“When I arrived, Ganja was a city disheartened by basketball.”
Speaking to the club’s press service, Ganja head coach Halil Atli reflected on their season after being eliminated from the Azerbaijan Basketball League playoffs by Shaki, Idman.biz reports.
The Turkish coach expressed his gratitude and pride despite the early exit:
“First of all, I want to thank our fans who supported us throughout the season. We tried our best to make them happy. I saw a team that won back the love of the people through our hard work. Personally, I'm very happy with the team we built. I’m grateful to my players for their character and fighting spirit. They never gave me any problems. I also want to thank the technical staff, my assistant, our manager, our doctor, and everyone who helped us.”
Atli believes the season was a step in the right direction for Ganja:
“Looking back, we were a team that reached the cup final and qualified for the playoffs. That’s something to be proud of.”
He also recalled the main goal he had when he first joined Ganja:
“Our target was to make the playoffs, and we achieved that. I ask all our fans for their blessing. As a coach, I did my best. We constantly thought about how to overcome challenges and improve what we were doing right. I’m also thankful to the federation leadership for creating good conditions for our work.”
Ganja lost the playoff series to Shaki 1–2.
Idman.biz
