Bnei Herzliya will go up tonight (Wednesday) for an important meeting against Ritas Vilnius as part of the group stage in the FIBA Champions League. On the bench of the Lithuanian team will wait for the cup holder where a familiar ringing bell for basketball fans in Israel - Georgios Dadas, the brother of former Hapoel Holon coach Stephanos.
The former Greek player and brother of the colorful coach has been serving as an assistant coach in the Lithuanian luxury team in recent years.
In a special and exclusive interview with "Israel Today" Dedas talks about the relationship with his brother, the stories he heard from him about Israel, the love for the Holon fans and also the desire to serve himself as a head coach in the future.
You are meeting Bnei Herzliya for an important home game for you. How do you see the balance of power?
"Considering the situation in the home standings, this is a very important game for both teams. We expect a tough challenge against an experienced team with impressive continuity in the squad. If we win at home it will be an important achievement for us."
Herzliya comes after a significant league victory in Israel over Maccabi Tel Aviv, does this affect your preparations?
"A victory like this against a Euroleague team at home undoubtedly adds to the confidence and morale of a team. They also beat Hapoel Holon and Hapoel Jerusalem, they are a great team and we expect them to come to the game with energy and confidence."
Your brother Stefanos successfully coached Hapoel Holon in Israel and led them to great seasons. What did he tell you about Israeli basketball and Israel?
"I heard that Holon is a very homely team with very warm fans. I heard that they are amazing and my brother has a lot of fun there. Israel reminds me a lot of Greece, I have many friends there and it is a very special country."
Your brother stood out here as a special personality. Tell us something we don't know about.
"He hates losing, that's why he reacts the way he does sometimes. He sacrifices and works very hard for the success of his team."
He always talks about his dream of becoming a Euroleague coach. Do you think it will happen?
"Of course, why not. He is an assistant coach at Fenerbahçe and is in the closest circle of the Euroleague, there is no reason not to."
There were a lot of people who liked him but also some who didn't connect with his colorful style. What do you think about this?
"If you check, you'll see that all his players and staff members who worked with him on a daily basis loved him very much and that says it all."
Today you coach Marcus Foster who also played in Holon at Britas. He was marked as a player who would reach the highest levels, and he even played for a short time at Panathinaikos. What do you think has stopped him, and can he get back to the top?
"Stefanos trained him in Holon of course and he strongly recommended us to sign him. He is a very talented player, he has the package in terms of a basket of abilities and he can undoubtedly return to the top of basketball in Europe."
Finally, will we see you coaching in Israel one day?
"Never say never, time will tell. Maybe I'll even train with my brother there, everything is possible in this field."
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