Krunoslav Simon, a legend of Croatian basketball, spoke in an interview with “Sportske novosti” about Tomislav Mijatovic and Ergin Ataman.
The Croatian had a long-standing and quality collaboration at Anadolu Efes. Tomislav Mijatovic took over the double European champion mid-season and emphasized that without him, it would have been difficult for the club from Anatolia to enter the EuroLeague play-in.
“All of us who know Mijatovic know what kind of person he is. All players know that he always puts himself at their disposal. Shane Larkin is in his sixth season and knows him well. Will Clyburn is in his second season. Both know that Mijatovic is a great guy, and for all that, I’m additionally sorry they lost to Virtus.
Again, that’s sports. I don’t think the selection was done properly, but that doesn’t go on his conscience because he had no influence on team selection. The first thing I would say to him is, ‘If you hadn’t taken over Efes, you wouldn’t even be in the Top 14, let alone the play-in,'” said Krunoslav Simon.
Ergin Ataman – a man who knows what he’s doing
“Panathinaikos had its ups and downs. It took them time to gel, but Ataman stuck to his principles. He’s a coach who knows how to reach the Final Four, so Panathinaikos is not a surprise. The only downside is that they’re playing against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the quarterfinals, who is very good, but they should reach Berlin. Ataman knows how to do it, especially with a team like Panathinaikos,” said Krunoslav Simon.