EXCLUSIVE, LEO WESTERMANN: Bogdan was always running up the stairs for punishment! I want to come back to Partizan!

The Covid-19 situation is getting under control. As in Serbia, the same is in Turkey. Former BC Partizan playmaker Leo Westermann plays in Istanbul, for Fenerbahce.

French national team basketball player, we called during his stay in his Bosphorus appartment, where hi is enjoying family life, which is not so common for professional athletes.

Just to remind you, we already had a big interview with his best friend Joffrey Lauvergne...

... and now the time has come to speak to Leo, too!

How did you spend your time during quarantine? Discovered any skills or hobby maybe?

- I spend time during self-isolation with my family, wife, daughter and son who was born a month ago, I dedicate most of my time and attention to my daughter who will soon turn 5 and as she started school, she has classes, I became her teacher, which is something new for me and I have to admit I really like it, we have different classes every day, we study, practice, I really like all this because I can dedicate myself to my family 24/7, because during the season it is not possible because of all the trips and matches which we have, but certainly in these difficult times we must find positive things.

How much did you enjoy spending time with your family, you have to admit not expecting that you would have free time during seasons/ career to be 100% with your closest ones.

- As I told you, that’s something I’m not used to as a basketball player, except the summer and I don't really have time to dedicate 100% to my family, I actually only have summer, and this gave me the opportunity to be with them non stop, especially with my son, and during the season I couldn’t spend this much time with him, and I’m very grateful for that.

How are you beloved ones in France?

- I miss my family and friends very much, because they are in France, my mother is a nurse, so she was in the middle of the infection all these months, everyone is good, but this will be a long process for all of us to get everything back to normal.

Is is hard to stay in shape during this quarantine?

- It is very difficult to stay in shape, from the age of 5 when I started to train basketball, the ball was always by my side, I shot, every week, and now I haven't touched it for a month, we can always run and practice, but nothing can replace the court and the feeling of ball. During quarantine, it is very important to take care of nutrition and your body, and do some things that you can't do during the season, I work a lot on stretching and mobility, I even bought a apartment bike, I made also weight room in my apartment so I could work out, but basketball is specific, it is not like running or swimming.

How much it helped you that you and Joffrey are in the same town?

- Jo and I are best friends, he is a godfather to my daughter, we even now live in the same building, he lives upstairs above me, and that's great, we can see each other all the time or add to each other when we runs out of eggs or flour (hahahahaha), or some things for the house, I'm especially glad he's here because he spends a lot of time with my daughter, which means a lot to me, I'm grateful to play with him again, honestly when we both left Partizan, I didn't even think we would play in a club together again, but here we are.

You’ve been trained by one of the greatest basketball coaches, what is difference in the working methods of Vujosevic and Obradovic?

- As much as they are similar, they are so different, each coach has his own vision of the game and how to guide the player, the two of them are very special and that makes them the greatest coaches, they are from the same Serbian school, Aleksandar Nikolic, I really enjoy to play with them.

Duško gave his players books to read, which one made the biggest impact on you personally, or in your career?

- Yes, he did, I especially liked this one, "Thought for myself", and I have to mention Ivo Andrić, those books left a strong impression on me, in addition to books, he also gave us music and movies.

Is there anything from Vujosevic’s trainings that you remember the most?

- Those were beautiful years for me, it was very difficult, honestly if I have to go through all those trainings again, I probably wouldn't enjoy them as much as I did, but each team has its own way of working, all the players were in their 20s, and we knew that we would fight against strong teams in Europe, so we had to work hard, it was just benefit for us we really enjoyed back then as a team because we really liked each others, I really enjoyed to play with each teammate, chouching stuff, presidenti, it was great atmosphere during the year, and with the fans escecially, I have to repeat, it was difficult, Dule was really strict with us, but I think that helped us all to make further progress.

Who had the hardest time with Vujosevic’s spartan methods in trainings?

- Bogdan and Bertans, especially Bogdan, because Dule saw the potential in him, and he forced him to work really hard, practicing a lot, I remember that Bogdan ran up the stairs non-stop, every time if he speaks in training, he had to run for 10 minutes up the stairs of the Pionir, which is not easy at all, because stairs go so high. I used to do it, but Bogdan did it non-stop, and his every step was watched carefully because there was no room for mistakes.

Can you tell as an anecdote from your time in Partizan we never heard before?

- I think it was 2012, maybe in November we played against Red Star, it was my first derby, and they beat us, but really, they were much better than us at that moment, so we went to the locker rooms, Dule was very angry, he knocked down the table, and every time he went to the door he would kick them, even the mirror that was on the door broke, then I realized that there is no joke when we play a derby, that it is something above basketball, something I'm not used to in France- And I was in the position that we had to beat Zvezda, after the match ended, we had to watch a video of the match for three hours, and our training was at 6 in the morning, so we only slept for 2 hours. We came to the arena, and we had to run, I don't even know how much, some players had to vomit, it was very difficult, I think this made us work better at each subsequent training, and when we were eliminated from EL 2012, then we only had one game a week, we all started to train stronger than ever, something woke up in us, we were all in great shape, so we just won the ABA league, and we played with Zvezda in the playoffs, at the end of the season when everyone is tired, we felt like nothing can stop us.

What makes Zeljko Obradovic different from other coaches?

- A lot of things, he has everything he needs to become what he is, the greatest coach in Europe, he has character, charisma, desire to win, even in addition to 9 Euroleague titles, he has the attitude that he didn't even win them, big desire to play, to break the limit, it is amazing, he is a very dedicated coach, he was also a great player so he understands us players, so he has all the tools to be the greatest. I won't even talk about tactics, he is a genius, he has understanding for us players, he is surrounded by good assistant coaches, whom he trusts and knows they will work hard.

Who was the best in PES, you’ve been playing in Joffrey’s apartment in Belgrade?

- A-ha-ha, at that moment we really didn't play PES, there was just no time for it, we worked very hard, we go to trainings, eat, sleep, and repait, it was our chance to become great players through work, so we made the most of it.

What do you think about coach Andrea Trinchieri and Partizan’s participation in this year’s Eurocup?

- In general, Partizan is moving forward, Trinki is a great coach, they have a good selection of players, I think they are very good, we played before the start of the season and even then it could be felt that this will be a good season for them. I don't know what will happen with the season, but they were definitely absolute favorites to win the Eurocup, as well as the ABA league. I watched a lot of their games this season, they are very good, I see that the fans recognized that, and it's really enjoyable to watch them and the atmosphere funs were making was great.

Is there any possibility that you come back to Partizan in some point?

- You never know what the day brings, everyone knows that I really enjoyed it while I was at Partizan,so why not. I am currently here, in Fenerbahce, where I am happy, but anything is possible, even for my return!

While you played for the French national team, you played against Serbian national team, I specifically mean at the match for third place at EuroBasket 2015. Where there some mixed emotions, because you played against some former teammates from Partizan?

- Honestly, I was very happy that we won third place, but I was glad to see them, Bogdan, Dragan, Lucic, I was sorry that they lost, but I was happy for myself, but in the end, most important is that we all managed to play for our national teams on the high level, and for the 3th place is not a small thing.

You play the same position as the legendary Tony Parker, what was like learning from him while you were playing for France?

- Honestly, I enjoyed it the most when I was 19, then we also played together, it meant a lot to me then, I was young, and I could see what real professionalism is, the way he talks to his teammates, it all helped me In the national team we did not have that much space to practice, because the schedules were mostly dense.

Which of your former teammates form Partizan do you hear the most with?

- Every day I hear with Lučić and Milosavljević, they have become very close friends of mine, I hear a lot with Bogdan, Milutinov as well, but Gagi and Luca are very close to me.

Partizan have not won the ABA league since 2013, when you were In the club, do you remember the semifinals in 2014? Does it still hurts you?

- That 2013 was great, at the beginning, Zvezda was beating us, they won the Cup, they beat us at the home court, they really smash us, but we worked very hard as a team, we went through all this difficult moments, to finally get ABA leauge, so the whole year was amazing, and it all came back, you know that in 2014, I got injured, it was very hard, I saw my teammates on the floor, disappointed, and that just shows how dedicated we all were and what desire it was to win the ABA league. But this is why we love basketball so much, emotion can go so high, and so low.

Why did Partizan grown so close to your heart?

- They always treated me like I was a Serb, and that meant a lot to me. When you feel that you are part of the people, a club with tradition, you can't but turn back that love. Everyone from the club invited me to family lunches, for the holidays, I really felt like part of the community. Something I especially remember, when I was very emotional, a documentary was being made about Partizan, Danilović gave a statement and said: "When I see Leo and Joffrey, I don't see them as French, I see them as Serbs", and that was something deep for me. The emotion I had as a player, and especially with the fans, I don't think I'll feel it again. I have to say I'm lucky to have had the opportunity to feel it on my skin, but when you feel that kind of emotion, as a player you hope to to feel again, it is something very special.

What was the hardest moment in your career?

- When I had to leave CSKA, when I came, that was a place where I hoped it was possible to win the Euroleague, they were in the Final Four every year, and my wish was to win the EL sometime in my career, so I came there., I had serious injury, where I could lose a leg, so I could not train for sure 3.4 months, when I came back I played I have to say very well, and during the match with Khimki, I got injured again, this time back, and I had to have surgery, so they decided not to keep me in the team, which was very painful, because of the injury I couldn't achieve my biggest goal. But you know, this is business, I completely understand CSKA, and why they didn't keep me, they said with all these injuries, I will not be able to return to the level I played at, and I have to admit, I took this very personally, it was difficult for me, but again I have a great relationship with the coach and the club president. I really enjoyed being there, and I was very sad when I left, and they won the EL a year after that. It's not easy.

In which period you were most satisfied with you game?

- Last year, as I told you, once you experience emotions like I experienced in Partizan, you always look for some similar ones that will guide you, and I must admit that I experienced them last year, I played very well, Zalgiris then reached the playoffs, we finished with 6 wins in a row, and we get to EL playoff. I was feeling geat, I played well, the fans recognized it, the whole city recognized our work. There was a big wake up of the fans, when we played away, all the bars were full, everyone was watching our games. They really like to support their team, I really enjoyed being there, they are not messing around with basketball. I stayed in a very good relationship with the players and the coach.

Who is your favorite teammate from Fenerbahçe?

- I don’t have favoutite teammate, of course Jo is my best friend, and I’m so lucky to play with him. Nando is also here, my daughter goes to the same school with his, our wife’s are very good, so we spend a lot of time together, playing cards, etc. But I have to mentonion Jan as well, we go to famillys dinner, playing games, and we have this Serbian connection, also there is Kalinić, so im hanging out with them the most, Kalina, Jan, Nando and Jo. But I have to say all the teammates are great with me - said Leo Westermann exclusively for Espreso.co.rs.

Bonus video:

(Emilija Jovanović and Aleksa Radosavljević)