INTERVIEW: Sandi Čebular – "Tajfun will continue to grind!"

Tajfun have been red hot over the past month in the ABA League, as they have won five out of their last six games and have placed themselves at the current fifth spot in the standings. Sandi Čebular was their frontrunner and we made a conversation with him for our official website.

Read the interesting interview with excellent shooting guard below. As he promised, more of Tajfun is yet to come!

After many experts have noted that you lack self-confidence at the away games, you have won a pair of points for the second time in a row in the away games, as you have beaten Sutjeska on the road in Nikšić. What caused that "click", which made you find yourself in the winning streak and also to win away games?

"There was no special "click" that would affect our away games, simply the right time has come. We have had opportunities for winning away in some previous games, but we did not manage to take advantage of it. Since as a team we are getting along well and we have gained some valuable experience, I believe that in the remainder of the season we will find a way to turn these kinds of games into our own favour."

You began your last successful streak with a convincing win against the giant of Slovenian club basketball Union Olimpija. How important was this triumph for the self-confidence of the team?

"Taking into account the competition system, this game was just as important as every other. Our preparations for this game were no different than those ahead of the others. Union Olimpija is a renowned club if you consider the history and the game against them is always attractive for a great majority of fans. We, the "smaller” clubs have to keep proving ourselves against "the big ones”, so the victory was even sweeter for us due to that fact."

You have emerged as one of the key men in the concept of Dejan Mihevc this season - several times you were close to becoming the MVP of the round. How do you see your role on the team, both on court and off the court?

"I know what is expected from me on court and I am doing my best to accomplish it. I am more interested in victories than in the MVP of the round honours and each one of us has to contribute in order to achieve it. Even off the court we are getting along well with the teammates. We make fun a lot, we do not get involved in conflicts and help each other often."

You are not a part of ABA League for the first time, since previously you already underwent an episode at both Union Olimpija and Helios, but they did not turn out just the way you would have desired. This season the story is different since you have started playing in accordance of high expectations of the experts on you from years ago. Do you feel like you are in the best shape of lifetime and how does your home environment, where you are playing this season contribute to it?

"It is true that the previous two episodes did not meet my desires and I am happy that I have finally received an important role on the team at this level of competition and that I can prove what I am capable of. I would not speak about my lifetime performances, but about trust and knowing my abilities. In the past systems there was no desire to take the best of me, but they limited me. I have kept on trusting myself, though.

The home environment does not affect my performances, since this is also an environment where I have to continue proving myself. But it is truly something special to play in front of excellent šentjur fans, that are besides us even at the away games and give us additional strengths."

As we have mentioned above, you are playing again for the club in which you began your professional career. What does the fact that the club plays for the first time in international competition, mean for a town like šentjur? Has the passion for basketball grown? Does people stop you in the streets to speak to you?

"Of course for the club the fact that we are playing in international competition represents an additional step, since it never had the opportunity until now. Since the attendance figures in not really the home hall of Golovec is nice, I can see that the interest for basketball has grown. However, until now we needed to travel a lot so there was no much opportunity for people to interact with us in the streets."

Where do you see your team at the end of the season? What do your wishes and desires look like?

"I don"t consider the results at the end of the season much right now, but only about next game. I have my hidden desires and goals, regarding our final position, but I wish to keep them for myself. The predictions of different "experts” from before the season were not really the most accurate and we have already silenced many of them, but the Tajfun players will not stop there. We will do our best to continue to grind everything in front of us."

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INTERVJU: Sandi Čebular - "Tajfun bo mlel še naprej!”

Mošto Tajfuna je zares vroče v zadnjem mesecu v ligi ABA, saj so varovanci Dejana Mihevca slavili zmago na kar petih od zadnjih šestih srečanj in so se zasidrali na trenutno peto mesto na lestvici. Sandi Čebular je bil eden od vlečnih konj moštva, zato smo z njim opravili intervju za našo spletno stran.

Preberite zanimiv pogovor z odličnim branilcem, v katerem je obljubil tudi, da najboljše s strani Tajfuna še prihaja!

Potem, ko so vam mnogi očitali pomanjkanje samozavesti na gostovanjih ste v ligi ABA na gostovanju osvojili par točk že drugič zapored, ko ste v Nikšiću ugnali Sutjesko. Kaj je sprožilo ta klik, da se niste znašli le v zmagovalnem nizu, pač pa začeli zmagovati tudi v gosteh?

"Ni bilo posebnega klika, ki bi vplival na zmage v gosteh, enostavno je bil čas za to. Že na nekaj prejšnjih gostujočih tekmah smo imeli možnosti za zmago, pa tega nismo uspeli izkoristiti. Glede na to, da se kot ekipa super ujamemo in smo si do sedaj pridobili pomembne izkušnje, verjamem, da bomo v nadaljevanju lige v takšnih situacijah znali tekme prelomiti v našo korist."

Zadnji uspešen niz se je začel s prepričljivo zmago proti velikanu slovenske klubske košarke Union Olimpiji. Kako pomemben je bil ta uspeh za samozavest moštva?

"Glede na sistem lige je bila ta tekma ravno tako pomembna kot vse ostale. Priprave nanjo niso bile nič drugačne kot sicer. Glede na zgodovino je Union Olimpija zelo renomiran klub, tekma je vedno zanimiva za veliko število gledalcev, "manjši” klubi pa se moramo proti "večjim” neprestano dokazovati, tako da je bila seveda zmaga še slajša."

Vi ste se izkazali kot eden ključnih mož v konceptu Dejana Mihevca v tej sezoni - nekajkrat ste bili celo zelo blizu nazivu igralca kola. Kako sami vidite svojo vlogo v moštvu, tako na parketu, kot izven njega?

"Vem kaj se na parketu pričakuje od mene in to skušam izpolniti. Bolj kot nazivi igralca kola me zanimajo zmage ekipe in za to je potreben doprinos vsakega člana. Tudi izven parketa se s soigralci dobro razumemo. Veliko se šalimo, nismo konfliktni in si pomagamo."

V ligi ABA ne nastopate prvič, saj ste predhodno že imeli po eno epizodo v dresih Union Olimpije in Heliosa, ki pa se nista odvili povsem po vaših željah. Letos je zgodba drugačna, saj ste začeli upravičevati visoka pričakovanja, ki so jih strokovnjaki izražali o vaši karieri pred leti. Se počutite kot da igrate v življenjski formi in koliko k temu prispeva dejstvo, da igrate v vašem domačem okolju?

"Res je, da pretekli dve epizodi nista tekli po mojih željah in sem vesel, da imam končno na tem nivoju tekmovanja pomembnejšo vlogo v ekipi in priložnost, da dokažem česa sem sposoben. Ne bi govoril o življenjski formi, ampak o zaupanju in poznavanju mojih sposobnosti. V preteklih sistemih ni bilo želje ali hotenja, da bi od mene pridobili največ, ampak so me omejevali, sam sem v svoje sposobnosti verjel ves čas.

Domače okolje nima posebnega vpliva na moje igre, saj se je potrebno tudi v tem okolju neprestano dokazovati. Je pa resnično poseben čar igrati pred odličnimi šentjurskimi navijači, ki nas spremljajo tudi na gostovanjih in nam s svojo podporo tako vlivajo dodatnih moči."

Kot že omenjeno, po dolgih letih spet igrate v klubu, kjer ste začeli svojo profesionalno kariero. Kaj za kaj kot je šentjur pomeni dejstvo, da klub letos prvič igra v mednarodnem tekmovanju? Je navdušenje nad košarko naraslo? Vas ljudje na ulicah ustavljajo in nagovarjajo?

"Seveda je za klub igranje v mednarodnem tekmovanju stopnička višje, saj do letošnje sezone te priložnosti še ni imel. Glede na lep obisk v ne ravno "domači” dvorani v Golovcu, vidim, da se je v regiji zanimanje za košarko povečalo. Do zdaj smo bili veliko na poti in redko so imeli ljudje priložnost, da bi nas ustavljali in nagovarjali na ulicah."

Kje ob koncu sezone vidite vaše moštvo? Kakšna so pričakovanja in želje?