"He pushes players to their limits!" Panathinaikos legend speaks out on Željko Obradović: He hasn't changed, he's as motivated as ever!
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Željko Obradović isn't the only familiar face returning to Panathinaikos this summer. He's joined by Dimitris Diamantidis, who has taken on an administrative role, and Mike Batiste. The American, who played under Obradović during his first stint with the Greens, is now a coach. He openly expresses his excitement about being back in Athens.
It feels good. You know, I'm still, you know, a little bit in a dream, but today the reality really hit me that I'm... that I'm really here, you know. Being home is... is a dream come true, so I'm very happy to be back.Mike Batiste
Transitioning to coaching after a highly successful playing career can be unusual. Batiste acknowledges this but is committed to improving daily.
Of course, it's different. You know, you don't have ultimate control over the outcome, but for me as a coach, you're trying to give as much information to the players as possible. What you see on the court and how they can make adjustments, offensively and defensively. So I think today was a good step for me because the relationship I already have with the players carries a lot of respect, and every time I say something, they always listen and try to go out on the court and do the job to the best of their ability.Mike Batiste
He worked with Obradović as a player, and now as a coach, he notes that the legendary coach remains largely unchanged.
He's still the same. Honestly, you know, he's 66 now. I mean, he's too old to change. But that doesn't mean he's not motivated, that he's not inspired, and that he's not determined, or, you know, that he doesn't have the desire to win. And you can see that in the timeouts, he pushes the players to their limits. He did the same thing when I was a player.Mike Batiste
Darko Rajaković's immense influence
Batiste honed his coaching skills under Darko Rajaković with the Toronto Raptors, where he served as an assistant. Rajaković had a significant impact on his development.
Darko had a really big influence on me. For one, he's my brother, but also for two, he gave me a blueprint and guidance to advance my coaching career and bring all of that here to Panathinaikos.Mike Batiste
The legendary Batiste doesn't hide his ambitions, aspiring to become a head coach one day.
I'm going to go day by day, year by year. Yes, I want to be a head coach one day, but that's in the future. Right now, I can only worry about the task that's currently in front of me. We'll see what the future holds.Mike Batiste
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