Sport Express correspondent has had an interview with the new Saint Petersburg Spartak main coach – 42 year old Serbian specialist who took over the post of Yevgeny Pashutin, now the coach of CSKA.

Primarily Spartak staked on American coaches. However Tim Floyd and Eric Musselman who used to work in the NBA (the former head coaches of the Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings respectively) refused the offer to coach the “red and whites”. Though it is quite probable that Saint Petersburg club will only benefit from that as Trifunovich despite being quite young for a coach has already made a name for himself, for instance, in the Lietuvos Rytas, a Vilnius club that successfully participated in the Euroleague under his guidance.

Trifunovich has already visited Saint Petersburg and soon returned home to Serbia. That’s where the Sport Express correspondent called him.  

- Please tell us about your first impression of Spartak and of talking to the club’s board.

- The impression was good. It almost coincided with what I had expected. I met some people I’m going to work with. We discussed different issues: training camps schedule, candidatures of the players who could strengthen the team. For me Spartak is a good chance to approve myself. I realize that my main task is to bring the team back to the level corresponding to its rich history and the glorious name of the city we represent.

- You have already been in Saint Petersburg…

- Yes. But I cannot tell you when exactly it was. I just don’t remember. If I’m not mistaken we played a game of the Korac Cup here. Then I remembered just two things: winter and cold. But actually Saint Petersburg is a wonderful city. All my friends agree with this. Well, this is another advantage for me and my family, though when I accepted Spartak’s offer I first and foremost thought of basketball.

- What did you know about the Russian Championship and Spartak before signing the contract? Whom did you consult?

- In Serbia there are many people who used work in Russia and who are linked to it in one way or another. The first contact I had about my likely heading Spartak was last summer. But then we did not discuss it in details, it was just showing interest. So I went to the Greek Panionios. But still there were lots of talks about the Russian League. Yet I knew what was happening in your championship and particularly to Spartak. I’m a person who is primarily guided by his own opinion rather than by the others’ advice. 

- Have you called Spartak’s Serbian central player Milovan Rakovich?

- No, I have not. I have not yet talked to the players who are currently on leave. But time for communication will come when we gather in Saint Petersburg and start training. That’s when we will discuss everything: what I’m expecting from each of the basketball players, how I assess their previous performance and what I’m going to achieve in the future.

- The first Spartak’s newcomer is an American playmaker Levance Fields. Did the club consult you about his candidature? 

- The contract with Fields was signed before they started talks with me. But the club management had gathered good information about this player and I myself have seen five or six his games last season. There is only one question concerning Fields – his adaptation. He is to move from one continent to another, from American basketball to European one. And from my experience as a coach I know that the player’s reaction in such a situation can be different.

- How long can this adaptation take?

- We will have two months before the season starts. I think we shall have enough time. Fields is going to understand that basketball is not a solely American game. Europe can also play it on a very high level.

- Fields played in the NBA summer league in the same team with Rakovich…

- Yes, I know. But he only played there a couple of games, though I don’t why they were so few; while Rakovich has been playing in the summer league for the second year in a row. And it is very good in terms of preparation for the Russian season.

- You’ve said that there will be at least two more newcomers in Spartak.

- Yes. There will be "Big" and universal "combo guard".

- Will the central player be an American college graduate or should he have an experience of playing in Europe?

- We have different variants. I will not give you the names yet. As soon as we make a decision you will know about it. Central player is a priority for Spartak. Then we will think of the guard. Financial situation on the European market is changing. Clubs do not have such great sums of money as they used to several years ago. We will try to choose the best of the available variants. 

- Will the newcomers appear before the team’s leaving to the first training camp in Finland (August 19 – note by M.S.)?

- We are trying to make it on time. But the final decision on the newcomers’ issue will be made before the second training camp in Bormio at the beginning of September. Of course it will not be attended by Meshcheryakov playing for the Belarus national team and, as I hope it to be, Zozulin who may go to the European championship with the Russian national team. 

- The training camps schedule was also made up before your coming to Spartak. Are you satisfied with the places and time table of training sessions?

- I’m quite satisfied. Spartak is a club of high level. It has the opportunity to travel a lot and solve all the related problems. Take, for example, Bormio – it is an ideal place for a training camp. In September a lot of teams are training there so there are plenty of opportunities to conduct control games.

- You have already met Spartak’s president  Aleksandr Krasnenkov. Do you know what will be the team’s goals in the forthcoming season?

- We’ve discussed it. For me as a coach the goals should always be high irrespective of what the exact goals set by the club’s board are.  On the other hand I’m not an admirer of long-term plans. I like working day by day and progressing gradually. In the Russian championship we will try to retain the positions won by Spartak during the previous season (4th place – note by M.S.) while in the European cup we will try to reach as high positions as possible.

Maxim Sharif’yanov




Press