“During a team meeting in the morning, the club’s management told me that they aren’t satisfied with the results of the team and therefore I’m being fired,” Brazys told BasketNews.lt. “The management bought the players, who I didn’t want in the team.”
Brazys didn’t hide the sorrow and disgust over the decision to give him the sack despite of good results. Ventspils is currently second in the Baltic Basketball League (BBL) and are leading in the Latvian League (LBL).
Coach, what were the reasons for firing you?
During a team meeting in the morning, the club’s management told me that they aren’t satisfied with the results of the team and therefore I’m being fired.
The club statement claims, that you had received criticism for choosing the players recklessly.
This version surprises me a lot, because the players were recruited by the management of the team.
What do you have in mind?
In the beginning of January, the management bought Oritseweyinmi Efejuku, who I didn’t want to see in the team. I had told them that I did not need a player of that style in the team. In the evening, it seems we had reached a consensus, but already the next morning the management had signed deal with the player. And they didn’t buy the players, which I preferred.
That means that the management of the club interfered in your job just like in Zalgiris?
If I’m appointed to manage the team, that’s what means I should be managing it. I will not let that someone else would direct what I should do, who I should let on the court and who should sit on the bench. It looks like the management of Ventspils is going to look for a person just like that now. Even before coming to Ventspils, I knew that strange things were happening here, I thought I might change something, but…
What goals were set for you?
The club’s management set a goal to reach the BBL Final Four and to win the Latvian league. There were no talks about the FIBA Europe Challenge Cup, though we had good opportunities there as well. Before the New Year we were first both in the Baltic and Latvian leagues.
Are all your memories from Ventspils negative?
I enjoyed working with young Latvian players a lot. Now, all I want to do is head back home and give all of this a thought.
Is Saulius Kuzminskas staying in the team?
Yes. He’s the team’s starting center and has been playing
really well this season. Saulius was a little bit ill the last couple of days,
but it’s nothing serious.
