Monaco, the crazy progression to the highest European level
In the bowels of the Louis-II stadium, the 4000 spectators of the Gaston-Médecin hall will vibrate in front of the most prestigious match that was hosted in the small arena. Wednesday, April 27, AS Monaco basket hosts the Greeks of Olympiakos in the principality for match 3 of the Euroleague quarter-final. A historic match for a team with dazzling progress, which combines boundless ambition and hard work on the floor.
In seven years, the Roca Team has gone from the depths of the third division to the European forefront. A revolution above all driven by Sergey Dyadechko. The Ukrainian businessman, who arrived in Monaco in 2012 after escaping an assassination attempt in his country, chose to invest in the local team, then in the third division. Ambitious, he wanted to make the Roca Team a stronghold in the French and European basket.
The Roca Boys masters of painting ✔️ pic.twitter.com/nP5oxAHgHG
— AS Monaco Basket (@ASMonaco_Basket) April 24, 2022
But Dyadechko above all wanted to build over time. Passionate about the orange ball, this one, with his experience at BC Donetsk, where he is also the main shareholder, who is now vice-president of the club has invested gradually, a little more each season, up to high records. In 2021-2022, Monaco has the second largest budget in the French championship, with 14.1 million euros, an increase of 87% compared to the previous season.
“Everything did not come overnight, there was a form of coherence, of construction”assures Amara Sy, who wore the Monegasque colors from 2015 to 2019. “Yes, you have to be realistic, a team that has results, 99%, is a team that has the means”he tempers. “But that’s not everything, and in Monaco, to explain this success, there is substantive work, know-how, a form of regularity, which are quite impressive.”
This substantive work has been carried out by two coaches who have succeeded each other on the Monegasque bench since 2015. The Montenegrin Zvezdan Mitrovic (2015-2018 and 2020-2021) and the Serb Sasa Obradovic (2019-2020, in office since December 2021) instilling in their men the culture of effort and winning, but also ensure their personal development. “Everything was done to ensure that the players were in the best conditions to win the matches”remembers Ali Traoré, a former Roca Team player, who now comments on the Euroleague for Monaco Info.
Helped get famous win for @ASMonaco_Basket in the second game @LeNaturel_05 put on a show in the second half! #EveryGameMatters pic.twitter.com/t1LAVhQSPy
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) April 23, 2022
At the same time, to build a competitive team, Monaco has gradually strengthened its workforce, securing the services of players from other major French clubs (Amara Sy from Asvel in 2015, Paul Lacombe from Strasbourg in 2017 …) or American headliners, such as DJ Cooper (2015-2018), or Mike James, a great architect of the Euroleague campaign this season, elected MVP of the month of March.
As a result, Monaco has continued to aim ever higher on the court. Since its rise in 2015, the team has gone downhill, season after season, seeking higher and higher goals. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, the Roca Team finished top of the Betclic Elite regular season. At the same time, it becomes the first team to win three consecutive Leaders Cup (competition between the first eight after the first legs). In 2019, Monaco discovered the Eurocoupe, the small European cup, where it qualified for the quarter-finals, before the competition was suspended due to the pandemic.
Never mind, the following season, Monaco will seek the final victory to everyone’s surprise. “As soon as there was a possibility of having a full season in the Eurocup… Bam, European champions!”laughs Amara Sy. “On and off the pitch, the club has gradually adapted and integrated its experience to seek ever higher goals”he adds.
Thanks to this coronation, the Roca Team opens the doors of the Euroleague, the most prestigious European competition, which operates on the principle of the almost closed league. Not impressed, Monaco finished in the top 8 of the regular season and qualified for the playoffs, a first for a French club for twenty-one years. “The progression is continuous, nothing was given to them on a plate, they went to seek their victories themselves”congratulate Ali Traoré.
Now two games away from qualifying for the Final Four, the club has no limits, and wants to continue to amaze. For Amara Sy, anything can happen: “It would be surreal, but we are getting used to Monaco, this team always manages to surprise.”