Besiktas player Marko Simonovic spoke to Basketball Sphere about how the move to the Turkish club came about, about the great win against Gran Canaria, and he also reflected on the key change in the game, which contributed to his rise in form. He also touched on his relationship with Dusan Alimpijevic and Dusko Ivanovic, while one of the topics was the start of the season in the Crvena Zvezda.
Nikola Vucevic, Bojan Dubljevic, Zoran Nikolic, back in the days Nikola Pekovic… In the NBA, EuroLeague or ABA League, Montenegro has always had a dominant frontcourt. Undoubtedly, there is something special about this type of player in that state, as evidenced by the example of Marko Simonovic, who should become the leader of the Montenegrin national team in the next few years.
Developing with some of the aforementioned teammates, and mostly with Vucevic, with whom he shared the court in the Chicago Bulls, Simonovic gained a good basis for further progress. The past period also proved that it will not be linear. He signed for Crvena Zvezda after the period with the Chicago Bulls, and then he changed teams again and has been on loan at Dusan Alimpijevic’s Besiktas since January.
Montenegro and the potential in frontcourt – there is something special about it
The former player of, among others, Mega, Olimpia and Montepaschi Siena was one of the most responsible for the fact that the team from Istanbul reached the quarter-finals of the EuroCup. Simonovic recorded 10 points, nine rebounds and three steals in the 80:78 away win over Gran Canaria. He probably scored the key points from offensive rebound, when he brought his team plus five in the very end, after which the rival could not come back.
In this way, he confirmed that his form is on the rise, after the inevitable period of adaptation in Turkey, which he talked about at the beginning of the conversation with Basketball Sphere.
“Since the change of coach happened at Crvena Zvezda, I had an injury and after that, I didn’t get too many chances. I needed something new and in agreement with the club, with whom I have a contract until the end of next season, I went on loan. It happened primarily because Dusan contacted me, after which I liked the option of going to Besiktas.
When that happened, it took me a while to adjust. I was looking for the first few games, after which it got better and better. Now I got into a good rhythm and gained confidence. At the moment, everything is going as it should and I am happy that we are playing well and that we beat Gran Canaria in the round of 16″, said Simonović.
Simonovic about the key change in the game
One of the main reasons for the good games lies in the fact that the Montenegrin player in Besiktas is again playing center, which was not the case at the beginning of the season in Crvena Zvezda.
“When I came to Besiktas, they already had a power forward, Leyton Hammonds, who later went to Dijon. I started playing in that position at the beginning, when I was still finding myself, and then the coach started using me as a center. From that moment on, everything got better, although at the moment I occasionally cover the power forward as well.”
Simonović already had a similar experience during his stay in the USA, which contributed to better adapting to the new system. He pointed out that at the same time his intention is to be more diverse and to try to improve some other segments in the game.
“I feel good, because in the G League for the two years I spent with the Chicago Bulls, I played on the center all the time, while in the national team I played on the ‘four’. Neither one nor the other option is unknown to me, but maybe I do better as a center. I’m trying to improve defensively, especially in the position of power forward, considering that the defense in that case is focused on switch, a lot of hedge and the game on that side of the court is very demanding and more aggressive when you play for Dusan. He has such a system, so it took me a while at the beginning to get in shape. Now I’m in a good rhythm, in which I want to continue the season.”
About coach Alimpijevic
The defensive postulates of coach Alimpijevic are one of the greatest qualities of Besiktas, as the relatively new player of the team from Istanbul made sure of. The black and whites demonstrated that potential in the first part of the season, when they reduced Paris to only 63 points and then won. It is impossible to remember that one team disrupted the current biggest offensive force of the EuroCup and the main favorite to win the competition in such a way. That’s why Besiktas’ quality game against Gran Canaria is not surprising.
“Dusan is demanding, he takes care of defensive things, especially pick and roll defense. We really work on that in practice, he is always there to correct mistakes, unlike some more experienced coaches, who just say what defense they want. He tries to explain what his intention is every time, even several times, because some principles are not at all simple. He is fully committed to helping all the players with the coaching staff and making everyone progress.”
“It was not easy against Gran Canaria”
There were certain oscillations, which are a thing of the past.
“Defensively, we had a little ups and downs in the last three games, when it comes to the EuroCup, but this last game against Gran Canaria was at the top level and we showed that we play physically, that we have a good defense, which was not easy to show at all against them. We all know what they are like offensively, they work as a team and we have prepared a lot for them. It wasn’t easy at all, but we won after a great game in both directions.”
It was an excellent introduction to the question regarding the relationship with coach Alimpijevic, who is known as someone who can surprise from the role of an outsider in the elimination phase. He gained such a reputation in Bursa, which he confirmed once again.
“Since I arrived, we have had an excellent relationship. I would like it to continue until the end of the season. Is he a better motivator or strategist? He is a good motivator, but he knows basketball very well, takes care of every detail, is extremely dedicated both on and off the court. You can see that he lives basketball, that means a lot to us, which is also reflected in our results,” said Simonovic, who averages 7.3 points in the Besiktas jersey, along with 4.3 rebounds in the EuroCup, while in the Turkish Super League the numbers are better – 9.5 points, with four rebounds per game.
,,Crvena Zvezda? Not everything went as I wanted”
What is very important for every player, regardless of whether he is young or experienced, are the minutes on the court, which is one of the main reasons why there was a change of environment after a few months.
“I joined Crvena Zvezda’s preparations a little bit later, after the FIBA World Cup, right before the start of the season, so there wasn’t much time for practice, but I have the impression that I fit in well with coach Dusko Ivanovic’s system. Everything went quite well. After four games in the EuroLeague, there was a change on the bench, I injured my wrist and was out of action for two weeks. When I came back, I didn’t get too many minutes and I struggled through some games in the ABA League. In the end, everything didn’t go the way I wanted, which was followed by the call from Besiktas.”
In the red and white jersey, Simonovic had the opportunity to play in the EuroLeague for the first time and to familiarize himself with all the requirements that this competition entails. Starting from the philosophy of the game, the level of physical contact, to the pressure, which is inevitable when wearing the Crvena Zvezda jersey.
“Every player says that it is not easy to play for either Crvena Zvezda or Partizan. Then everything has a special weight, since a large number of fans stand behind those clubs. The crowd comes, they keep cheering us on and in the end it feels a little more pressure, if we don’t play well, because when the fans are there, we have to give our maximum.
We didn’t get off to a good start, which continued in the EuroLeague. The goal that was set has not been achieved now. On the other hand, the ABA League was important from the first moment, which was said on the first day. Everything is going well there. There were defeats, but Crvena Zvezda is the leader in the standings and the impression is that they will remain so until the start of the playoffs.”
“Ivanovic immediately threw me ‘into the fire'”
At the beginning of that period, Simonovic collaborated with Ivanovic. The Montenegrin strategist is considered one of the most challenging coaches to play for, due to the special warrior mentality he tries to convey to the players, according to which he is specific.
“I didn’t know him before personally, but he immediately told me what he wanted and how he wanted it, that he was looking for energy and everything else from me, like all the players. He immediately threw me ‘into the fire’. Some things were strange to me at the beginning because I had just arrived, but in a short time, I got used to his system. It started as it should, especially that first game in the EuroLeague, I played well, after which I also played several notable games in the ABA League. Then there was a change of coach and everything went in a different direction”, said Simonovic.
The Montenegrin national team player is now focused on Besiktas and the next quarter-final match in the EuroCup against Hapoel Tel Aviv (Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.). The Turkish team is expecting another difficult away game, this time on a neutral ground in Lithuania, which will be filled with Israeli fans, according to the latest information. Besiktas was unlucky against the same team this season, as they were defeated in both matches. However, buoyed by their confidence after the win over Gran Canaria, the blacks and whites have plenty to hope for in Vilnius.
“It won’t be easy, especially because of those defeats in Belgrade and Ljubljana. They are a very high-quality team, with extremely high-quality players, which they have proven in the previous part of the EuroCup. It will be a big challenge, they will have a lot of support from the fans, even though they are not playing in Israel. On the other hand, it’s one game, just like Gran Canaria was. We will prepare in the best way, do our best, so let the better one win”, 24-year-old Marko Simonovic concluded the interview for Basketball Sphere.
