Only a handful of coaches have taken different teams to consecutive Final Fours, and this season Dusko Ivanovic of Winterthur FCB joins that select group. A year after he and Tau Ceramica reached the title game, Ivanovic has returned Barcelona to the same stage for the first time since its 2003 Euroleague title. Known for getting the most out of players, Ivanovic has seen Barcelona improve at each phase of the season. Now, he heads into Prague looking for his own first Euroleague title - one of the few honors he is lacking - while running into an old foe, head coach Ettore Messina of CSKA, in the semifinals.
Hello, Coach Ivanvoic. Not only is Barcelona in the Final Four with a defined "Ivanovic style", but you former team, Tau Ceramica, is going to Prague, too. How do you feel to see your old team there, too?
"I am really proud of it even when, obviously, I am most concerned about my current team. In any case, making it to the Final Four is always a good result. My former team, Tau Ceramica, has signed some very good players and knowing the club, its organization and its fans, I am not surprised to see that they made it to Prague, too."
You and coach Velimir Perasovic of Tau played together on Split, the last team to win three Euroleague titles in a row. Is it important to you that Maccabi does not match that accomplishment?
"I am not a nostalgic person and I don't like too much to go back into the past. Each team, like Split 15 years ago and now Maccabi, has its own time and they should not be compared. The name of a team or its tradition, by itself, doesn't mean anything once you are on court. You have to be ready to show your talent and try to win the title."
How can the experience of reaching the Euroleague final last season help you with a new team in another Final Four?
"Experience counts and you can learn something in each and every game. My experience from last season, however, is different. Now I coach a different team while Tau kept most of it roster and that is really a very important advantage."
Once it overcame an adjustment period, is Barcelona reaching the Final Four in the right shape at the right time?
"That was the initial goal and if we did not manage to do so by now, we would have to get ready in these few days we have before our semifinal game on Friday. Each coach wants his team to play the best way possible in the most important games. If we managed to play good defense and our offense is at a correct level, I think we can beat CSKA."
Barcelona brought in several players with Final Four experience: Michalis Kakiouzis, Gianluca Basile, Bootsy Thornton, Denis Marconato. Was this experience a priority when signing new players?
"First of all, we looked for players who could guarantee us some talent. We did not look if they had made it the Final Four before or not. Now that we have reached the Final Four, their experience can be important, especially for themselves. This previous experience can give my players some extra confidence."
Your only player new to the Euroleague this season is Shammond Williams, who is a key at point guard. What do you think about his season so far?
"Williams doesn't have too much experience in European basketball, but he managed to change his style and adapt himself to our team's needs, so I am happy with him. Shammond is a very positive person and a very important player for this team. I hope he keeps on doing this well in Prague."
When you arrived in Barcelona, you said that Juan Carlos Navarro "can give much more and become a much more important". He became the Euroleague January MVP and was decisive at various times. Is this what you expected from him?
"More or less, yes, but I still insist that, knowing the talent Navarro has, he has not reached the level he can get to if you take into account all his skills. We have to carry on working hard because he is still has room for improvement. He is still a way from reaching his zenith."
Your teams have always used deep rotations. How important is that to keep the intensity strong for 40 minutes, or in a Final Four, twice in more or less 48 hours?
"Deep rotations are not required. If a team wants to challenge for each and every title, it must feature players who are able to play all 40 minutes at a great intensity level. They have to be ready for that, and how much playing time they see is then up to the coach."
CSKA Moscow and coach Ettore Messina are your next opponents. You know each other well from five-game finals between Tau and Kinder Bologna back in 2001. What do you think about coach Messina and his current team, CSKA?
"Ettore and I have a very correct relationship and we respect each other a lot. Our teams have played against each other many times and since we two have been in the Euroleague for six consecutive seasons, we are already veterans in this competition. Ettore has done a great job since he arrived in Moscow. CSKA is a very tough team which plays aggressive and rarely loses games. You have to play a good all-around game to beat them."
Barcelona is back in the Final Four for the first time since it won the title in 2003. Is winning the Euroleague the biggest challenge of your coaching career?
"It certainly is, for the time being at least. There is nothing more important right now. I can safely say we are travelling to Prague in order to win the title, but I am sure that also CSKA, Maccabi and Tau arrive with the same idea in mind. As usual, the key will be in details such as patience, self-confidence and tiredness. We are all quality teams, if you are not like that, you don't make it to the Final Four."