Euroleague.net interview: Damir Markota, Cibona

May 25, 2012

EUROLEAGUE INTERVIEWS 2005-2006

by: Euroleague.net

December 13, 2005

With his 20th birthday still waiting at the end of December, one of the continent's most precocious talents, Damir Markota of Cibona, is already making his presence felt in the Euroleague regular season. Markota has been a major weapon off the bench as Cibona has cemented its legendary homecourt advantage and joined a third-place tie in Group B with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Winterthur FCB. Markota, second on Cibona in both scoring and rebounding, ranks third among all Euroleague players in three-point accuracy, which is saying something for a 2.09-meter power forward. Markota's readiness to contribute was signaled when he was both top scorer and rebounder at the under-20 European Championships last summer. But as Markota hints in this Euroleague.net interview, contributing off the bench for Cibona has been his strongest sign of maturity yet. "The game is long and there are plenty of minutes for everyone," Markota told Euroleague.net. "I just want to give my maximum in each game and it does not matter if that's at the beginning or at the end of 40 minutes. I want to use well every minute and second I am on the court."

Congratulations, Damir, on a solid season so far. If in preseason someone had offered a tie with Maccabi and Barcelona after six weeks, would you and your Cibona teammates have accepted?

"Sure, we would have accepted that offer, but I think that we have managed to do what we have planned, while Maccabi and Barcelona haven't done what they planned. That is why we are tied at the moment."

The good news is Cibona's home strength, the basis for making the Top 16 in prevous seasons. What makes you guys such a good home team?

"Although we haven't seen our fans put a lot of pressure on visiting teams at our arena, we are still a stronger team at home. We just know the gym, the atmosphere and everything else. There is nothing very special about it, we just like to play at home and we are good at it."

Playing on the road is the problem, however. What can Cibona do to become more competitive away from home?

"I really don't know. I can't say that we are afraid or tactically weaker. We are trying hard, I would say equally hard as we try at home, but we somehow lose games against opponents who we might easily defeat at home. I would really like to, but I cannot explain that phenomenon."

So far this season, there's a big difference in your performance compared to last Euroleague season. Is the difference maybe even bigger than the extra minutes you are getting?

"Everything comes with more minutes. That gives me high confidence in myself. Last season, I would play just in some games against weaker opponents, and would never know if I was going to get some minutes or not. This year, my time is guaranteed, so I can concentrate before the game and be sure that I am going to get a chance."

You are one of the top guys coming off the bench in the whole Euroleague. Doing well as a substitute usually means a player is always mentally ready to compete. Is that how you feel this season?

"There is a system in Cibona and I know that usually I don't start the game. That is how I prepare for the game, but also I know that the game is long and there are plenty of minutes for everyone. I just want to give my maximum in each game and it does not matter if that's at the beginning or at the end of 40 minutes. I want to use well every minute and second I am on the court."

Among your international experiences, you were the top scorer and rebounder at last summer's European Under-20 championships, but Croatia finished 11th. What did you learn from that experience?

"That was a really big and important experience for me. We did not have a great result as a team, but I finally got to play after two years sitting on the bench in Cibona. I had enormous motivation and I really needed it for confidence. I confirmed that I can play basketball."

There has been a lot of talk about whether you should play small forward or power forward, because you have skills the work both inside and outside. What is your feeling on the subject?

"My natural position is power forward, but I need some more strength and weight to be perfect for it. I used to experiment with the small forward position, but I feel at home when I am playing power forward. You know that I like to shoot from outside, so it would be a great combination."

As a child, after escaping the war in your hometown of Sarajevo to live in Sweden, is it true that you learned to play on your own?

"Yes it is true. We played on outside courts, something like streetball, and I didn't work with any coached. Just six months before I left Sweden did I start to get some coaching advice."

How did you learn to shoot so well without any coaching in such a cold place?

"The truth is that I developed almost everything after I came to Zagreb. I was almost 14 years old, and I knew why I came to Cibona. My job was just basketball and I worked hard every day."

And since Cibona did not find you, can you tell us how you found Cibona?

"I was surfing the net with my older sister and found some information about Cibona and basketball camps. I contacted the club, they invited me for a tryout and here I am. I came and stayed in Zagreb from then on."

Finally, looking ahead in the Euroleague season, what can be the most important factor if Cibona is to reach its goal, the Top 16?

"The formula is well known here in Cibona. We just have to win every game at home... (laughs)...OK, well, most games at home, and then try to catch an away win. We managed to do that in past seasons and I firmly believe that we can do it again."