Azerbaijani specialist who won the English Cup: "There have been no results in the club for 11 years" - INTERVIEW

Samit Nuruzade, head coach of the English basketball club Reading Rockets, answered Report's questions. The specialist spoke about winning the national cup, his future goals, and the current state of Azerbaijani basketball. - First of all, we would like to know your thoughts on the title you have won. What are your impressions? - We are very proud to have won the national cup. There have been no results in the club for 11 years. We played two finals last year and lost in both. But this year it was possible to win. Our club has been operating for 26 years. There have been great achievements during this time. They have won championships in cups and leagues. I have worked here before, from 2010 to 2013. We also had many victories during that time. There were no results after the 2013/2014 season. We are happy to have won this title. - You returned to this team again in 2022. What are your goals for the future? - We are currently in second place in the local championship. Hemel Storm, which we defeated in the cup final, is the leader. We want to finish the season successfully and qualify for the play-offs. In the play-offs, we intend to qualify for the final. We are also in the final of the Federation Cup. This will be in March. We will see what happens together. - What is the level of basketball in England? Can you compare it with Azerbaijan? - There are five leagues here. Four of them are professional. It can be said that the level is high. Every year there are clubs competing in the Champions League and the Euroleague. The English national team defeated a basketball country like Greece in one of its last games. Players are part of European representatives. Currently, 2-3 players competing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) have played here before. - Do you follow Azerbaijani basketball from abroad? - Of course. I sometimes watch matches on YouTube. I am in contact with some players. We also talk to coaches. - In your opinion, what is the current level of the Azerbaijan Basketball League? - The level of basketball in the country is good. This can be said compared to the past. It is good that 4 legionnaires and one local player appear in the squad of each team. The level of Azerbaijani basketball players has also improved. - Have you received offers from local clubs? - There was something at the beginning of the season. I have a contract here. If I sign, I stand by my word. There were negotiations last September. But I said "no". - What steps should be taken to develop basketball in Azerbaijan? - They are on the right track so far. Children's basketball should be better. Basketball starts with children. I hope our national teams will play in League B. The better the level of the championship, the more development will increase. In addition, attention should be paid to the development of local coaches. It will be better for the future of our basketball if the specialists are Azerbaijani. - What are your goals as a head coach? - I want each of my players to play even better. I pay attention to the fact that defense is at the forefront in the team I play for. I tell basketball players to make sure they get a lot of offers at the end of the season. I don't want anyone to stay at the same level. If I stay here after the season, we can discuss things. - Azerbaijani national basketball players used to live as legionnaires. For example, we had players playing in neighboring Georgia. Do you think we have players who can now enter the European arena? - They prefer to play in the country because it is financially better and the level of the championship has increased. For the future, it is possible to place children, promising basketball players, in the academies of foreign clubs. Georgia, one of the countries close to us, does this. Every year, 10-15 children are placed in the academies of foreign clubs. It depends on how each federation sees development.