Oren Amiel won the title of coach of the season in the Champions League, but offers from Israel do not come: "I was never approached, want to advance to a bigger league in Europe" • And also: the Israeli-Czech connection ("Nano can run here for president") • Special interview from Athens
Amiel (left) with Papatauduro, AEK Athens coach
Photography:
Basketball Champions League
In the first half of the 2019/20 season, Oren Amiel's Nymburk was a hit of the Champions League.
It had the best balance, presented the strongest defense and was considered one of the candidates to win the tournament, along with Hapoel Jerusalem of course.
Then came the corona.
The budget went down, the stars (including Zack Hankins who came to Maccabi Rishon LeZion) left, some senior players who formed the team's skeleton in recent years moved to other teams and even the Israeli coach himself was not sure he would stay. At the end he signed for another season. In a different situation from the situation it was in March.
At BCL, they did not forget Amiel's good start and chose him as the factory's coach of the season.
"This award is a stamp that what you do is worth the investment. You see that people appreciate your work," he told Israel Today in a special interview from Athens after the win and just before tonight's game (Thursday, 18:30) against A.A.K. Strong Athens, "We are competitive people who want to be the best at what we do and this title shows that outsiders also know how to appreciate. Without the excellent staff, players, excellent organization and support from the family you do not reach such achievements."
On the tournament itself, Amiel adds: "For the first time there is such an event in the Champions League and not in happy circumstances. It's a different situation, because you have to reach a peak at the beginning of a season and it's pretty weird, but it gives everyone a chance to feel they can compete. Not yet at its peak. "
On paper AAK are preferred with players like Tyrese Rice, Keith Langford and others.
"They have players with many years of experience and degrees and ability, but I think our advantage is that we are fresher with young legs. We will try to dictate our pace and whoever manages to dictate the pace will put himself in a good position to win. With all their advantages, we feel it Not something that is impossible. "
In retrospect, do you feel a miss that last season ended in the middle?
Because you were in the middle of a great season.
"The feelings I had last season really did not have me since I was dealing with training, but it's over and now we are dealing with the current situation. The question is what would have happened if it did not concern me because it is irrelevant, because if we were dealing with it I could not move forward. Jerusalem may feel missed, but it is best to keep trying to get the most out of what is happening. "
Amiel (48) starts a tenth season at the Czech club (with a one-year break), some as an assistant coach and some as head coach, and he continues a dynasty started in 2006 by Molly Katzourin and then Nano Ginzburg who currently coaches the local team.
In fact, for the past 13 of the last 15 years, we have coached Israeli coaches in Nymburk.
"Nano can run here for president and he has a good chance to take," he laughs, "and now seriously, it's really evolution. Molly came here with nano and they changed basketball here completely in culture, coaching theory and everything. I think there is a merger of a modest club here. , But with very high standards of operation and together with coming out of our box as Israeli coaches and our ability to get the most out of the existing, leads to this connection. The combination of our cunning and sophistication as Israelis with the Czech organization and thorough work bring results. "Molly and Nano, Nymburk looks the white of the eyes in every factory in which she participates - VTB, Eurocup and the Champions League."
When Amiel intends to get out of the box, he is mainly talking about two main things - good scouting and a method of play that will get the most out of the players' material.
Over the years quite a few players who came in with small money (salaries ranging from $ 50,000 to $ 80,000) have progressed from Nymburk to handsome contracts in the Eurocup, Euroleague and even the NBA like Chason Randall, Howard St.-Ross and others.
"First of all, whoever says that everything is just a job of scouting - and obviously we do the maximum we can - is inaccurate, there is also a lot of luck here. When you search for such sums you need luck to be by your side. Beyond that, when we look for players, we look "Those that will suit our style of play, for example freedom of action for creative guards. If it is caught, they fly up and our style compliments and highlights them."
Apart from exercises or offensive and defensive methods, Amiel also means a high and intense pace of play throughout the 40 minutes.
This does not happen every season, but if we look at last season, for example, Nymburk played at a high pace on both sides of the field and for that purpose was assisted by a very wide rotation.
Only two players crossed the 25-minute mark in the Champions League on average.
For comparison, Hapoel Jerusalem had six such.
"We try to play at a fast pace and with high intensity so it is impossible to get players to play 30 minutes," he explains, "but it has to be said that it is not always like that. You have to adapt to the staff and there were years we played differently and with shorter rotations, for example this year. We've lost quality because of senior local players and we still do not know what it will look like, because we are in a kind of pre-season. In general, the goal is to play at a high pace all the time on both sides of the field and exhaust the opponent, and we also try to make everyone feel belonging. "The formulas and the matchups for everyone. One of our great successes last season was that even players who played only seven minutes felt that they were part of the success and without them the team would not win, and that created something very strong and powerful."
We will end with a question that has been asked many times.
When will we see you return to Israel and receive a group here?
"First of all, no one ever offered me, so I was not even put in this dilemma" (laughs, YM).
Why really?
"I've never messed with it. There are a lot of great coaches in the country and there are not a lot of teams, and I also never submitted my name in the market. And really, I do not even want to think about it right now. I'm good here, and the family is good here, sometimes I feel like my wife "I want to stay in Europe as much as possible and I wish I could advance from here to the bigger leagues. I'm living the moment right now."