Olimpia Milan are preparing to play for its right to make the second consecutive EuroLeague Final-4 appearance, starting Tuesday. Ettore Messina has been the coach of the Italian giants for the last three seasons leading the team to two straight potentially successful seasons.
The veteran coach talked on his time with the San Antonio Spurs in a recent interview with the official EuroLeague outlet. Messina revealed him working alongside Gregg Popovich in San Antonio helped him become a better person and coach.
The veteran coach has served as an assistant (2014-2019) to the current winningest coach in the history of the NBA. He remained in San Antonio for five seasons before returning to Europe for Milan in 2019.
“I had the opportunity to work with Coach [Gregg Popovic], and Coach Pop has a unique way of combining leadership and psychological strength with deep knowledge and unique X-and-O skills,” Messina noted.
Popovich has been a great inspiration for many coaches around the world, as he built a winning culture in San Antonio that resulted in five championships and several memorable playoff runs.
“He’s right there, up in the cloud, and once in a while you can just get closer, touch him a little bit, pick up something and put in your backpack. And hopefully, you feel a little bit better in your profession and as a person just to be around him.”
Messina might have to use some of Popovich methods entering the EuroLeague postseason, which starts on Tuesday. Olimpia will face reigning champions Anadolu Efes in best-of-5 series, which begin on Tuesday in Milan.
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