Ukraine and the Czar

Check out my HoopsHype interview about coaching Ukraine at the 2013 EuroBasket!

VETERAN FRATELLO STILL GOING STRONG (IN EUROPE)

Who called you to become the head coach of the Ukraine basketball team?

MF: The call came from Sasha Volkov, now the president of the Ukraine Basketball Federation. He played for me with the Atlanta Hawks. The heart and soul of international basketball to the NBA, Kim Bohuny, knows Sasha very well and she got a call from Sasha. Sasha said ‘Hey Kim, do you think Mike would be interested in coaching the National Team?’ Then Kim called me and I said ‘Let’s talk about it.’

How did it feel that a former player of yours called you so many years later to offer you the job?

MF: It was a great honor. I have a very special feeling for Sasha. He’s a very special person to me because when he came over to the United States I felt for him because of how difficult it was for a young man to come to the United States, a man from the Soviet Union.  Read more…