Dimitrios Polychroniadis is a head coach currently coaching the NBBL (U-19 team) for the Baskets Juniors Oldenburg. As a player he played for ASC Gottingen and the Osnabruck SC. He has much coaching experience helping the Osnabruck SC win the Regionalliga title and helped USC Leipzig reach the Pro B. He also coached BBC Magdeburg. He has been with the EWE Baskets organization since 2019 and spoke to germanhoops.com before the 2024 NBBL Top 4 in Berlin.
Thanks Dimitrios for talking to germanhoops.com. Congrats on reaching the JBBL/NBBL top 4 with the JBBL team. This is a massive achievement. How high can one rate this achievement?
This is a huge achievement for the organization. It is even more special that both the JBBL and NBBL teams made it. It is the first time that both teams have made it. We were honored before a BBL game against Tuebingen and got a standing ovation.
Oldenburg finished the regular season with a 11-4 record. How would you summarize the regular season? The team began slow but ended strong?
I was actually the coach of the JBBL team to begin the season, but then a change was made and I took over as NBBL coach on October 3rd. Our goal when I took over was to go game by game. The start was tough as we had 7-9 guys injured and we lost the first 2 games. But with the third game we began a winning streak. Injured guys came back and shortly before Christmas, we achieved a big win in Berlin against Alba. Something clicked with the team after that win. The team realized that there was potential. We then beat Vechta. Every new win gave us added confidence. We then won 2 playoff series against good teams Goettingen and Leverkusen. We had injuries once again in these series having 3-4 guys out. But we continued to grow together as a team.
You swept Alba Berlin. That is incredible. That is something that didn´t happen the last years. Did Alba Berlin have a weak season because they lost so many guys from last season?
I can´t comment about Alba Berlin. They still had 3 youth national players and a player that got BBL minutes. We don´t have that luxury. Even if Alba didn´t have the kind of season that they are used to, they are still Alba and a tough team to play. Winning in Berlin was a milestone. We were pretty healthy. We gained a lot of confidence. We then beat them again at home. Alba had all it´s players. We had a great second half where we were in the flow and were unstoppable. One has to understand that we don´t always play like that. There are some days in sport where this happens. If you were to compare team pics, we would be 5-8 centimeters smaller. We beat Alba Berlin because we had the right tactic and motivation.
Is it fair to say that defense is the team´s biggest strength. Is this a team that just plays with tremendous heart?
Yes we do. I got the greatest compliment from an ex Oldeburg player who said that he has never seen a team that dives on the floor as much as my team. We are successful because we play for each other. We do it game by game and not sometimes.
How exciting was the series against Leverkusen? That could of gone either way. How did you experience this fascinating 3 game series?
Leverkusen was a bit older than us, were more robust and athletic and played very hard. Important for us in this series was that we had the needed energy and effort to beat them in a 3 game series. We won game by 18 points because we had a strong fourth quarter and made the right run. We could of won game 2, but lost at the end because we couldn´t get the ball to the open guy under the basket. We then had a terrible practice week before game 3 because many were sick. But despite these problems, everybody that could play came together. We had a good lead, but they hit very untypical three´s to make the game close again. But we stuck together and won at the end. They missed the last shot to win.
Talk a little about Igor Jokic. Does he have to explode against Ludwigsburg for Oldenburg to have chances to win?
We don´t tell Igor to take the ball and score, score score, but his game flourishes out of the system we create. He takes the opportunities to create for himself and others. He is very good with his individual qualaties boosted through his 3×3 play with the Serbian U-18 team. It always depends how the opponent orientates themselves against him and how he and we react.
How vital are Collin Schroeder and Simon Kohlhoff? How have you seen their development?
Simon has made a big jump this season. He understood this season that he is valuable at both ends of the court. His experience in the Regionalliga really has helped him. He had problems at the start against older players, but adjusted well as time went by. He was cool against pressure and took responsibility and hit big shots. Collin also has developed very well. He is so athletic and rebounds so well. He plays with a lot of emotion and his IQ got better as well.
You won a Pro b title with Osnabrueck and helped Leipzig move up to the Pro B. What is the biggest challenge for you when coaching boys?
I have gained a lot of experience through the years. The most important thing for me is that the boys have fun and I try to prepare them as best as possible for the game on the court and in life. I love basketball and try to transport fun to them.
What is the biggest satisfaction that you get with boys that you don’t´ get with men?
I love basketball and really have always tried to transport that fun to all my teams. I try to prepare boys to get to the BBL or other leagues like the pro A or Pro B. For me the biggest satisfaction is seeing boys reach the next level and profiting from my guidance.
Is it fair to say that Oldenburg is the underdog against Ludwigsburg? What kind of game can we await?
I would call ourselves the underdog. We came from the B division. Ludwigsburg is a bit older and very athletic. I think that it will be a high level game. We will try to play our game and use our weapons as best as possible.
Ludwigsburg allow 65 points and Oldenburg 66 points. Will this be the ultimate defensive battle and will it be an ugly game?
Every player and coaches of both teams want to reach the final. I expect that both teams will play very aggressive to be able to reach their goal. I hope my team can do this from start to end.
The other semi-final between FC Bayern Munich and the Young Rasta Dragons is like a final. Who do you see advancing to the final?
Munich is a very strong team. One saw how important Kharchenkov was in the last game against IBAM. Vechta didn´t always play with all players because the players played pro A. I await a hot dance. It will be an open game. It will also be a high level game. The best team will win.
Thanks Dimitrios for the chat.