Anadolu Efes excited for challenges of season ahead

By Mutlu Demirtastan

ISTANBUL (AA) — Excited about the challenge of the new season, Turkish basketball team Anadolu Efes will have to keep working hard to prepare for it, French star Rodrigue Beaubois told Anadolu in an exclusive interview.

Beaubois said the team's goal is to be ready as soon as the season starts, adding that they need to make the best of the next two weeks to be prepare.

The French guard stressed that the team would learn from their mistakes last season, when they were unable to make it to the playoffs, adding that "it's a new ... beginning for us. So hopefully, we can do way better than last season."

He went on to say that Efes's squad will learn the style of their new coach, Erdem Can. "We need to keep working. We need to keep trying to understand what he's trying to bring to this team."

The 35-year-old guard touched upon the upcoming EuroLeague match against Greek team Panathinaikos, coached by former Efes coach Ergin Ataman.

"It's going to be a special game. Ataman was our coach for five years, spanning five successful seasons," he said. "Playing against him and seeing him in a coaching role for another team will indeed be a unique and different experience."

"I hope we'll be able to beat him," he said.

Beaubois has been playing for a Turkish basketball club since 2018 and won EuroLeague titles twice.

In June, Anadolu Efes named Erdem Can their manager on a two-year deal, replacing Ataman, who parted ways with the club after six years in charge.

Ataman, 57, signed a two-year contract with Panathinaikos.