Ataman on EuroLeague's pandemic season: 'A dream was taken from us but we reclaimed it' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AFP – Scanpix Credit AFP – Scanpix

Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach Ergin Ataman took part in TEDx Talks, where he shared his ups & downs being a head coach, Efes' recent success, and EuroLeague's decision to void the 2019-20 season.

3-pointers this season

37%9,8Points made:9,8Accuracy:36,6%Place in standings:2Record max:22Record min:4Most made 3FGs:Shane LarkinTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Ataman began by noting that throughout the years as a head coach, he has experienced everything - from historic achievements to fall from grace.

"I have been a coach for 25 years. There were many victories, and many cups were won during these years," Ataman said. "But there is also another part of the story, in which you sometimes struggle and sometimes you are as successful as the team that you are coaching at that time."

"You need to learn from those mistakes both individually and as a club. If you have the self-confidence, you need to convert these mistakes into opportunities," he added.

Ataman also remembered his stint in Galatasaray, which ended as a shock, as he noted himself.

"From 2012 to 2017, I was in Galatasaray. Together, we reached the best success in the club's basketball history.We won the EuroCup and reached the EuroLeague playoffs as well.

After five years, I had to leave the club. It was a big shock for me. For 5 years, we had very good days. At a point where you got almost got identified, you reach a point where the roads fall apart. It was a freefall for me. It was declining to zero," he said.

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The 56-year-old also talked about his first two stints with Efes, which were not as successful as the current one.

"I worked for Efes in two different stints before, during the 2000-2002 and 2009-2010 seasons. But after 2009, despite all investments, Efes did not reach the success they wished to reach," he noted.

However, things changed in 2017, when Ataman took over for the third time. It was different for both Ataman and Efes as a club.

"In 2017, Efes was the last team in the EuroLeague standings, 16th place. Then they called me back. Obviously, this was a comeback for me, a revival, a resurrection.

I started coaching in Anadolu Efes. This was the club that I was familiar with. When I came back in 2017, the team was already formed in some way that I could not restructure in a short time.

I came to the team in the last place, and we finished that season in the last place in 2017-2018. We hit rock bottom. But it was the beginning of the path to the highest peak.

We needed some characters that did not know a taste of success, hungry for victories. We did better research on the European and Turkish players as well. One of them was Sertac Sanli. I was already fond of him.

The goal was not the title in the beginning. It was not realistic for such an aspiration so fast. In life, it is impossible to do that. But we aspired to the among the same top-level with the other European teams and created a team that Turkish people love to see," Ataman recalled in detail.

He also remembered the first Efes' EuroLeague Final Four in 2019. He admitted that such a quick turnaround was a surprise even for him.

"In 2019, after 40 games, we found ourselves in the final. This was a big surprise, and it is very rare," Ataman said. "Imagine a team that was coming last in 2018, fighting for a title in 2019. But on that day, maybe because of the over-enthusiasm or satisfaction for overachieving the season goals, we lost against CSKA."

However, as Ataman noted, it was a good lesson and experience.

"We realized that we were not actually crawling, but walking. So that we can run as well, we have self-confidence, and we can do more."

Talking about an amazing 2019-20 season, it was visible that Ataman is still holding a grudge against the EuroLeague for voiding the season so quickly.

"Next season, our goal was to win the title. But in life, you can encounter very different obstacles. We kept the roster and dominated the EuroLeague in 2019-20. We were almost invincible. During 28 games, we had 24 wins which was unprecedented. The European media labeled us as the most fun team to watch and the heavy favorites for the title," he recalled.

"Then we encountered an unexpected opponent: the pandemic. It was a big shock for us. We were confused because of the concerns about our own health, but also, we had to miss our goal because of that situation.

People were telling me that I had every trophy in the bag except the EuroLeague, which was the biggest. Despite all, we kept training our players in 3-4 different groups during the days of the pandemic.

We thought it was a 2-3 months shock, and when the summer arrives, EuroLeague will reorganize things to finish the season. Therefore, we could reach our goal.

But it did not work in that way. Yes, many leagues in the world like NBA or Champions League finished the season with a bubble. But EuroLeague made a decision not to finish the season. It became a white season," Ataman remembered in detail.

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Ataman also revealed that EuroLeague did not congratulate Efes for an impressive season.

"EuroLeague did not even send some kind of a message for us to congratulate, despite our all efforts and winning most of the games in a season where 80% of all games were played already. No trophy, no title, no nothing. They basically canceled our title," Ataman said.

However, a painful ending of the season became a motivation.

"However, that was the best motivation for the next season," Ataman continued. "The club did a great job; the contracts were expiring, but we kept the roster intact. We and the players made so many sacrifices as a club to keep our players together in the roster despite good offers from European and even NBA clubs."

"So we started a new road with a single aim - to win the title. Nothing else could satisfy us.

We could have been demoralized because of all these events. We could have brought ourselves down because our opponents strengthened their roster upon our dominance. But despite discouraging ourselves, we went for our bold targets and used the injustice being done to us as a source of motivation.

For success, you need to face the facts. We had this situation, it was a reality. A big dream was taken from us. But there was another truth: we had the power to reclaim it. So we needed to embrace our power and keep it intact. We needed to work in the hardest way possible and play 40 games more to reach that final.

Last season, we actually played those 40 games. We finished the season in 3rd place in the regular season and faced Real Madrid. Despite having a bad season, they were among the biggest favorites to win the title, and despite our successful season, we had to eliminate a tough opponent.

It was not easy. We won two games in Istanbul rather easily, but in Madrid, things fell apart. We were ahead 15 points in the last 3 minutes, but they pulled one back to make it 2-1. This game gave them self-confidence, and it became 2-2," Ataman recalled.

Talking about the crucial Game 5, Ataman emphasized the iconic Krunoslav Simon's shot. But as he said himself, it was Efes' destiny.

"The 5th game in Istanbul was not easy as well. Our hard work throughout the season paid off eventually, but Simon’s 3-pointer from the left corner was also crucial," Ataman said. "Normally, he could have made only 1 of 10 of that type of a shot. Do you know why that shot went in? Because we deserved it."

Talking about the victorious Final Four, Ataman emphasized the hard road his team went through.

"Similarly, we played against CSKA in the semi-final, which was another big favorite for the title. They were the ones who lost in the final in 2019. We dominated the game and got a 15-16 points difference. But they came closer and closer in the last quarter.

They actually shot the last ball with two seconds remaining but could not make it. Will Clyburn, who was the MVP of the game, missed the shot. Because we deserved it.

In the final, it was Barcelona, who were the big favorites again. But we rose from zero to the top, and it was our game to win the title. This time, in the 41st game, we won it. In three years, stage by stage, we reached the top again," he concluded.

Full Ataman's speech (in Turkish)

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