In the offseason, Lokomotiv-Kuban appointed a new head coach, Luca Banchi from Italy. In almost month and a half, Krasnodar proved to be an emotional team whith tough mentality and potential. Preceding faceoff against CSKA, Luca Banchi tells how to build playing schemes in Loko, recalls Milan, Italian national team and reveals the secret of Italian cuisine.
– At the last game of VTB League Loko came back from -18 against Zenit in Saint Petersburg which is the biggest comeback this season. What did you change in the game to do this?
– Well, nothing special. We just found better coordination on the court, never stopped believing we can catch them, no matter the margin. After the break, we found our rhythm, adjusted defense and offense, and made the opponents play our game.
– In the summer you started building the team almost from scratch. What’s the most important?
– And we’re still building. I think the most important is to set the priorities and find a role for each player.
– Who’s Loko’s leader in terms of playing skills?
– We have guys who contribute a lot, work hard in offense and defense, but I don’t want to mention special names. The crucial thing is that all our players have them as role models.
– Sam Dekker hasn’t hit 20 points in Loko. Is it hard to adapt to European basketball, or is his role different?
– Points scored is not the top priority. Sam is a great player with great skills, and he makes a difference with his performance. His role is much bigger, it is beyond simply scoring points.
– What’s the prospect for the young guys? Motovilov, Gerasimov, Platonov, Martyuk. Does the club have a general plan to introduce them gradually into the main roster?
– All these guys have different backgrounds, ability to read the game, and skills. I hope they can fit into the program to the maximum extent sooner or later.
– You are a rare coach without professional playing background. Is it a pro or a con?
– Well, I actually played for my hometown Grosseto in Italian Serie C2, and I wasn’t bad. When I was 23, I decided to finish my career as a player, even though I wasn’t worse than Michael Jackson…(laughing)
Every coach has his own path to the professional level. I quit playing quite early and people around me told me I should become a coach. Of course, with lack of professional athletic experience, you need more time to adapt to a role of a professional coach. At the same time, I started my coaching career right after I quit playing, so my knowledge, understanding and other things helpd me a lot. And it doesn’t really matter if I played professionaly.
– In 2004 you led Italian army team and even won an international silver medal. What was it?
– Yeah, we lost one point to Russia in a world cup final! They won with a buzzer beater, even though we were closer to the gold. We were leading throughout the whole game, but made bad errors in the end and lost it. I almost forgot it, and now here’s you reminding me the thing! I’m the type who only values gold, and throws away other medals. I respect the winners and the runners-up. I still have this silver medal, but it’s only now that I recalled we lost to Russia.
– In season 2013/14 you took the second place in Euroleague vote for coach of the year. Can we say it was the top of your career?
– Oh, I remember that time. This was my first year in Milan. We won the league, were really close to Euroleague Final Four, but lost an unbelievable series to Maccabi who eventually took the title. One of the best seasons in my life, but on the other hand, one of the most frustrating. My friends still remember that year and tell me, “Luca, you were one free throw from Euroleague Final Four!”. That was a beautiful season, but that Milan was great and could achieve more.
– If you could sign an Italian national player for Loko, who would that be?
– It’s really hard to say, because only the best play for a national team. It wouldn’t be fait to make that choice. But if we are dreamers here, I recall amazing seasons with Daniel Hackett in Siena, Milan and Bamberg. We won many titles, and I’m sure that this guy fully understands and shares my vision of basketball.
– Italian restaurants are popular in Russia. Have you been to those in Krasnodar? Anything like Italy?
– I think I’ve been to all the Italian places of Krasnodar. And I’ve found a couple of great restaurants: Partizan and Bistro 11. They have the Italian chefs, and the food is amazing. The secret of Italian cuisine is best ingridients and keep it simple. And I’m lucky to live in Krasnodar, a region with fertile soil just like the Mediterranean, great vegetables and fruits. I don’t go to grocery stores, I buy food from the farmers. Delicious vegetables, and other stuff. These special ingridients make the cuisine special. Best tomatos in Russia, great olive oil, garlic, onion, basil – that’s all you need!
– Your son Alessandro Banchi plays for Lucca of Serie B. Ever wanted to be his coach?
– What about the daughter? Otherwise she’s gonna be mad at me… Anyway, I like to see Alessandro playing, but I’d never wanted to be his coach. I really miss him, and the family, unfortunately, I don’t get to spend much time with them now. I really admire those who can be both coach and father. But this is a complicated task, and I don’t want to mix it. The relationship between coaches and players always suffer mood changes, tough moments which escalate things quickly. And father-son relationship is complicated enough. I hope Alessandro can get better everyday, improve what’s under his control, respect people around him and put all the energy into the process. That’s the only way to get the result.
– Loko is facing CSKA which can be defeated this season. What’s the most important agains the reigning champions?
– Let’s be honest, teams with big changes in the offseason like CSKA and us can’t be perfect at the start of the season. It’s always difficult. You need time to build team’s relations. I think it’s a matter of time. CSKA is a team of great roster, and at a given night they can show their best game. The only thing we can do is to get on the court and a play as a team, with a maximum will for all the 40 minutes or more if needed. The Army team are the best to use their opponents’ weaknesses. But there are no secrets: you have to be prepared, give it all, and be coherent unit no matter what’s going on the court. And we’re ready.
VTB United League appreciates Lokomotiv-Kuban press office assistance in this interview
