Avtodor is the main Sensation of the 2021/22 season! The Saratov team is on the 2nd place in the VTB League standings with 8 wins in 10 games, having passed ahead only UNICS.
In an interview with Above The Rim, head coach Emil Rajkovikj talks about team chemistry and goals for the season, explains the basics of selection and shares his opinion on social networks.
– There is definitely something special about you: by the New Year, Avtodor was the sole leader of the standings. Maybe there is some special system or some secret?
– Yes, maybe there is something special about me (laughs). In fact, everything is in the players and only in them. Managers and coaches have invited the right players. First of all, they are good and right people and very talented players. The coach only manages them. There was a great chemistry in the team. We are winning, confidence is growing, and we are getting better and better. I hope we haven’t shown the maximum yet.
– You mentioned a good players’ selection. But you have a few Americans who have a hard time adapting to Europeran basketball. But your American players did not have any problems.
– These are experienced players who have been playing in Europe for a long time. Only DJ Funderburk had no experience of playing here – he is new to pro basketball, before that he played only in college. But his success is the result of proper breeding work. This is the main reason for our game. Basketball is a science, everything is complicated. But it will be quite boring and long to describe everything in detail.
– You said that there are many aspects to the selection of players. Tell us, what is the main thing for you?
– Beauty – appearance is very important, they have to look good to win (laughs). In fact, the main thing is character. Whether they are winners in spirit, how they treat the competition, whether they can be relied on. Our team consists of serious guys, they all contribute to the team chemistry.
– Can you compare the work in Astana and Avtodor? What is the main difference?
– There was a special situation in Astana. Valery Tikhonenko helped me a lot. I worked there for 3 years, was the Kazakhstan National team Head Coach, so the main focus was on Kazakh players development. We also had foreigners who led the team in the VTB League. At Avtodor, Vladimir Rodionov set the task to achieve results. In previous years, the team could not find its game and reach the playoffs. Rodionov gave me a chance to achieve results, gave me the opportunity to do so with an increased budget and better players. And this challenge was very interesting to me. Before the season, everyone told me that it was a risky job, that I shouldn’t take it on.
– The main requirement is dedication. How to achieve it? Maybe you have unusual techniques for motivation?
– Of course, there are many different methods. You need to know your players well. Know what triggers them, what needs to be said and what words to choose. Sometimes you need to shout and swear, and sometimes you need to find words that will reach the depths of player’s heart. Each personality needs its own approach.
– Have you studied this?
– I think it’s a natural skill. Someone has a disposition to learning languages, someone has developed emotional intelligence, like me. And, of course, experience helps a lot.
– Is there something that Coach Rajkovikj will never be able to forgive?
– The team sticks to certain rules. We count on the players’ awareness, and even if someone gets out of the system, we direct him to the right path. It may even be some nonsense: someone forgot a T-shirt – we will tell him so that he does not forget to take pizza with him for the next workout. These are the little things. More experienced players – Kolesnikov, Sakic, Sergeev – have already been through this, they know how to create chemistry in the team and help a lot.
– Does your team have a penalty system?
– There is a system of disciplinary penalties, but I try not to take money from my players. In my 15-16 years of coaching career, I very rarely had to fine someone.
– Tell us, how do you spend your free time? What hobbies do you have outside of work?
– After the win, we like to go to a restaurant, calm down, get our nerves in normal conditions. Drink a couple of glasses of red wine, speak with each other, tell each other how much happiness and joy the losses of our rivals bring us. I’m kidding. But in fact, the joy for me lies in such things as, for example, my daughter Anna – she is 16 and today she got on skis for the first time. I found her an instructor, and she sends me photos and videos of how she rides. How my daughters grow and develop – that’s what brings me joy and pleasure.
– It’s very cute, but…
– And I almost forgot about my dog, the Maltese lapdog. It’s a small breed, but I love him like a son.
– What about other sports? On Instagram, you are subscribed to Barys, for example.
– In general, as a child I played tennis, football – everything related to the ball. Of course, while I was living in Kazakhstan, I was rooting for Barys – it’s a great team. It was interesting for me to go to the games, because we don’t have hockey in Macedonia. I used to follow the Champions League closely, but now I don’t even know the names of the new players. I’ve dropped out of this race a bit, I need to update my knowledge.
– So you haven’t gone to ice hockey in Saratov yet?
– If I stay in Saratov long enough, I will definitely go (laughs)!
– You are quite an emotional coach, you move a lot during the game. Were there any incidents related to this?
– I coached in Poland for 3-4 years, and when the games were very intense, I took off my jacket, threw it somewhere and continued without it. If we lost, I threw the jacket, and immediately after that we started to catch up with the opponent and win the game. Journalists were constantly asking me: “Is this some kind of magic? You take off your jacket and the game turns over.” In fact, I was just very hot – but it really worked.
– What about Instagram? You are quite an active user!
– Honestly? I don’t know how to use it, I don’t even know how and what’s there. My daughters are much better at Instagram. I’ve more or less mastered Facebook, but I’m just figuring it out.
– Do you think social networks interfere with the training process and preparation for the games?
– If you had asked me this question 10 years ago, I would have said that an athlete should not have a phone in the locker room, on the bus. At one time, I smashed players’ phones in the locker room, but that was a long time ago. Times are changing now.
– How should the season end in order for you to recognize it as a success for yourself?
– A wise question. The season will be successful if we reach the playoffs. But it will be amazing if we are in the Top-4. And if we are in the Top-4– I want a medal at least! I will not say that this is a goal that someone has set for us. But this is the goal we should strive for.
– What is your personal goal in basketball?
– To reach the Euroleague as a head coach and play a significant role there for many years. And on this path, of course, I want to win. Because wins are my food.
