Dusan Alimpijevic recently became the new head coach of Besiktas. In an interview with Basketball Sphere, he talked about parting ways with Bursa, about the new engagement and the ambitious project that awaits him. Also, he touched on who had the most important role in his signing with black and whites from Istanbul.
In April 2022, Bursa created the sensation of the year in European basketball by eliminating the favored Partizan in the Eurocup round of 16. Later, the Turkish team made it to the finals where they suffered a defeat against Virtus.
All this was followed by successes in the domestic championship where Bursa reached a historic play-off. The architect of all those feats was Dusan Alimpijevic, who brought recognition to the team from the margins of Turkey. And in the next season, everything seemed to go naturally.
About the unexpected twist and move of the main sponsor
Excellent position in the Turkish Superleague and the knockout phase of the Eurocup. Bursa continued to play a very important role in all the competitions it was a part of, and results satisfied both the management and the Serbian expert. It was evidenced by the signing of Alimpijevic’s new contract in the middle of the season.
However, there was a rather unexpected twist at the end. The previous main sponsor, Frutti Extra, decided to leave the club, which was supposed to grow gradually from season to season.
The fate of the former Crvena Zvezda coach suddenly became uncertain. Just a few weeks later the epilogue of the story looks like this – Alimpijevic is the new coach of Besiktas, and Bursa, in addition to the head coach, general manager, and some players, also lost their place in the Eurocup, since the next season they will to compete in the FIBA Champions League.
,,That was a surprise for all of us”, Alimpijevic begins his conversation with Basketball Sphere.
,,There were no indications, especially because there were no debts. The club had no a single dollar of debt, with a well-built infrastructure and a built-up reputation, which is not the same as it was three years ago.”
The Serbian expert tried to understand why the main sponsor decided on such a move.
,,There is a crisis in Europe and the world. It is quite visible in Turkey as well. Perhaps one of the reasons is that due to inflation, the dollar experienced an abnormal rise against the Turkish lira.
When I came two and a half years ago, one dollar was about 6.4 Turkish lira, today it is almost 27. So, an unprecedented drop. Considering that all ‘entrances’ to the club were in Turkish liras, ‘exits’ in dollars, I suppose that was the reason for such a decision.”
On the relationship with Bursa management after leaving
When the change of Alimpijevic’s environment was inevitable, it will turn out, after several weeks of negotiations, that he signed for Besiktas. More than two weeks have passed since the Istanbul club made the cooperation official. During that time, there was no sign of Bursa.
,,The management that remained was under a lot of pressure from the fans. They accepted that all people can leave, but they were the least prepared for my departure. They did not want to accept that at any price.
That management at the club tried to hide the truth, and the truth is that the club asked me and the agent to help get the contract out of Bursa, as I was one of two men who were under a guaranteed contract for two years, with no exit option for both sides”, said the Serbian expert and added:
,,For this reason, they were afraid of how they could carry it out financially, given that, when they ran out of sponsors, they didn’t see a way to carry it out to the end, without consequences. In fact, they were the ones who forced the departure, and they tried to hide it from the fans.
In the end, they hide it. They simply let time pass. Unfortunately, the fans were deprived of an explanation from the club, so many of them are under the wrong impression about it all. The way it was done is not correct at all. In all of this, Besiktas appeared with the desire to take advantage of the situation I found myself in,” said Alimpijevic.
⚫⚪ Beşiktaş Erkek Basketbol Takımı Başantrenörü Dusan Alimpijevic: "Nerede olduğumun bilincindeyim. Beşiktaş'ın parıltılı günlerine dönmesinin bir parçası olacağım için çok şanslıyım." #BSL pic.twitter.com/h1nz13zxhJ
— beIN SPORTS Türkiye (@beINSPORTS_TR) July 8, 2023
And in Istanbul – presentation at the football stadium
For the 37-year-old strategist, that chapter is over. The new has begun in Besiktas. Alimpijevic was presented at the football stadium, and he was entrusted with the ambitious project of one of the most famous clubs in Turkey, with a huge fan base.
“When the negotiations with the third party ended, Besiktas appeared with a sound plan to take back the place that belongs to a club of such size, so my first impression is exactly that size. At that presentation, which was impressive, I saw how important the club is both in terms of infrastructure and organization, but also in terms of the number of fans – 20 million.
Besiktas was the national champion 16 times, winner of the European Cup and has a great history. Some of the biggest names in European basketball have played there. When it comes, you can see the potential, it’s just up to us how smart we will work, in order to get it all back.”
Play-off is a target in both competitions
What preceded Alimpijevic’s signature was the arrival of the recent general manager of Bursa, Nedim Yucel, in Istanbul, with whom the Serb had already collaborated in previous years.
“He had the greatest influence on my arrival. As I understand it, the president’s wish was also for me to sign, but Yucel prevailed. I worked with him very successfully. We have a great relationship, which is more than professional.
We understand each other, we work very well and with all the problems we have, we solve them very quickly and together. That is very important for this coaching job of ours.”
The ambitions of Besiktas are changing drastically with the engagement of the Serbian coach and participation in the Eurocup.
“We have set goals to try to return Besiktas to where it belongs in the first year. Last season they had a weak start and then tried to pull away towards the end. That looked bad. Besiktas with investments, and then infrastructurally and organizationally, do not deserve to fight for survival.
This year they applied for the Eurocup and did a good thing. That was another condition for my arrival. In both competitions, we want to meet in the playoffs. When that happens, then we go step by step.”
Besiktas will potentially not allow the case of Gran Canaria
The competition in the Turkish Super League will be very strong next season, according to the interlocutor of Basketball Sphere.
“Galatasaray has big investments, Bahcesehir has a very good roster, then Tofas, which starts with seven foreigners. Karsiyaka is always present, Turk Telekom. They made an excellent team with Nenad Canak.
Fenerbahce and Anadolu Efes should not be mentioned. Darussafaka brought former assistant Ergin Ataman as the head coach. There are a lot of ambitious projects and investments, which have not been present in recent years.”
Far from it, but considering that Gran Canaria, the winner of the Eurocup, has withdrawn from the Euroleague, the question arises of how Besiktas would behave in that case.
“I am sure that if Besiktas enters the EuroLeague, which they played in before, they will play in it. Therefore, there is a financial and logistical potential for this club to play in a bigger competition.
I’m more in favor of the result being deserved because I think the Euroleague is a serious competition, and that’s how it will be. You can’t be serious for one year to get a wild card, so you have to be in that final to be talked about.”
About market problems
Besiktas significantly strengthened the squad. Jonah Matthews came from the EuroLeague, Angel Delgado from Karsiyaka, Derek Needham from Bursa, Leyton Hammonds from Bahcesehir… What was Alimpijevic guided by when he was designing the team?
“The most important things are the basic philosophy, the way you want to play, and what the market dictates to you at that moment. It is so difficult this year for several reasons, so not only Besiktas but also every club at all levels had a problem. First, Japan and China have taken a large part of that market. A large number of foreigners left for Japan, after very good contracts.
There are also “two-way” contracts, paid more than ever. A lot of players decided to stay in America and earn about the same money as in Europe. With them being at home, with the opportunity to take a lot more money, if they just show up to one or two NBA games that year from the G League, which is very likely, because of the injuries and the number of games they play.”
The coach reflected on what his team expects in the upcoming period.
“We start preparations on August 14. In the beginning, we will be in Istanbul, and then we will go to Antalya for two tournaments and one final of the VTB League in Moscow. Since the team started from scratch, the plan is to start earlier than other teams, and the Eurocup also starts a week earlier.
One of the better things about this summer’s signings is fitness coach Marko Sekulic. He worked in the national team, was the coach of Mega and now he will be in the coaching staff of Besiktas”, Dusan Alimpijevic concluded the interview for Basketball Sphere.