Marko Simonovic, who played for Unicaja and captained Estrella Roja, has highly praised the Serbian club's decision to hire coach Ibon Navarro. Simonovic, familiar with Navarro's methods from attending training sessions in Málaga, stated that the Vitoria-born coach is "a proven coach who truly has his own system and demonstrates it year after year."
The former Serbian player expressed surprise that Navarro hadn't had a EuroLeague opportunity sooner, highlighting his "great results" with the Málaga-based club. Simonovic particularly emphasized the coach's "group management," noting that he "creates chemistry within the team" and that "players enjoyed being there, enjoyed everything they did, and believed in the system."
Simonovic described Navarro as "a very good tactician, he knows how to approach the game and how to get the most out of the team," adding that "he will come here motivated and with great ambition." He stressed that Navarro's teams have a "recognizable identity" and that he enjoys "tactically competing with rival coaches."
Furthermore, Simonovic took the opportunity to reflect on the lack of stability at Estrella Roja, criticizing the "constant changes of coaches" and advocating for the need to "trust him and support him" to build a system. "I don't think the problem lies solely with the coaches," he stated, defending coaches "with a proven track record."
“"He is a truly great professional and an extremely dedicated person to basketball"
Simonovic expressed his conviction that Estrella Roja has acquired one of the "most solid coaches in the European scene in recent years."
