Josep Maria Izquierdo, in an interview for Basketball Sphere, analyzed Partizan’s performance in the EuroLeague so far.
An Italian proverb goes, “If they are roses, they will bloom…” and it really seems like this is the situation with Partizan this season. Few could have expected a successful season when the Belgrade team had a 2-8 record in the EuroLeague, but coach Zeljko Obradovic‘s team “kept its head up” when things were toughest, continued to work, and step by step entered the race for the EuroLeague play-in/play-off.
After Round 27 of the EuroLeague, Partizan is in a great position to secure a spot leading to the play-off. The Belgrade team is currently eighth in the standings with a record of 15 wins and 12 losses.
Partizan is on the right track
Despite Partizan’s impressive performances, Josep claims that a coach can never be fully satisfied and that there is always room for further improvement.
“The coach can never be completely satisfied with the team’s performance. There are always things that can be improved. I think we’re on the right track, but there’s still room for progress,” says Josep Maria Izquierdo at the beginning of his interview for Basketball Sphere.
In the first part of the season, Partizan did lose quite a few games in dramatic finishes, as well as some games in Belgrade where they were considered the clear favorites. There’s no doubt that a win or two more would drastically change the standings for Partizan, but Izquierdo emphasizes that nothing can be gained by looking back.
“The results are what they are. Every EuroLeague coach would tell you how their team could have a few more wins. John Wooden often said that yesterday is the past, tomorrow is yet to come, so we only have today. So, let’s get started.”
Time will show the potential
Last summer, Partizan decided to take a big risk and change the entire roster ahead of the new season. Things on the court didn’t immediately “click,” but as time went on, Partizan played better and started recording strong results in both the ABA League and EuroLeague.
“It’s not easy to carry out such a process. Day by day, you face challenges. Big teams and brands, in general, always need that time period for things to align, grow, and maintain their consistency.
We are still in the process of building team chemistry. I believe we have more potential. We’re on the right track, but we have to prove it.”
Support from the president and additional motivation
In previous seasons, the team leader was Kevin Punter, but the situation at the Belgrade club is somewhat different today. Simply put, there is no longer just one superstar around whom the play revolves; instead, there are several players of similar quality who consistently deliver good performances.
Fans often highlight the similarities in terms of impact on the game between Carlik Jones and Dante Exum, and Punter and Sterling Brown, but Josep Maria says that the central figure in all of this is Zeljko Obradovic.
“The leader of this team is Zeljko Obradovic, and there’s no doubt about that. There are some similarities with certain players from the 2022/2023 season, but in my opinion, we now have a better roster. The biggest strength of this team is that every player understands that the team is more important than the individual.”
How did the team bounce back after only two wins in the first 10 EuroLeague games? What was the key factor?
“It wasn’t just one factor, there were several. When we were at a 2-8 record, we held a tough meeting, looked each other in the eye, and said what needed to be said. I remember that after a tough home loss, president Ostoja Mijailovic entered the locker room and gave us words of support. The team really appreciated that.
Also, some people from the outside gave us extra motivation. They said we would only play honorably for the rest of the season because we couldn’t achieve our goals anymore. That motivated us even more. The most important thing is that the players started understanding their roles, teammates, the system, the coaches, and each other…”
Goals for the rest of the season
The Spanish coach emphasizes that the team can only achieve its goals by following a “game by game, day by day” approach.
“We have to go game by game and day by day. If you think about winning the EuroLeague and making it to the Final Four, you will lose the next game. The focus must always be on the next game 100%. The focus must be on the next opponent.
Our goal is to win every game, but we cannot think beyond the first upcoming opponent. We cannot focus on Barcelona if the next game is against Olympiacos. I repeat, game by game, day by day,” concluded Josep Maria Izquierdo.
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