picc redit: Martin Jung

Marko Zarkovic is a Serbian coach that was hired to coach the Dragons Rhondorf in mid season. He has had experience coaching is Estonia and Latvia. He was with the Telekom Baskets Bonn organization from 2020-2024 where he was headcoach of the youth teams U-16 and U-18 and also of the Telekom baskets Bonn 2 team in the Regionalliga. He spoke to germanhoops.com after the end of the season.

The Dragons Rhondorf reached the playoffs. What is your season summary? It seemed like the Dragons had the talent to get further or not?

It was not an easy season, we had a lot of ups and downs. With some luck we have managed to get into the playoffs and that was our main goal. Maybe we could have gone further but in the last 3 games of the regular season we didn’t use our chance to get a better spot for the playoffs. In general I’m satisfied with the season because I know how many problems we had and still we managed to play some quality games.

Can one say the season was up and down? The team never had more than a 2 game winning streak. What do you believe hindered the team from winning more games?

That it something we have to analyze in the off-season. There are different reasons we couldn’t keep the good rhythm but at the end it came down to situations where we didn’t perform good under the pressure.

Defense was a problem. How did you see the development of the defense and the team overall this season? Was it able to develop further?

When I came teams have averaged 90 points against us and in the last 3 months several times we kept opponents under 80, so there was some development. On the other hand, in general we were not consistent from game to game and Defense was only part of the whole story.

How did you see the development of the young players? Was there a player that developed the best?

The young guys have shown we can count on them in the future. There is a lot of hard work in front of them but I believe in each of them. It would not be fair to mention any of the names.

Who was the most improved player on the team?

Again, I don’t like to point out any of the guys, they all have big space for improvement in the future and like that sky is the limit.

Who was the MVP of the season?

That is easy, our fans are MVP, they were amazing the whole year and they deserve a lot of credit for supporting the team with the passion.

How tough was it for you coming in in the middle of the season? How do you rate your coaching job?

It is never easy to come during the season and to establish your own ideas. I tried to keep the things that were good and change some I didn’t like but there was not time to do much. Results could have been better but I also gave my whole heart in every situation and I don’t regret taking the job so late in the season.

How did your coaching grow in the last months as a result of having this experience?

I was first time in position to take over the team during the season and I have learned how to adapt quickly and make changes on the fly. I’m better coach because of this experience.

What was your favorite game coaching as a coach?

Frankfurt game, Dragons have not won there for a very long time and we have finally managed to get that win.

What is the next step for you? Will you return to the Dragons Rhondorf or could you see a change?

I would like to stay and build a team from the beginning. We will talk more about it now when the season is finished.

6 South teams were swept by north teams. How crazy is that? Is the north really that much better?

South is much younger while north teams have bigger budgets and more experienced players, I think that is decisive factor.

Who will reach the NBA final and win it all?

I believe OKC is the best team. Maybe Boston and their culture can outperform them.

Is Nikola Jokic the unanimous NBA MVP or will Shai Gillgeous Alexander get it?

They are both great but Jokic is MVP for me. He is averaging a triple double per game and says it all.

Thanks Marco for the chat.