Scottie Wilbekin on last season's changes: 'It really pissed me off' / News - Basketnews.com

Scottie Wilbekin didn't like when Maccabi fired Ioannis Sfairopoulos last season. He thinks Dimitris Itoudis and Sfairopoulos are similar and he enjoys playing for both of them. The guard was surprised with Maccabi's budget increase but hopes for the best.

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Scottie Wilbekin transferred from Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv to Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul this summer to mark the end of a four-year journey with the Israeli club.

Scottie Wilbekin

MIN:17.27PTS:6 (37.5%)REB:1As:0ST:0BL:0TO:0GM:1ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

The two clubs will meet against each other this week in the EuroLeague. Ahead of the matchup, the star point guard sat down with Moses Barda from ONE to talk about his departure and the road that awaits in Turkey.

"It wasn't easy but I felt it was the best decision for me and my wife, and now that we are where we are, I think it ended up being good for Maccabi Tel Aviv as well because it allowed them to rebuild," Scottie told. "Of course, I saw that they increased their budget so let's hope they manage to get the best out of it just like I did."

Wilbekin was initially surprised when Maccabi's budget was revealed by Yakov Meir and Tomer Givati from Israel Hayom. After additional consideration, the guard began to think about what could've happened.

"I spoke with two journalists from Israel about how I think that if the coronavirus had not happened my last two years, and of course the year when the coronavirus started, [it] would [all] have looked completely different," he told. "We changed the coach during my first year, and then we were in the right direction on our way to home advantage in the playoffs in the second year."

"Who knows what we would have done there but it would have helped to continue the process if the coronavirus hadn't happened, instead of taking a step back from which we never really recovered," Scottie said.

One of the key moments that changed the entire landscape was the firing of head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos last season, Wilbekin says.

"I think one of the biggest things was when they fired the coach. I mean it was a tough year in itself but when the coach was fired I kind of lost my motivation, and I was like 'we're going to blame the coach for all the problems we have right now?' I didn't think it was fair, and to be honest, it really pissed me off," the player opened up.

Points this season

48%74,0Points made:74,0Accuracy:48,4%Place in standings:8Record max:74Record min:74Best scorer:Tonye JekiriTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

After finishing the season with Avi Even as the head coach of Maccabi, Scottie is now on a team coached by Dimitris Itoudis who is widely considered to be one of the great coaches in the continent.

"I think they are similar in the way that they know exactly what they want and they do a good job of explaining what they want and making the players do it. At the same time, they both give freedom and trust their players so that's something I really appreciate," Wilbekin compared Itoudis and Sfairopoulos.

"It's fun to play for a coach like that. The difference? I think the way they do it is slightly different," he continued. "I've only spent a few weeks with Itoudis and I'm sure I'll get to know him better, but for now, it's a great relationship and in the little time we've spent so far I'm all looking forward to continuing, and seeing what we can do together."

Wilbekin was the main man in Maccabi. Now, he gets to share the backcourt with another league star Nick Calathes.

"So far it's been great playing alongside Nick. His IQ is very high. I can learn from him and he's like a steady head with his experience, the way he controls the game makes my job a lot easier," the guard shared.

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