The interview of "Sabah" basketball club captain Ender Poladkhanli to Idman.biz.
- After 18 years, the Azerbaijani club advanced to the group stage of the FIBA European Cup. How does it feel to become a part of a club that is stepping into a new history?
- It is a very proud feeling. I am thankful to the management of "Sabah", because they created these conditions for me. I thought I lived up to their expectations.
- Most people thought that you would not be able to do it in the first attempt. What was the biggest secret to achieving this success?
- Good conduct of our staff and manager work. They transferred the right players to the team. Choosing a basketball player is not an easy task, but our staff and managers did it well. There were proper transfers. The newly arrived athlethes also managed to be a good team. This played a big role in success as well. We suffered a lot in the preparation process and therefore saw the results.
- Last season you played in "Sarhadchi" club. Have you gotten used to "Sabah" yet?
- "Sabah" club welcomed me very well. They even entrusted me with the captaincy of the team. This is a extremely responsible job. I hope, l will justify their trust. Maybe some fans of the team have a different attitude towards me being the captain, but I believe that I will win their heart with my game this year. Almost everyone in the team is new. In this regard, there was no difficulty in adaptation.
- What do you think was the role of local players in advancing to the FIBA European Cup?
- Everyone had their own role in this team. Everyone contributed to this success. We have 15 players in the team, but 12 basketball players participated there. The remaining 3 players also have a share in the success. They helped us a lot in training. Therefore, the role of every basketball player in this success is necessary.
- After that, "Sabah" will compete on 2 fronts. Could this cause the collective to weaken?
- There can be no definite reason. On the contrary, it will make us stronger, because we will play more games. Yes, there may be fatigue, the end of the season may be more difficult. I think it's better for us. We will play more games and be in better shape than our league rivals. But time will show us everything.
- How do you rate the opponents in the FIBA European Cup? What are the chances of "Sabah" leaving the group?
- We will compete with a very strong and experienced clubs. It will be interesting. We haven't analyzed any teams yet. We are currently on vacation. We will start training tomorrow. After starting the preparations against our first opponent, "Mornar", we will analyze the opponents. But we have a chance. Our team is strong enough. From game to game, we adapt to each other, get used to it and show a better game. We will do everything in order to qualify for the next round.
Emin Aga
İdman.biz