Will we end up seeing a statue of Dario Gjergja in front of the COREtec Dôme? We are obviously forcing the point. But if certain great players sometimes see their jerseys withdrawn for having marked the history of a club, the Croatian coach would undoubtedly also deserve to see his name displayed eternally among the legends of the BCO. This Monday, while he is still only 48 years old, the man who is also coach of the Belgian national team will take part in his 13th consecutive playoff final at the head of the coastal team in… 13 years! With the ambition of once again lifting the trophy which has never escaped him since his arrival in Ostend.
A divisive character, whose temperament on the sidelines can sometimes cause annoyance, Dario Gjergja is above all a workaholic driven by a motivation that has remained intact despite repeated successes. At the dawn of this new final, we confronted the most successful coach in the history of Belgian basketball (13 titles and 7 Cups) with five cash questions.
1. Staying at Ostend for so long and having won so many trophies, hasn’t it become an easy choice?
”No, it’s not about ease or comfort zone. In recent years, I could have left but I chose to stay first for family reasons (Editor’s note: his daughter studies economics at the University of Ghent). And I am really very happy here in Ostend. This city looks a bit like Zadar, my hometown. I love living by the sea, walking or running on the beach. And sportingly, I don’t feel any weariness. I remain guided by the desire to do the best possible each year. I don’t worry about the past and always look forward. My challenge is to be able to confirm our ambitions each season while allowing young talents to develop and win trophies. Seeing players happy to lift their first trophy is also exhilarating as a coach. I still have one year of contract in Ostend so I don’t necessarily have to leave. It will also depend on opportunities from abroad. One day coaching in the Euroleague or Eurocup would be a dream for me.”
2. Does Ostend mainly benefit from a lack of competition and a higher budget than other clubs?
”When I hear that, it makes me laugh because it’s not reality. I invite people to go and review the composition of the team over the last four years. They would be shocked at the amount of our payroll. We are currently working with one of the smallest budgets I have experienced since I have been here. We’re just trying to put the right pieces of the puzzle together as best we can. Building and developing the best possible team with our means is my job. People are tired of seeing Ostend win. If they want to think that way to satisfy themselves, that’s their problem.”
EJ Anosike, guarantor of Liège’s strength and executioner of the Ostend defense: “Physically, he is almost unstoppable”
gullI was surprised when I received the title of Coach of the Year.
3. In 13 years, you have only been voted Coach of the Year four times. Does this surprise you?
”It’s been some time since I stopped worrying about it. When I was younger, it could hurt me if I felt I deserved it. And it happened several times that people came to me and told me that I deserved it this or that year. Maybe I’m disturbing. Now I don’t even think about it anymore. When I was elected Coach of the Year a few weeks ago, I was even surprised. I didn’t even think I would receive it anymore.”
4. If you were the boss of the league, would you maintain a binational competition with the Netherlands?
”The new formula voted for next season (Editor’s note: a simple round trip phase between all the clubs then national playoffs) already seems more adequate to me. But I regret that the results against Dutch teams are taken into account to establish a national ranking. In my opinion, only the Belgian-Belgian confrontations should define the hierarchy for the national playoffs. As for the overall ranking also taking into account the results of cross-border matches, it could for example be used to organize a Final 4 or Final 8 at the end of the season to crown a BNXT champion. That said, I am rather in favor of a 100% Belgian competition with 14 clubs. And I speak as coach of the national team. This would make it possible to involve more young Belgians and offer opportunities to more coaches too.”
gullWhen Mourinho puts on a show on the sidelines, he is considered a God.
5. You are often judged to be too exuberant on the sidelines. What do you think ?
”I’m just someone who is passionate about his work. I am like that on the field and nowhere else. People stigmatize me but don’t know me personally. I just take my job so seriously. It’s not resentment towards the referees or anything. Although I learned that non-verbal reactions can sometimes be punished more harshly than verbal ones. But I prefer to be whole as I am than to act while talking behind my back. When Mourinho puts on a show on the sidelines, he is considered a God.”
Liège ended up cracking against Ostend
