Andrea Trinchieri about the character of his new team, talents and Corona

Photo Credit: Christina Pahnke

Not only was the FCBB team in Bruneck this week, but the media representatives also made a detour to South Tyrol to the training quarters of the Munich team in order to catch up. Head coach ANDREA TRINCHIERI answered journalists' questions in the "Hotel Majestic" with a view of the Kronplatz.

Here is an overview of the most important statements of the 52-year-old Italian, who wants to put the Bavarians back on the road to success:

. . .on  the degree of his satisfaction after the first two weeks of intensive training:

"How many satisfied coaches do you know? Zero, right? Coaches are perhaps satisfied at the end of the season when they have won something. I am never satisfied, I am rather afraid of this state of affairs. Satisfaction in September, that's impossible."

. . . on the fitness of the team after a spring and summer during the Corona pandemic:

"The hardest thing is to get the team completely on the same physical level. There are players who didn't do anything for six months because the gyms were closed, like in the States. Then there are some who played until June, like here in the BBL. So, they are not all on the same level. That annoys me, but we knew that beforehand. We have to get through this now and first of all stay injury-free. In this respect we are ok, we only have small problems. But at the moment every day is a new experience. Our job is to navigate the team through this phase - by staying injury-free and bringing everyone up to a physical level.

. . . on the position of the classic point guard in his squad:

"Who will still be working with classic point guards in 2020? I would be curious to hear the answer. I do not. Even a Peyton Siva in Berlin is not a classic point guard. A classic point guard calls a play, passes the ball, goes into the corner and so on. They call him a "floor general. But there are many ways to lead a team. It is too early to say who will do it. I have ideas about that, but we'll see how they work out. My idea is basically to have players there who: Can play defense, who can play several positions, which are physical and athletic. I think THAT is modern basketball, and if you want to have that, you have to get rid of something else for sure. Right now, in the pandemic, you can't have everything".

 

. . . on the squad construction around the Guards:

"There are many ways to build a squad. You can have positions one to five, plus their backups. But that's a bit old school, I think. That's not to say it's bad, but every year there are fewer old school players. So I think a coach has to be flexible and adaptable. Especially in the Guards we have a lot of players with good bodies, they can play three positions. It will take a bit more time, that's necessary for a project anyway. But I think that this project can be very interesting if we work on it".

. . . on the general process of planning the new team:

"First we had several players under contract, that was the starting point. We had to anticipate the future of these players with regard to their possible development in another system. Then we wanted to add multifunctionality from the outside, versatile athletes. So the plan is to defend aggressively, play in flow and fast."

"We have players that can take us to a higher level"

"It was a special transfer phase for all teams. First everyone said:  "We have no money, no money," and the first five deals went through for incredible money. We, on the other hand, brought in players who could take us to a higher level by becoming better players. We need two things now: to become a better team as a group, day by day and the development of the individual players, that they improve. That is the big challenge."

. . .on  the fact that there are five Americans on the team? Coincidence?

"I do not believe in coincidence. I think it's the result of our possibilities in the market and the expectations of these players. All five of them wanted a challenge at the higher level, the highest in Europe. The EuroLeague is a competition that kills you physically and mentally, drains your battery. But as long as you stay fresh as a team, that is an advantage. That means: We needed athletic guys; guys who can run and who regenerate quickly. That's what we were looking for on the market and we found our Americans."

. . . on nine international players in the squad, of whom only six can be used in the BBL:

"Our request to play with nine was unfortunately rejected. But it's very easy to handle now, because there are clear parameters: the physical condition, the psychological, the demands of the next game and what the opponent wants; what lineup he has, how his own team is performing at the moment and how to balance their energy. If you evaluate these things clearly and apply everything fairly, you have your six players. My goal is to stay fair, my players know that. Everything comes out on the table: If you need another big player for the next game, you just take out an extra guard. Or vice versa. Sometimes you have to go easy on somebody, then he plays less or not at all. It's complicated and a challenge, but I like challenges.

. . . on the legend of hundreds of plays in his playbook while in Bamberg:  

"I guess there were a few less. And I would be a very moderate coach if I were to offer our players the same playbook now as I did in Bamberg. You can compare the job of a coach with that of a chef: You always have different ingredients on the table, hot, salty, sweet, vegetables, meat, fish, whatever. But your job remains to make a good meal. You just have to adapt. I don't think that more than five or six of these systems are used here at all."

. . . about the detail of the new sporting direction, integrating the talents George, Grant and Rudan into the professional team.

"I would be very happy if they understand at the end what a chance they have here. I hope that they will try to show the best version of themselves. But if we expected young players not to make mistakes, that they won't cost us a game, we would be going about it the wrong way.

"Our young players have a great chance"

I am 100 percent convinced that you have a great opportunity with us. But it all starts when a young talent shows the priority to become a real player. That takes a lot of dedication, you have to give up a lot of yourself and be completely committed. I try to help them with that and I am glad to have these guys. The key now will be whether they stay on to play hard and keep their priority of wanting to become a real player for a whole season. Because when you're young you start with a lot of enthusiasm - but when things get tough you lose the enthusiasm and your priorities. So far, everything is going as expected with them and they are doing well. But it's an old story: What you did today won't be enough tomorrow. The path of young players has many ups and downs but they have talent. Now let's see if talent can become more."

. . . about the difference between 'only' training at EuroLeague level and playing time:

"The entry level is of course training at the highest competitive level. But without then also getting minutes in the game, without meeting a veteran in a real situation who uses all the tricks and elbows to beat you - without that you won't become a real player. However, our youngsters have to earn their BBL minutes and if that doesn't work for various reasons, they also play in the ProB and become outstanding players at this level. Having responsibility on your shoulders only makes you better wherever you play. I told them about Nikos Zisis, one of my favorite players ever. At 19 he was a point guard with AEK Athens. He had 40 minutes and 25 points in the junior team on Saturday and ten, twelve or 18 minutes on Sunday as a backup for the pros. Why can't our players do the same?"

. . . about the announcement to attack Alba Berlin

"That's probably our job. They are in the castle and we are outside. They are finely furnished with furniture, we are still in the forest getting the wood. They are the champion and we are coming from a bad season. But this season is over. They are in front and we are trying to get them. That is the goal and not just any revenge. A vendetta is too personal for me. Because if you take a game too personally, you only win once."

. . . on his worries, similar to last season at Partizan Belgrade, about being robbed again by Corona of the fruits of his labor:

"I do not have that worry. Playing the EuroLeague this year will surely be a bit tricky, because it is about different countries, laws, health situations and travel regulations. So there is a question mark behind the EuroLeague because the situation is constantly evolving. But I am sure that the BBL will play. They played the final tournament in the worst time ever. I have no doubts about the BBL competition at all."

. . .on  possible games without spectators until the end of the year:

"In Italy, the Supercup is currently being played with 25 percent of the spectators. It will be raised to 40 percent and then to 50. The BBL was clever and postponed the start until November. I'm sure they will adapt to the conditions now as well. The numbers of infections are currently under control and relatively really low. In April everything was ten times worse. There may also be a vaccine soon. So I am positive, the situation will improve. So there are two options: You give up and raise the white flag - or you adapt to different scenarios and stay positive. We are now preparing for the start on October 2 against Milan; if it turns out differently, we will play out the German Cup shortly afterwards and then the BBL. To think differently is a waste of energy.

. . . the problems of travel planning:

"There are clear concepts, with plans A, B, C and D. You play at A and if that doesn't work because you can't travel back from certain countries, you have to take B and maybe go to a third country to play there. Maybe for weekly bubble events: Monday before the flight you will be tested, then you fly to a bubble hall; you play there on Tuesday and Thursday, on Friday morning you land and get tested again at home - and play in your national league on the weekend. If that were the situation until December, it could go like that, although that's really just my quick thoughts right now.

"We have to show that there is a plan to get back to normal life"

"But I think we have to get back to normality, to the most normal life possible. The spring was terrible, many were rightly depressed. The lockdown and the social distance were right and okay, but now people have to get back to vitality. We are in the entertainment business - we must entertain! Certainly not in front of 20,000 fans, but we also have a responsibility to the audience. We also have to show people that there is a plan to get back to normal life."

. . .on the election of the new team captain:

"We have ideas for this. But I am only now seeing how the team develops. When you make a good pizza, it's best to let the dough and ingredients work for 24 hours. I think the team will then decide in a few days and I'll just have to put my stamp on it: "approved!