Besiktas's head coach and point guard are now enjoying their third season together.
Gambling on each other has helped Needham, Alimpijevic succeed
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Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul’s success this season has relied heavily on how the team responds to both head coach Dusan Alimpijevic and point guard Derek Needham. The duo are working in unison to help the Turkish team get back on the European map. And it’s a coach-point guard relationship that goes back to a gamble both made three off-seasons ago.
In 2021, Needham had been coming off his second season with Montenegro club Mornar Bar, where he averaged 7.7 points and 5.1 assists in the EuroCup while also helping the club reach the second group stage. He also guided Mornar to the semifinals of the ABA Adriatic League before losing to domestic rivals Buducnost VOLI Podgorica.
Alimpijevic, in 2021, was about his start his second season with Frutti Extra Bursaspor - the 2020-21 campaign being the club’s second in Turkiye’s first flight after earning promotion in 2019.
Bursaspor had just missed the playoffs in the Turkish League, finishing ninth; and was just one victory from advancing to the Top 16 in its first appearance in the EuroCup.
When looking for a point guard for 2021-22, Alimpijevic remembered the 2017-18 season in which he was head coach at Crvena Zvezda Belgrade. He recalled the five games Zvezda played against Mornar Bar - and how Derek Needham gave him fits.
The then 27-year-old playmaker averaged 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 5.6 fouls drawn in those games. Two of them came in the Adriatic League regular season and the other three came in the semifinals, where Mornar Bar scored an 88-84 Game 2 victory behind 28 points and 5 assists from Needham, who also went for 15 points and 10 assists in their second regular-season meeting.
“Coach Alimpijevic and I knew each other from our time battling in the ABA league,” Needham said. “We talked before coming to Bursa how this move would be a big gamble for both of us but could potentially change both our careers if done right.”
And things certainly went right for Alimpijevic and Needham in 2021-22 with Bursaspor. The team snuck into the EuroCup playoffs as a 7 seed and then reeled off a trio of magical road victories: beating Partizan Belgrade, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and MoraBanc Andorra to reach the EuroCup final, where they lost to Virtus Segafredo Bologna.
“My favorite memory with Frutti Extra has to be the finals run we went on. We had a great group of guys and won some really tough road games,” said Needham, who was named to the All-EuroCup First Team for the season while Alimpijevic was crowned as Coach of the Year.
Bursaspor also reached the Turkish League playoffs for the first time as the eighth seed and took one game from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul before bowing out 2-1 in the first-round series.
Season two together in Bursaspor did not go quite as well - also because the club could not keep some of the key parts of the success from the previous year.
Bursaspor finished the EuroCup regular season eighth in its group and then was bounced by eventual champion Gran Canaria in the eighthfinals.
In the Turkish League, the club ranked fifth after the regular season but was then swept 2-0 in the quarterfinals by Pinar Karsiyaka.
This off-season, the coach and point guard both decided to move from Bursaspor to Besiktas.
“Reaching the EuroCup Playoffs was a big goal for us this season. We wanted to establish Besiktas back on the European market,” Needham said.
“We talked before coming to Bursa how this move would be a big gamble for both of us but could potentially change both our careers if done right.”
The 33-year-old Needham said he has a really good relationship with Alimpijevic.
“We both see the game in the same manner. It was exciting to see we can both start with a new club and keep some familiarity with each other. He is big on having a point guard that thinks like him,” Needham said.
The American veteran is impressed with his coach of the last two-plus seasons: “He is an amazing coach with a brilliant mind for the game. He really takes care of his craft along with the assistant coaches. His attention to detail in film and practice really sets him apart from the coaches of his age group. I believe he will be back in EuroLeague very soon,” Needham said.
Alimpijevic coached Zvezda to a 11-19 record in the EuroLeague in 2017-18 but he was fired after the season as the club lost in the Adriatic League finals to Buducnost to miss out on qualifying for the EuroLeague in 2018-19.
Needham said the fact that Alimpijevic is just 4 years older than him has no impact on their relationship.
“I understand we are close in age, but I respect his craft and ability to lead. We have a strong bond because of our talks and success we have shared together through the last two years and are continually having this season. There is so much respect there that our age closeness doesn't matter,” Needham said.
“It is rare to see a player stay with a coach for a long time. So I'm very appreciative of our relationship after all this time.”
And that relationship is a big reason Besiktas has reached the EuroCup Playoffs in its first season in the competition since 2015-16. After placing sixth in Group A with a 9-9 record, Besiktas will visit reigning champion Dreamland Gran Canaria in their single-game eighthfinal on Wednesday, March 6.