Oleg Okulov:
Enisey is all about the team, not individual players

Enisey Krasnoyarsk will begin this season with a new head coach. Russian veteran Oleg Okulov, most recently with Ural Ekaterinburg, plans to emphasize team basketball and bruising defense.

Okulov told VTB-League.com about how the team has changed, introduced Enisey’s newcomers, reminisced on his season in Latvia with Liepaja, disclosed his obsession with fishing and talked about how he hates to lose.

-       - Can you tell us about how you were offered the job at Enisey? Was it unexpected?
- Vladimir Vladimirovich Petrokovsky met personally with each candidate, including me. I told him about my understanding of the game and my approach to work. I’m very happy that club management decided to entrust me with the team.

- You were with Ural Ekaterinburg for several seasons. What do you remember best from that time?
- I especially remember the positive atmosphere on the team and the victories. We won the Superleague two years in a row. I think that’s a solid result. We also qualified for the EuroChallenge quarterfinals and the Russian Cup Final Four.

- You will bring your own approach to the game to Enisey. What should we expect from the team this season?
- It’s impossible for me to answer that question right now. All of the players were selected with my philosophy in mind, but we haven’t had an opportunity or time to evaluate how well they execute the elements that we saw earlier on tape. Basketball is continually evolving. It’s a quick, athletic game and I don’t want to fall behind on the latest ideas.

- What goals did you have in free agency? Did you manage to address the team’s biggest weaknesses?
- Not everything goes as planned due to financial limitations and the fact that players generally want to play for clubs closer to Europe. They want to spend less time in planes and more time with their families. But, overall, I’m happy with the work we did in free agency.

- The team got a terrific center – Germany’s Tim Olbrecht. Does that mean that Krasnoyarsk will emphasize halfcourt offense?
- Olbrecht spent a lot of time in America, where he won the D-League. He’s pretty mobile, but I’d like us to play as a team and not rely on one player.

- Two other foreign players—D.J. Kennedy and Tony Taylor—are familiar with the VTB United League, having played for Krasny Oktyabr and Turow, respectively. What are these two Americans’ strengths?
- Taylor is a talented point guard who knows how to play defense and does it quite well. He doesn’t hide from the work. He can also create effective offense for his teammates and for himself. D.J. Kennedy is basically a really tall small forward at 198 cm. He’s very aggressive, can be a leader and create his offense. He’s also good at beating defenders one-on-one.

- American Delroy James was Enisey’s last signing. How do you plan to use him?
- James is a power forward, but his athleticism and size make him very versatile. I’m confident he will bring a lot to the team thanks to that attribute.

- Did the team plan to resign two leaders from last season, D.J. Cooper and Elmedin Kikanovic?
- I really respect both players. In my opinion, if Kikanovic had wanted to stay, he would have, but he had offers and chose a different club. As for Cooper, we were interested in him for a long time, but after a successful season he couldn’t make his mind up about where he wanted to play and, most importantly, for how much money. As a result, while he was deciding, we took players that we saw as alternatives.

- Enisey has always been known for having a lot of Russian players. What will newcomers Vzdykhalkin, Spiridonov and Pichkurov bring?
- None of these players were selected at random. I know how I want to use them. Now I want each of them to understand what they need to do in this or that situation. Each has his own role and needs to provide a benefit to the team.

- You’ve had experience in Latvia with Liepaja. There’s a lot of talk about the increase in popularity of basketball there. When do you think VEF will start to face competition within its domestic league?
- Latvia is taking a different path. The growth in basketball’s popularity and talent can be directly tied to the development of youth basketball and development of its own players. In order for every team in the country to meet high standards you need big money, something which Latvia will likely never have. But the basketball isn’t any less popular because of it. Both the youth and juniors are playing at a high level.

- Enisey is in the midst of an important stretch of the preseason. What are you emphasizing most of all?
- We are analyzing last season. For now, I can tell the fans that we will focus primarily on defense. As a rule, my team has several different defensive schemes. I’m quite forceful in demanding they are all used. It doesn’t always work—anyone can make a mistake, but we are working on that quite a bit.

- Coaching is a stressful and mostly thankless job. How do you deal with criticism?
- “Losing has no friends.” I will always remember that. Over the years, I’ve started to filter out the criticism. There are people who want to help and say the right thing, based on their understanding of how a basketball club should develop, sign former players and put together one item of …

But such criticism is well received and you may even find yourself agreeing at times.

- How do you have to keep yourself in check emotionally during a game? Former Enisey head coach Stefan Karadzic often received technical fouls.  
- Once, someone asked me why I looked upset after a loss. I answered, “Have you seen any happy coaches after a loss?” How would you react and what would you say about me if I was messing around after the loss?

On a more serious note, I very rarely get technical fouls. For example, I didn’t have a single one during my season in Latvia. I’m emotional, like most coaches, but I try to respect myself and the other participants. I understand that the officials’ decisions are rarely overturned. Referees are also participants in the game and also make mistakes, like players and coaches. Whose mistakes had a bigger impact on the result is easier to know the following day when analyzing the game and watching video. But it’s normal that we get emotional during and after games and don’t always want to be happy, upbeat and nice. Basketball is our life. Do you always smile and act polite when you are in a bad mood? Of course, being able to mask negative emotions is a good quality. Everyone needs to learn to be respectful to those around them. That’s my opinion.

- Do you have any hobbies besides basketball? What does Oleg Okulov do on his day off?
- Basketball has a big place in my life, so there isn’t always time for hobbies. It’s no secret to anyone that I like to cook and when I cook during my days off, I’m able to get away from my work. But I see that are almost no free days on the calendar this season. If I tell you that I love fishing, it means that I love fishing once a year, but I am totally crazy about it (smiles).