The Benas Podcast

#15 Giannis:

Giannis Sfairopoulos has been a successful Head Coach since taking over Kolossos Rhodos in 2008 after being a top Assistant for 11years in Greece. After a brief stint as the Assistant Coach at CSKA Moscow under Jonas Kazlauskas during the 2011-12 season, he turned Head Coach once again and continued his upward journey until now, becoming the Head Coach of Olympiacos in 2014 and in Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2018.

Giannis has captured two Greek League titles in Greece with Olympiacos and coached them twice in the Euroleague Final Game. Currently, during his time in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv he already managed to win 3 Israeli League titles as well as the country’s cup competition.

We both are good friends away from the game and you can hear it during this light-hearted but also professional conversation. We talked about the questions he asks himself before taking over a team mid-season, which happened three times for him already (Panionios, Olympiacos & Maccabi), also about him being an Assistant and the obligations and responsibilities he felt towards the Head Coach. We also touched on the importance of sharing information with coaches but protecting valuable inside scouting information and why! Lots of valuable information about mindset and how to avoid negative self-talks as a coach.

Topics:

To support my podcast on Patreon click here (Ačiu!!):

https://www.patreon.com/bmatke

#GiannisSfairopoulos #MaccabiTelAviv #Israel #HeadCoach #Basketball #Winner #Champion

Sponsors:

Not yet :)

Find “The Benas Podcast”:

Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-b-podcast/id1558492852?uo=4

…or just visit my website www.bmatke.com for more info.

Find Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/

#14 Andrea:

Topics:

Finding Andrea:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/andreatrinkieri

To support my podcast on Patreon click here (Ačiu!!):

#AndreaTrinchieri #FCBayernBasketball #Munich #Communication #Coaching #HeadCoach #Leadership #Accountability #CoachingStyle #CultureCocktail

Sponsors:

Finding Me:

Nicola is a dedicated Sports Director at SIG Strasbourg and to me the most underrated at his profession. Nicola worked predominantly in Italy before leaving the country and joining Strasbourg in 2020. He is a native of Forli, Italy just as Maurizio Gherardini is and went from picking up valuable lessons from his mentor, to later becoming a General Manager and Sports Director himself.

After taking a detour to the hotel business and becoming a hotel manager for almost a decade, he returned back to the sport and to become a basketball manager most recently worked as a GM at Avellino (2016-2020 & Roma (2012-2016) before joining Strasbourg.

In today's episode we tried to answer the question of what a Sports Director actually does. We also talked about how he came into the business as well as what he tells young scouts on how to break through in this business. Because every path is unique, it’s almost a impossible to have a clear road-map. Nicola also briefly shared his detour to the hotel business before touching on various other topics such as the importance of network, the daily challenges he faces within the team, how he manages the dynamics of a team and much more. A big topic that Nicola also touched on is the firing of a coach. He talked me through the process of it and what goes through his mind as he’s anticipating pulling the trigger.

Lots of touchy subjects where we found some common ground across our professions, expect to find some gems in this one and share with people who would enjoy this.

Topics:

- Scouting Story

Finding Nicola:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nalberani/

To support my podcast on Patreon click here (Ačiu!!):

https://www.patreon.com/bmatke

#NicolaAlberani #SportsDirector #Manager #SIG #Strasbourg #France #ValueSystem #Integrity #Forli #Italy

Sponsors:

Not yet :)

Finding Me:

www.bmatke.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/

#12 “Bogues”:

Andrew Bogut doesn’t need much introduction for all sports fans. He grew up in Melbourne, went on to play for the AIS before signing a letter of intent for the University of Utah and becoming the #1 pick in 2005’s NBA Draft after his sophomore year. Andrew had a phenomenal career not only in the NBA where he became a NBA champ in 2015 with the Golden State Warriors but also with the Boomers when competing for the Australian National Team in the Olympics in 2004, 2008 & 2016 as well as plenty of other international competitions.

A success story of its own kind that he shared with me on this episode. Andrew also has his own podcast called “Rogue Bogues” where you can hear not only his life’s journey in the ‘My Journey’ category but also various other topics.

On this episode we talked about his upbringing in Australia by two immigrant parents, the struggles he faced as a young kid and how that prepared him for his career. We touched on his value system, the importance of mentorship throughout his career, the social media use today as well as various other topics. Listen to the end to hear his Rick Majerus stories as well as other impromptu chit-chat.

Topics:

Finding Bogues:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/andrewbogut/

“Rogue Bogues” Podcast:

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/rogue-bogues-by-andrew-bogut/id1541789772

To support my podcast on Patreon click here (Ačiu!!):

https://www.patreon.com/bmatke

#AndrewBogut #RogueBoguesPodcast #NBA #Boomers #Australia #Melbourne #Life #Retirement

Sponsors:

Not yet :)

Find “The Benas Podcast”:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-b-podcast/id1558492852?uo=4

…or just visit my website www.bmatke.com for more info.

Get in touch with me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/

Nikos finished his glorious career this summer after playing 21 years professionally. He started off at AEK as a young, up & coming prospect playing for “Duda” Ivkovic before moving abroad early on. Nikos played in 5 different countries outside of Greece…First one being Italy before moving to Russia to play for CSKA, his university as he called it. He also played for the top clubs like Siena, Bilbao, Unics, Fenerbahce, Bamberg & Joventut before returning to AEK to finish where he started it all.

During his career he managed to win the Euroleague with CSKA (2008), countless domestic titles in Greece, Italy, Russia & Germany as well as numerous National Team achievements while playing for his home-country. He grew up with one of the best generations that came out of Greece with whom he managed to become European Champion in 2005, Runner-Up in the World Cup 2006 and Bronze Medal winner in the Euros of 2009.

Today we talked mostly about his professional journey, how he built his career abroad rather than staying at AEK. Nikos opened up about HOW & WHY it happened. He also opened up about what “Duda” Ivkovic meant to him as a young player, how important he actually was as a mentor and coach for young players. Nikos left to play in Treviso, Italy at a young age and told me about the cultural adjustments he had to make, the homesickness as well as the importance of learning the language. He later talked about the role adjustment he had to go through when he joined CSKA and what it means to play for a big team in the Euroleague…the pressures that come with it and how not to lose the joy along the way. We touched on his game-day routine as well as how he decompresses afterwards. I also asked Nikos about scouting reports and what he thinks is necessary these days. Enjoy this episode with “A Pro’s Pro”!

Topics:

- A day without Social Media

Finding Nikos:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nikos.zisis6/

To support my podcast on Patreon click here (Ačiu!!):

https://www.patreon.com/bmatke

#NikosZisis #AEK #CSKA #BenettonTreviso #Siena #Bilbao #Bamberg #Fenerbahce #Unics #Joventut #Retirement #Identity

Sponsors:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-b-podcast/id1558492852?uo=4

…or just visit my website www.bmatke.com for more info.

Get in touch in the comments below or find me on the links below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/

Martynas Pocius - Life After Retirement (NBA Front Office)

Martynas Pocius, one of the most electric and fun players to watch in Lithuanian basketball history, joined my "Pod" today. His story is a ‘one of one’, after smashing two fingers and losing one completely in an accident in school he managed not only to recover but elevate his game and mentality as well as work ethic to the next level.

In today’s episode Martynas told me about his struggles and pains throughout his career, physical as well as mental. Being on anti-inflammatories for 10+ years is no joke and today he opened up about the pain & pleasure of playing during that time. He also gave us his synopsis of “Coach K” & Coach Pablo Laso, how similar they are in many ways. Marty also opened up about his most painful season in 2016/17 and wanting to move away to play in Australia. Lots of interesting stories, a great vibe and genuinely open conversation. Thank you Marty!

Topics:

Finding “Marty”:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mpocius/

To support my podcast on Patreon click here (Ačiu!!):

https://www.patreon.com/bmatke

#MartynasPocius #DukeBasketball #Zalgiris #RealMadridBB #Galatasaray #Murcia #Nuggets #Retirement #Identity

Sponsors:

Not yet :)

Find “The Benas Podcast”:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-b-podcast/id1558492852?uo=4

…or just visit my website www.bmatke.com for more info.

Get in touch in the comments below or find me on the links below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/

Antanas’ story is a unique one, grindin’ his way up from a small team in Lithuania, through Barton County Community College in the US, finding his way to Texas A&M and coming back to Europe to eventually start his professional career. Antanas started his career in 2007 in Greece before he went on his way to play in Italy, Latvia & Spain. Finally he found his way back to play in Lithuania, having the unique experience to have played for Lietuvos Rytas (now Rytas Vilnius) as well as for Zalgiris Kaunas, where he ended up retiring in 2019. Antanas won 2 Latvian Championships and 1 Latvian Cup title. In addition, 3 Lithuanian Cup as well as League titles. He can pride himself to have had a successful career as a player and now has moved on to become the Director of Player Development at Wake Forest University.

Topics:

Intro

Finding Antanas:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/antanas44/

To support my podcast on Patreon click here (Ačiu!!):

https://www.patreon.com/bmatke

#AntanasKavaliauskas #WakeForestBasketball #Zalgiris #Basketball #Retirement

Sponsors:

Not yet :)

Find “The Benas Podcast”:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-b-podcast/id1558492852?uo=4

…or just visit my website www.bmatke.com for more info.

Get in touch in the comments below or find me on the links below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/

Sammy Mejia, my good friend whom I met during our time in Moscow and happened to stay in touch throughout the last decade has had a unique career that started at DePaul University and took him to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (D-League at the time). He decided early to take on a new career in Europe and signed a contract in Italy his first year. After he finished the 2008 season in Italy, he signed a one year deal in Greece the following year and learned his ways around Europe. The following two seasons, 2009-2011, were the most defining of Sammy’s career because he earned MVP honors and climbed the ladder to the top level organisation in Europe, CSKA Moscow. After a season in Russia he turned to play in Turkey and spend the rest of his career (8 years) on two different teams.

On this episode, Sammy told me about his humble beginnings in New York as well as the DLeague life and how he came about to make the decision to leave midway through the season to join Capo d’Orlando in Italy. He told me about the defining times in France and how and why his career started to take off after that. We talked briefly about our time together in Moscow as well as his time in Turkey. The crucial decision to go into 2nd division of Turkey and the faith he showed in the Coach.

The bulk of our discussion was obviously centred around retirement and facing new challenges in his life. How he went about deciding to retire during the pandemic and how difficult the decision was. The biggest challenge of redefining yourself without looking back too much. We also touched on the current challenge of proving himself again and basically starting over with a new role within the same business. Being Humble and embracing a new role!

Topics:

Background

Finding Sammy Mejia:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammymejia/

To support my podcast on Patreon click here (Ačiu!!):

https://www.patreon.com/bmatke

#SammyMejia #Tofas #TeamWass #Basketball #Retirement #LifeAfterRetirement

Sponsors:

Not yet :)

Find me on the links below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/

JR Holden - Life After Retirement (Part 1)

JR’s career is unique, not only because of how it all ended but mostly because of how it all started. From a ‘try out application’ to go and play in Latvia to winning multiple Euroleague Championships with CSKA Moscow (2006 & 2008) as well as becoming European Champion with the Russian National Team in 2007. On top of all that, JR became an Olympian in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. During this conversation it sounded like he cherished the Greek League Championship in 2002 with AEK the most because of the unlikely championship run. In the end of the day, he became a champion in every country he played in; Latvia, Belgium, Greece & Russia. Point-blank Winner.

On this episode, JR and me started off talking a bit about his background and how it all started with a tryout in Latvia. We shortly touched on his time in Belgium, Greece as well as CSKA Moscow and mainly talked about the biggest lessons he picked up from the coaches he ended up playing for. He took away valuable lessons from each coach that he shared with us one by one.

The bulk of our discussion focused around retiring and filling a void, talked about the common mistakes that retired players do in terms of money-spending that he was trying to avoid. JR also shared his special relationship with Coach Ettore Messina and how it grew over time through a specific conversation they had. Also, he shared the biggest regret of his career, which seemingly was not easy to share (thanks again). Meanwhile, JR is working as a front office Executive for the Brooklyn Nets and is striving to win the next championship of his career, this time at the highest possible level.

It’s an inspiring story with plenty of valuable lessons along the way for the next generation. Please enjoy this episode and share with your loved ones, lots of ‘nuggets’ in there for everyone.

PS: I clearly used the phrase “Paradigm Shift” way too much :)

Topics:

Our Friendship

Finding J.R.:

I will be the filter :)

To support my podcast on Patreon click here (Ačiu!!):

https://www.patreon.com/bmatke

#JRHolden #CSKA #Moscow #Basketball #Retirement #NBA #Life

Sponsors:

Not yet :)

Find “The Benas Podcast”:

Apple:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bw5UJNSQLKo0wUybEIza3

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-benas-podcast

…or just visit my website www.bmatke.com for more info.

Get in touch in the comments or find me on the links below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmatke/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bmatke/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bmatke3

Homepage: www.bmatke.com

Ales Pospisil - “European Coffee Trip”

Everybody who knows me, knows that I’m a dedicated coffee lover. This is the first of many “Coffee Savant” episodes and it’s only fitting to do it with the person who ignited my passion for ‘The Bean’, Ales Pospisil and the coffee platform: European Coffee Trip. My name gets often auto-corrected to ‘Beans’ anyway, so I suppose it’s my destiny anyways :)

In this category of podcast episodes I will talk to a variety of coffee-enthusiasts and cafe owners as well as baristas. It’s a niche that not everyone appreciates until they have a tasty cup of coffee and with this category of special episodes I will do my best to get you closer to ‘The Bean’ with a ‘tasty episode’ who hopefully will prompt you to explore this space.

Ales is the co-founder of the biggest cafe-finder platform (in my humble opinion) in Europe and helped me to find the best cafes on my journeys around Europe. Together with Radek Nozicka, they make an extra effort to map out as many ‘Specialty Cafes’ or ‘Third Wave’ coffee-spots in Europe and thus far have gotten a lot of attention by travellers who are visiting Europe. Ales talked about the early beginnings of the platform and off course where it’s currently going, together with the YouTube channel that has experienced a lot of growth in the midst of the pandemic.

Overall, a very exciting episode for me personally and probably for all the Coffee Geeks out there as well. We did ‘Geek Out’ over a lot of special topics and probably could have gone for hours more.

Please enjoy this episode and leave a comment or review on this episode below. Subscribe to this channel and let’s Geek out together!

Today's Main Topics:

- Who is Ales Pospisil?

Finding Ales & European Coffee Trip:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alespospisil/

To support my podcast on Patreon click here (Ačiu!!):

https://www.patreon.com/bmatke

#AlesPospisil #EuropeanCoffeeTrip #CoffeeSavant #SpecialtyCoffee #Espresso #FlatWhite #CoffeeGeeks #CoffeeLovers

Sponsors:

Not yet :)