OMM Newsroom
Sabah head coach Lazar Spasic assessed his team’s 87-80 win over Nanter 92 in the third round of Group A in the Basketball Champions League. He said it was his first coaching victory in the tournament and thanked his team, coaching staff and fans.
Spasic said the club aims to win the national championship and cup, while competing against strong opponents in the Champions League. One of its goals, he added, is to raise Sabah’s profile internationally and represent Azerbaijani basketball with distinction. The team could play five or six games in the tournament and advance to the next stage, but the coach said it was too early to make a prediction.
Team goals and roster
The head coach said local players need to earn playing time. He noted that Shirzad Shirzadov, Kamran Mammadov and Andar Poladkhanli were not yet ready to play in matches of this kind, and that the team rotates 10-11 players. Spasic said he was pleased with Orkhan Aydin, who spent a long time playing in Turkey.
Spasic said Tacuan Eijie would return to the team in November and would probably play against Trabzonspor. He also commented on the team’s 73-82 loss to Rytas and 83-100 defeat by Trabzonspor. The coach said Sabah had played well against Rytas but had not performed well against Trabzonspor. Spasic stressed that the opponents’ budgets were four to five times larger than Sabah’s, adding that the club did not demand a win in every match, while his team took to the court aiming to win each game.
