Maurizio Gherardini: 'It was the most unexpected title during my time here' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Burak Saltık | Fenerbahce.org Credit Burak Saltık | Fenerbahce.org

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul dethroned the reigning EuroLeague champions Anadolu Efes Istanbul and captured the Turkish Basketball League trophy after a four-year drought last night.

Points this season

48%74,5Points made:74,5Accuracy:47,5%Place in standings:12Record max:96Record min:43Best scorer:Jan VeselyTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

General Manager Maurizio Gherardini has been the architect of the Fenerbahce team since 2014. He won a EuroLeague title and has been selected as an Executive of the Year throughout the seasons with the team.

Talking about the season's finish, Gherardini was glad it ended the way it did.

"It's definitely an unexpected championship run the way we won the championship. This is my fifth championship in Turkey. Every championship is different, but this one was probably the most unexpected," Gherardini explained. "Coming together like we did, playing this game, it was a great sign, a great way to finish the season."

"Not everybody probably expected this, but we knew that we could've played all season like this probably," Gherardini continued. "If we didn't have all the ups and downs, all the issues that we had, we could've been more competitive in January, but definitely this playoff run was remarkable."

Fenerbahce did not make the EuroLeague playoffs and finished the European season in 12th place with 10 wins and 18 losses.

"We had so many different moments with issues we had to manage," Gherardini recalled. "Unfortunately, you remember more the negative or unlucky moments like when we travelled to a place like ASVEL and in a game that we absolutely had to win."

"We are in the game, and we end up losing the game on the final shot, but de Colo goes to the hospital in the first half, and Vesely goes to the hospital in the second half. In the same game, we lose by a final shot, and we lose our stars for three months," the executive explained.

The team has been riddled with injuries throughout the season, losing not only Nando de Colo and Jan Vesely but multiple other key players due to various reasons throughout the year.

"That was the pivotal moment of our season. Losing two key players and losing the game like that was a killer. On the other end, we were very consistent in the Turkish league throughout the season," Gherardini noted.

"Again, we respect the EuroLeague champions, but we were more consistent in the Turkish league. It's not a coincidence that we were first in the regular season," he rejoiced. "Now, we need to digest the season and figure out what comes afterward, but it's a good way to start thinking about the future."

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