Ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv player looks back at the painful series: "I believed we would win the EuroLeague"
Andrew Wisniewski recalls the elimination against Partizan, tells about the atmosphere in Belgrade and compliments Pini Gershon: "I loved him, he was a special personality."
Almost 17 years after that unforgettable playoff series against Partizan Belgrade, Andrew Wisniewski still finds it hard to let go. The American guard, who played for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2009/10 season, returned in an interview with Skweek to the painful loss, the crazy atmosphere in Serbia, and also the period under Pini Gershon, which he remembers fondly.
"I always had huge respect for Partizan and coach Duško Vujošević. Personally, I thought I played well in that series, but it is still one of the toughest losses in my career, because I truly believed we had a team capable of winning the EuroLeague."
Wisniewski identified the first game in Tel Aviv as the moment the series turned: "Ultimately, I think the first game in Tel Aviv decided everything. We had a big lead and we just let it slip away."
The one who starred that evening was Dušan Kecman, who scored 29 points and seven three-pointers. Wisniewski recalls: "Damn Kecman... he just didn't miss. You have to give him credit, he was unbelievable."
The American also explained why Partizan was such a difficult opponent for Maccabi: "We loved to play fast, but they were very physical in the paint with Aleks Marić, Lawrence Roberts, and Jan Veselý. They punished us in the paint, and once Kecman started scoring, everything became even harder."
After Maccabi lost the home-court advantage, the series moved to Belgrade, where more than 20,000 fans were waiting for the Yellows. For some of the Maccabi players, this was a new experience, but Wisniewski already knew the atmosphere in the city well, having started his path in Europe at Red Star.
"Many of my teammates had never experienced anything like Belgrade. I did," he said. — "I kept telling them: 'It's going to be incredibly difficult. We need to expect to start the game as if we are already down by 10 points'."
He later added: "That's the feeling the atmosphere there gives. The crowd gives the home team extra energy and at the same time makes the opponent's life miserable. We actually played well, but Partizan played even better."
Wisniewski also complimented the Maccabi crowd, but clarified that for him, the atmosphere in Belgrade was different: "Don't get me wrong, Tel Aviv has one of the best basketball atmospheres in Europe. But Belgrade is on another level. These fans demand another five percent from their players, and once they feel the opponent is struggling, they don't let up. Most players are just not prepared for how loud it really is."
Another significant part of the interview was dedicated to Pini Gershon, who coached Maccabi that season. For Wisniewski, who had already been through very tough and demanding coaches in Europe, working with Gershon was a completely different experience.
"I loved Pini. He was such a special personality. The contrast couldn't have been greater. Zmago Sagadin was on you all the time and demanded perfection every day. Pini was more of a showman. He understood the crowd and understood people."
Wisniewski also described Gershon's philosophy: "His philosophy was simple: don't overcomplicate basketball. He would tell us 'just go out and play', or 'make your shots'. If we lost, he would just say: 'You missed open shots'."
"He was calm, a truly good man who enjoyed the big games," he continued. — "I started in his lineup and I have nothing but great memories from that season. After spending years with demanding coaches from the former Yugoslavia, training once a day and even getting a day off almost every week felt like a vacation. I was so used to working all the time that sometimes I even wanted to train more."
Wisniewski, who retired from playing in 2012 and currently serves as an assistant coach at Manhattan College, said that even years after his career ended, he still feels part of the clubs he played for in Europe. "What I love is that once you are part of a club, you always remain part of its family," he said. — "It's the same with Maccabi and the other clubs I played for. It's something special in European basketball."
