In cell 33 of AEK, Platha

Stefanos Makris wrote all about Juan Plata a few hours ago.

All or almost all, because apart from the coach Plata there is also the man Juan (as his name is pronounced in the Catalan language), so to speak, the one who hides (but is often revealed) under the suit or training uniform …

I mean this, because besides the appeal in the posts, the vulnerability of the Stretch-4, the focus on goalkeepers who put the ball on the ground and the demanding approach to defense, the new AEK coach is also famous for many other things that define him as a character and affirm his position in life.

Oh, lest I forget: it is certainly interesting and to the credit of targeting the federation that, contrary to what has been happening lately in football, Spanish coaches are not frequent sponsors of Greek basketball.

Square and library

Xavi Pascual opened the way for Panathinaikos, followed by Luis Casimiro for Prometheus, then Kouros Segoura (Ionikos, AEK) arrived and now Platha is poking his nose with anticipation of the growth and upgrade of the yellow and black… square.

I am writing this because that is what his last name (plaza) means in Greek…

The appointment of the Catalan coach lands AEK in extraordinary trouble and additional expenses: not because Platha will order rabbits with petrels to fill his roster, but because KAE will have to take care of buying them a library, which cannot be the case. Blank walls are covered as wallpaper and decoration!

which I mean;

Plata is what we call a soul man, in fact he is a double ax!

That is, he is not limited to the role of a reader … a bibliophile and the owner of a huge, invaluable collection of publications, but also the author of books that, except for his professed love, have nothing to do with basketball. of poetry.

Writer, you learn!

Of course, AEK hired him and would pay him to pick the right players, make the right plans and lead the team to success, not to organize a book fair, but that’s not a bad idea either!

Wake up blankets

What is certain is that the novel he wrote in 201, in the middle of his tenure at Unicaja Málaga, would be very useful if at some point he realized that his players were playing as if they were asleep!

the reason; It’s titled “Despertar a tiempos,” which means “get up early”!

However, I don’t know what kind of app he first published in 2006 called “Las Mantas de Angelina” (“Angelina’s Blankets”), because if players also need weighted blankets to enjoy their sleep, well, put the boat away then!

Easy Rider and Prisons

In addition to the books, the 60-year-old coach is also a version of Phil Jackson: he’s also an “Easy Rider” (like the 11-time NBA champ) who rides and cruises in a Harley-Davidson.

Just kidding, in addition to elements of Jackson, there are also elements of Michael Malone in him: the latter has nothing to do with his love of motorcycles, but with the fact that – like the Nuggets’ three-day coronation coach – he has a job as a prison clerk!

Yes, in order to secure a living and help his large family, Mubarakin left his father and got a job in Al-Jeda Prison, even beating a card there for 14 years in a row!

Of course, all of this was captured and written here by Niki Pacoli, on January 18, 2014, making his own in an even and unusual way, at an unexpected (for Greek basketball) time.

The two taboos he broke

Motorcycle saddles, library racks and prison cells made for a defining figure, but at the end of the day Plata is still a coach, and he already has two European Cup titles under his belt, winning them in 2007 with Real Madrid and in 2017 with Unicaja Malaga.

Is this again?

Plata, despite being of Catalan origin, broke a taboo and claimed to sit on the bench at Real Madrid for four seasons, one as an assistant and three as a head coach!

Defying the introversion with which Spanish coaches are more or less judged – and at a time when such options are scarce – Plata dared to break other taboos…

He is the referee who dared to cross the borders of his homeland and sit on the bench first at Zalgiris Kaunas (2012-13), then Zenit St. Petersburg (2018-2020) and now AEK.

One thing is for sure: we won’t get bored with him!