“I’m thrilled. It’s a dream job for me. I hope that in perspective of five years, the Phoenix Suns will be able to say this was a special day for them, too.”
Coach Igor Kokoškov shared his impressions and expectations during his first press conference as Suns’ head coach:
“I have to say thank you to Ryan McDonough and his staff, for having the courage to go with a young… Relatively young. I wouldn’t compliment myself, calling myself ‘young’. (smiles) But a rookie coach, international coach, foreign coach.
It really takes courage. It puts more not (just) pressure, but also expectations to prove them right.
I’ll give my best to prepare myself and the team for all the challenges ahead of us. I really feel it’s a special day; coming home. Being on TV in June is a special thing. We wanna be on TV in June.”
(on being head coach): “It’s different; when you’re copiloting and piloting. You think you can fly the plane, but it’s different. I learned a lot making my own mistakes. I grew as a coach, being in all these different (international and NBA) programs. “
(on the upcoming drafts): “As a coach I’m not spoiled. Your job is to build from what you have in front of you. I don’t complain; love what I have.”