Daniel Dimevski: We′ll give maximum support to any new project

Daniel Dimevski is the chairman of Macedonian basketball federation in recent years. He gave a special interview for EUROHOLD Balkan League in which he spoke about the season in Macedonian league, about the Macedonian teams in the competitoin, about the national team and about the new projects of the managament:   - How do you rate the season so far in Macedonian championship?
- This season we have a very interesting championship with some very good teams. The quality has improved compared to the last season and this is also in part due to our teams participation in European competitions, including EUROHOLD Balkan League. Now we have ahead the National Cup and then the Superleague. There will be a lot of interesting matches and a lot of unknows until the end because the difference that was between MZT Skopje and the other teams is now not so big and I believe there will be a lot of derby matches and unknowns.   - In last year′s edition of the Cup finals Kumanovo and Kozuv played a great semifinal and the final for MZT wasn′t easy as well. Do you expect the same thing once again?
- This year I even expect better result and better attendance because we play in Ohrid. This is a beautiful city and people are hardly expecting the finals to start because there is no other sports event. The system of Final 8 means that the best teams will come so there will be some quality matches so people will have a lot to see.
- You have a new national coach in Aleksandar Djikic. Why did you choose him and what are your expectations?
- We are very happy for reaching an agreement with Djikic. He is a Serbian coach with great CV and there aren′t a lot of people with such a good CV. He is a person who has won the Eurocup, one of the first European coaches that worked in the NBA and for two years was at the helm of junior national team of Serbia. He is coach who is working in the region which means that he knows very well our players, their mentality, language and everything else. He is still young and ambitious and is hungry for new success. I think we made a good choice and the results will show whether we were right or not.
- Some of your old star players quit the national team. Are you happy with the young generation and the players that will enter the team now?
- The first goal of the new coach is to qualify the team for Eurobasket 2015. In the same time though his goal also is to include some younger players in the roster and this has to be done in the same time. He is very well known for his work with young players which means he is a coach that like to works with youngsters and works a lot. We have some very talanted young players that play in countries like Spain and Turkey and I believe that they will enter in the first team and this will be the start of their long road in it.
- Kumanovo and Kozuv are once again playing in EUROHOLD Balkan League. Are you happy with their performance and what do you think of the competition this season?
- I feel very glad that Macedonia keeps sending quality teams to EUROHOLD Balkan League which is useful for both sides. I think that they brought quality to the tourmanent, brought full gyms and from the other side the clubs gained an international experience they lacked before. This is a win-win situation which is good for everybody. I′m glad that both teams showed the desire to play for second straight year in the competition which is a very important indication. I can see that this season both teams are playing better which means that they have won something from their participation. I think that EUROHOLD Balkan League is ideal for such teams that are looking for internatiional games, that are ambitious and are looking for international affirmation. The league and this kind of clubs have the same goals and I think it′s a good platform to build on for the future.
- You spoke to the management of the league about the new projects of youth and women Balkan League. What do you think about them?
- Those are fantastic projects. If they can be realized, and I sincerely hopes this will happen, we as always will give the maximum support. The support will not only be verbal but also we′ll help in every way so this can become a reality. The system in EUROHOLD Balkan League this season is more interesting and this is a serious competition. I know that it′s not easy to be organized but so far it goes very well. The teams in the tournament are well balanced and there is not an exceptionally good one nor an exceptionally bad one. I think that the Final 4 this season will probably be the best in the history of the competition. As a president of the Macedonian federation I would like that it will be held in Macedonia.
- You have some young referees officiating in the competition. Are you happy with their performance?
- This also is one very good side of EUROHOLD Balkan League. Those referees that get nominations in European competiton gain new experience which we, as directors of Macedonian basketball, can feel in the local league. In this way the referees go out more secured, with more experience and show good level.
- We are still in the beginning of 2014. What do you wish for the year ahead?
- For this year first of all I wish a good health to all of us and to continue to see each other as until now or perhaps even more often. I hope that on the sports court we′ll be able to fulfil the goals we have set which means a qualificationn for Eurobasket 2015. This is what I wish to everybody in Bulgaria as well - I hope that we′ll see the Bulgarian national team at Eurobasket 2015 and I hope we′ll be able to play in more good competition, to watch our teams and to live with them.