-Despite the falling budget, Fenerbahçe made important transfer moves. Kayla McBride, Satou Sabally, Jasmine Thomas, Kia Vaughn. Cecilia Zandalasini also stayed in the team. What are your goals in EuroLeague Women next season with the newly established staff?
“It’s always nice to have a big budget. Fenerbahce had one of the biggest budgets a few seasons ago but the situation is different now and I am adjusting to that. I think we have to be honest and think realistic. We discussed the club’s current economic situation with the board members and made a plan for ourselves with the idea of doing the best for the team. We have a new route now. We know that we won’t be able to afford a superstar anymore. But we tried to bring quality players to the team as well as keeping our good players. I believe we have a strong team and ready to compete. We have new thoughts, a new route, and a brand new plan.”
“We also made important transfer moves because we lost many important players. It was important to bring players like Kayla McBride, Jasmine Thomas, Kia Vaughn who won titles. Satou Sabally is a player that every team wants to have but she will be playing for us. This is very important for the team. It’s important to keep Cecilia Zandalasini as well because she is the best player at her position and one of the best talents I have. Zandalasini wanted to stay here despite bigger offers from other clubs.”
WNBA’in ve kadın basketbolunun gelecekteki en önemli yıldızlarından biri olarak gösterilen, bu sezon NCAA’den WNBA’e geçerken 2. sıradan draft edilen Alman vatandaşı uzun oyuncu Satou Sabally Fenerbahçe Öznur Kablo’da! Ailemize hoş geldin Satou Sabally! 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/7ufdiDYSeh
— Fenerbahçe Öznur Kablo (@fbkadinbasket) May 31, 2020
-As you know, Satou Sabally was chosen second in the WNBA draft. What do you think about its potential and what she will add to Fenerbahçe this season?
“I don’t know what the future holds for Satou but I am mostly interested in now. Satou is a very key player for our team and the reason is she is a similar type of player with Cecilia Zandalasini. Unique. They want to play in three positions and this is very important for me. Satou is also very young. It’ll be very valuable for her to experience such tough leagues like the Turkish League and EuroLeague. Turkish League is really tough. For me, it’s the toughest league in Europe. Most of the important international players and coaches are playing in the Turkish League. You have to compete at your best to win against them. I would love to help Satou to develop her game and play her in forward and center positions. I told her during our first call as well: “I want you to play as you, Satou Sabally.”