at the Olympic Games in Rio. He became an NBA champion as a member of the staff of the Toronto Raptors, and a few months ago he raised the EuroCup trophy with Virtus.

"We have to be humble and say that first of all, it's very important for these two teams to return to the EuroLeague," Scariolo told Djordje Matic of Mozzart Sport.

"When we make progress with the reconstruction process, we will be able to start saying that it's important for the EuroLeague as well. I see that the arena in Belgrade is full. We, on the other hand, have far more problems. We move from the old arena, which is smaller, to the newer one. We don't have the best situation.

We are fighting to be in a group of teams that will have a chance to get to the playoffs even though we know it will be very difficult," one of the most successful specialists in the history of FIBA competitions said.

"We have to learn fast, because every game in the EuroLeague at home and especially on the road is like a little Mount Everest that we have to climb. We have to be prepared for very demanding tasks in order to accomplish this," Scariolo thinks.

Asked about Partizan, the experienced coach uttered that "there are still a lot of players who came together last season, six or seven, maybe more. On the other hand, Zeljko plays aggressively, firmly on defense, tries to play as a team on offense.

They are missing a couple of players, they will later have more depth in the roster, but currently they rely on a quality core of players that has a lot of minutes and this gives a clearer picture of the team's identity."

Even three years ago at the FIBA World Cup, Spain weren't considered one of the main favorites for gold, and yet they ended up at the top of the podium. Before the start of EuroBasket, Scariolo's list was cut by injuries, but he still took Spain first through the finish line.

"We entered the tournament as the 8th team on the list of favorites, so the difference between expectations and the final result was probably the biggest in EuroBasket history," Scariolo maintains.

"At the same time, I felt that a major step in the changing of generations had been taken. We've been working on it for years. Seven or eight years ago, we started creating the pyramid, a system that goes from the youth teams to the first team."

Scariolo pointed out that hard decisions had to be made. "When you want to create a proper and disciplined system, you have to tell some people at a certain point that they are no longer a part of it. Now we are reaping the fruits of our work and we have taken a big step towards changing generations.

I'm aware that this is a unique situation, we will probably be the sixth or seventh favorite in the next competition, but when you work together and when you create a team, the final result is always greater than the individual quality or talent."

The leader of the championship team was Rudy Fernandez. Even in his late playing years, he never thought of leaving his teammates behind.

"He has a competitive mentality that I have rarely seen in players, and I have been here for a long time. He leads the team, even when he doesn't play much, on and off the court. He does the most important things on defense, jumps for the ball, ends up in the third row in the stands, takes risks.

The way he leads by example is something I've never seen in my life. And he wasn't that type of player or person. He was more of a kid who would stay young forever. People simply realize that their role is changing and are able to adapt," Scariolo commented on how the 37-year-old Real Madrid forward has managed to achieve such longevity.

Scariolo won his fourth European gold with Spain, while being the coach of Virtus. But the next FIBA window lies ahead in mid-November. Since the European champions will be visiting Italy in the third round of the World Cup qualifiers, he has been able to prepare with the national team in Bologna.

"We are not in a position to be divided. This is proof of the good cooperation between the two institutions (editor's note: the Spanish federation and Virtus), which on paper could have been in conflict.

My contract made it clear that I had to stand by the national team. Virtus signed it, accepted it and we met halfway so I could be with both teams during the games, although we still don't know if they will be played on the same day. The situation is very delicate," Scariolo explained.

However, it is not easy to reconcile club and national team obligations. Aito Garcia Reneses was one of the first to point it out several years ago. Then came Ettore Messina and Sergio Scariolo, who emphasized his concern for the players' health.

"We need to find a way to create a more harmonious system. That's the main problem. At the end of the day, the players come first and you want the best to be on the court. I'm not saying that only the top players have to always be on the court, the NBA players will never be there during the season. We have to be proud of what we have in Europe, to value it both at the club and at the national teams' level."

The schedule is relentless, competitions are almost coinciding with each other, and there is less and less time for players to rest. However, Scariolo is optimistic that there's a greater willingness to resolve the issue.

"I think that people have become aware that the situation is reaching its limits. I feel that there is an atmosphere and understanding being created and that we will come to a point where we will realize that in terms of travel, effort, schedule, training methodology we mustn't waste an ounce of energy.

Like in the NBA. There, the schedule is even more intense, but the importance of regular season games varies, the conditions around the teams are consistent and at a high level. We're not at that level yet, and we have to get there," the former Raptors assistant coach pointed out.

In Virtus he got the opportunity to work with Milos Teodosic. The experienced point guard had some injury problems at the beginning of the season, but he got back in shape and had already made a few appearances in the EuroLeague.

"A certain path is still ahead of him. He's working to find the right form, but the most important thing is that he is healthy. Clearly he's not the type of player you can load and use every two days for 30 minutes. His skill, vision, passing ability, the capacity that allows him to always be a step ahead suggest that I have to keep him on the floor, but we have to take care of his health to use his talent the right way," Scariolo noted.

In an interview with BasketNews' Donatas Urbonas, Nico Mannion praised Teodosic for his natural-born talent.

"From Milos, it's almost impossible to learn because everything comes so natural to him. And it doesn't come naturally to anybody else. He taught me a couple of things, just some passing tricks about spots and angles. He's a basketball genius. He makes it look so effortless," Mannion said.

Scariolo is also aware of the influence Teodosic has on his teammates, both on and off the court. He tells his players not to try to copy him.

"I try to explain to my players that they're not Milos, nor should they try to be like him because there will be chaos. They have to learn from him how to maintain that level of concentration. Especially the younger players. He's able to see a fly in the air in the farthest possible corner because he's so aware of the situation and has the ability to feel the game," the Italian coach said.

"He sees things before they happen. His concentration, his study of the game, his analysis... Οf course, he's not the best defender, but his observations in terms of defense and tactics are at the highest possible level, even though his body doesn't help him to be a top defender. That's what players have to learn, not make no-look passes that are unique to such a genius," Sergio Scariolo told Mozzart Sport.

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