Last night in Prizren, KB Drita was declared the winner of the First League Cup.
In the final, the team from Gjilan defeated Proton Cable Prizren with the score 106 - 88.
In this success for the white-and-blue club, coach Dritëro Sefaja undoubtedly had a big hand.
Sefaja only joined Drita at the end of December, and immediately put her hands on a trophy.
In an interview with Express newspaper, Sefaja told what convinced her to join the Drita club.
"I decided to join the Drita Basketball Club in the middle of the season, at the end of December, because I believed in the project the club was building. The club is being led by a group of serious and dedicated people, so I saw it as a good opportunity to contribute to the team," he initially told "Express".
Furthermore, coach Sefaja told "Express" that this is a shared achievement, and that it is an honor for him to lead a club like Drita.
"We won the cup yesterday and it's natural that I'm very happy for this victory, but at the same time humbled by this success, because it was a joint achievement. Everyone gave their maximum for this triumph. Everyone played for the team - the players, the staff, everyone gave their contribution," he said, when talking about the triumph in the First League Cup.
"For the club, this is a very big success because it was achieved as a team. In recent years, they have not had great successes, and the city and its fans needed a little hope and positive energy for the future of basketball in the city. For me as a coach, it is always an honor to serve in one of the oldest clubs in the country. So yes, it is a great achievement for all of us," added Sefaja.
When asked if he had expected such success at the beginning of his career at Drita, he said that even though there were difficulties and little time available, he believed in the quality of his players.
"Considering that I took over the team in a very short time, it wasn't exactly easy. We had a lot of new players coming from different teams, and I, as a coach, came from a different environment, so we had to adapt to each other very quickly," he continued.
"It was challenging in such a short time to get all the boys involved in playing based on the game strategy, principles and rules that I thought were right for our team. The team has a lot of talent and I personally believed that we had the quality to win the cup, but the competition was very strong. The opponent in the final was a very good team and, to be honest, even if they won the match, it wouldn't be a surprise," he added, also praising the opponent's performance in the final.
"Therefore, victory was possible and credible, but not guaranteed. We are very happy that we did it and I hope that this success will give us strength and self-confidence in the continuation of the championship," he concluded, regarding last night's success.
With ten regular season matches played, Drita is in seventh place in the First League. Sefaja also spoke about Drita's goals for this edition and said that "normally every team aims for the Super League."
"As for our goals, we are currently in seventh place in the Men's First League out of nine teams, while only six teams go to the playoffs, so our first objective is to enter the playoffs," he said at the beginning, regarding this topic.
"As a team, we strive to achieve this goal week after week and move step by step towards the next success. Our biggest focus is always on the next opponent and the goal is to win each match one by one. Normally, we want to be ranked as high as possible in the table, so that we can have more home field advantage during the 'playoffs'. Every team aims for the Super League, and we are no exception. It will not be easy, but as long as we continue to adapt to the challenges that come our way during the season, I believe we will be fine", he added.
"Since day one we have had obstacles and we have constantly tried to adapt. So far we have done good work and if we continue with this approach, I believe that the end will be positive for us," he said.
Drita unfortunately cannot play in the Gjilan city gym, "Bashkim Selishta – Petriti", because it is being renovated. Thus, the Gjilan club is being forced to move to other cities.
Sefaja himself spoke about this, saying that this makes the work even more difficult for them.
"Of course, the lack of our gym makes the job more difficult. Everything would be easier if we played the games at home, in front of our fans. Unfortunately, the gym is under renovation, and this is one of the challenges I have talked about before, where we have had to constantly adapt to difficult circumstances," said Sefaja.
"We try to accept every situation that comes our way and make the most of it. Without a doubt, it would be much easier to play in front of our audience and with the energy that the city's 'Intellectuals' fans give us, because this city loves basketball. But until the gym is finished, we have to continue adapting and playing games in different gyms," the coach added.
Finally, Sefaja gave a message to the fans and citizens of Gjilan.
"As for the message to the fans and citizens, what I can promise is that we are giving our best every day to return the team to where it belongs. We are working hard as a group, with the aim of bringing KB Drita back to the Super League and bringing joy back to basketball fans in the city of Gjilan. We are optimistic that at the end of the season, together with our fans, we will have achieved our objective," Sefaja concluded for "Express".
After ten matches in the First League this season, Drita has four wins and six losses./Express newspaper/
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