Budenholzer (48) who won the 2015 NBA Coach of The Year award, has worked as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs for 19 years under the legendary Greg Popovic
Mike told Maccabi’s official website:
“Israel is great, this is my first time here, I’m excited to see Neven,
How was it working with the Maestro Greg Popovic?
I was incredibly fortunate enough to work with Coach Pop for 19 years in San Antonio with a great staff and great players. I’ve learned so much from him, and when it comes down to coaching he’s the best, I just tried to learn as much as I could.”
How did you feel when Coach Spahija told you about his offer from Maccabi?
It was very hard to lose coach Neven, but I respect Maccabi and the tradition of the club, and also the fact Neven has coached here previously. I’ve been to exciting final fours with Maccabi and with its great fans. It’s a great opportunity for him, we’ll miss him in Atlanta but we’re excited for him to be here with Maccabi.
What can you tell us about working with Coach Spahija:
He’s such a knowledgeable basketball person, he knows so much about the game but I think he knows even more about people, he was invaluable to me making it through the seasons, he knows people, he knows players and coaches he’s experience is very unique and very special.
Have you been following Denis Schroder in the EuroBasket?
I’ve been following him very closely, Hermany have started with two wins, he’s playing well and we hope that we will see him tonight against the Israeli national team and hopefully they’ll qualify, he’s a great young player and I’m very excited about his future.
What are we expecting to see from Atlanta next season?
We’re excited about our future, we’ve made some changes and we are going to be a bit younger, but a lot of our core principles and things that we believe in will be a big part of what we do and we willcontinue continue to grow and improve with a new group this year
