Greek drama and Turkish delight

VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - Does anyone know who is going to coach Greece at the FIBA Basketball World Cup?

The announcement has been slow in coming and it’s only natural to wonder if this could hurt the national team’s bid to reach the podium in Spain.

Organization and planning are essential for teams in the build-up to big tournaments.

What am I talking about?

Think Finland and coach Henrik Dettmann.

If you think the meticulous, precise, point-by-point approach of the Finns hasn’t been a major factor in their recent success, then you don’t know basketball.

At the draw for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Barcelona a couple of months ago, representatives of the Greek federation wore looks of contentment.

The Greeks had traveled to Barcelona without a spot in the tournament assured.

They left the Catalonian capital with a wild card, and a favorable draw.

The Greeks ended up in Group B with an Argentina, Croatia, Puerto Rico, Senegal and the Philippines.

Greece have a perfect opportunity to relegate their nightmarish last two summers to the dustbin of history with a strong World Cup, yet they are the only side that’s headed to the tournament which doesn’t have a head coach.

The sooner the Greeks name their coach, the better.

Here Greece, try this. Put the team in the hands of Kostas Missas.

Missas works as a technical advisor for all the national teams at the Greek federation. He coached the Greece Women to their finest hour, a fifth-place finish at the EuroBasket Women 2009 and the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women.

He knows the players, young and old.

I’ll never forget a bleary-eyed, exhausted Missas leaving the EuroBasket Women in Latvia in 2009 for Greece to coach the junior men just days later at the U20 European Championship.

Missas coached that Greek team, which had current national team players Kostas Papanikolaou, Evangelos Mantzaris and Kostas Sloukas, to the title.

Only the Greeks know when the drama over the coaching appointment will end.

From uncertainty to certainty - I like the way new Turkey coach Ergin Ataman is talking.

When asked by the Turkish Basketball Federation website this week what sort of national team he intends to build, Ataman responded: "A team that fights.

"A team that truly takes pleasure in wearing the Turkish national team jersey.

"A squad that is aware that what they are doing is a service to Turkey. That’s the kind of team I want to build.

"And of course a team comprised of players that love each other, like a family, a team, because at the end of the day all success is earned as a team.

"Still, the biggest successes are created by star players. My biggest goal is to bring a team of stars into top form. That’s my vision here."

Was Ataman, who is also the coach of Galatasaray, suggesting that a family atmosphere was missing in 2011 and 2013, when Turkey had disappointing EuroBaskets in Lithuania and Slovenia?

On the subject of Turkey, Semih Erden’s star has fallen.

Once considered one of the great talents in the national team set-up, the center has gone from having a roster spot in the NBA with Cleveland and then Boston to nothingness.

Anadolu Efes General Manager Engin Ozerhun issued a statement on Thursday regarding the status of their player, Erden.

Ozerhun said: "For playing below expectations and not making contributions to the team, among other reasons, we have indefinitely left [Semih Erden] off the roster. He will continue his individual training away from the team. We will all see how this situation plays out together."

If that’s not a stinging rebuke, I don’t know what is.

If he’s not careful, Erdin will lose his national team roster spot as well.

Erik Murphy of Finland, meanwhile, was reminded of how difficult it is to not only get minutes with an NBA team, but to retain a roster spot.

The Chicago Bulls released Murphy, who had made only 24 appearances.

The talented big man will get a chance with another NBA team or play in Europe.

Murphy will be in Finland's preliminary squad ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Speaking of the host nation for this year’s big tournament, Spain coach Juan Antonio Orenga must be impressed by the shooting of Jose Calderon in Dallas.

One of many excellent guards in the national team set-up, Calderon was shooting better than 45 percent from the arc after the Mavericks’ 113-107 win at the Los Angels Clippers on Thursday.

While on the subject of Dallas and European teams that will be at the World Cup, good luck to Rodrigue Beaubois of France.

The former Mavericks guard has returned to former club Cholet looking to kick-start his career after having a lot of injury problems.

Having sharpened up in training sessions at Cholet, Beaubois has now signed for Spirou in Belgium.

I remember a 21-year-old Beaubois setting the 2009 Eurochallenge alight with some excellent shooting displays for Cholet, where he was a teammate of Nando De Colo.

Here’s some food for thought.

Beaubois was playing for France in the summer of 2010 ahead of the FIBA World Championship in Turkey when he broke his foot.

It might be a nice gesture from France coach Vincent Collet to invite Beaubois to training camp ahead of the World Cup and give him an opportunity to make the team.

 

Jeff Taylor

FIBA

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