Javier Gancedo spoke with the Ukrainian guard in this week's EuroCup interview
Issuf Sanon, Slask: 'I have been missing these referees'
Interviews
12 Mins read
Slask Wroclaw has been one of this season’s biggest surprises in the BKT EuroCup. After posting a combined 6-46 record from 2021 to 2024, the team is now 3–4 in Group A and riding a three-game home winning streak.
Their latest victory came in Round 7, a 92–81 win over Veolia Towers Hamburg, led by 19 points and 5 assists from playmaker Issuf Sanon. The Ukrainian guard returned to the EuroCup this season after a year away, taking on a leading role with Slask.
Sanon previously debuted in the EuroCup with Prometey Slobozhanske, helping the club reach the 2023 semifinals. Now with Slask, he’s averaging 11.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in six games, coming off the bench for about 21 minutes per night.
Surprisingly, there’s one thing he especially missed during his year away from the competition: the referees. As he explained in this EuroCupBasketball.com interview, he has become one of their biggest fans.
Q: Hello, Issuf. First of all, congratulations on beating Hamburg. This is your third win at home. What did you do well this time?
“I think we just had to stick to our game plan and just do what Coach asked. But the main thing is that we just have to focus on our main offensive skills and just do what we can do the best. I think we are more offensive-minded than defensive, but we still have to play defense.
“And if we are talking about this game with Hamburg, I think we really stuck to the plan and just did what we do best: run and score the easiest points. So I think that was the main key.”
Q: You already won three games at home. Winning on the road is the next step for Slask. How do you take the good things you're doing at home and apply them on the road?
“I think we have to be focused for 40 minutes because if you can see our games, sometimes we focus for 30 minutes, 25, 22 — not 40 minutes. So we are losing some focus and that’s how our opponents got us.
“At the end of the day, we just need to be focused and stick to the plan that Coach gives us before the game. And I think we are going to be good. Make it simple, like everybody is saying.
“We were not focused early in the game against Aris; I think we started 23–5 or something. We were down by 20–25 and in the last five minutes, it was minus seven. We started playing too late and our opponents kept going. If we manage to be focused from the first minute to the last minute, for exactly 40 minutes, that will be the main key for us.”
Q: Let's talk about Polish basketball. The national team has done well in many competitions but the clubs struggle a bit. Now that you’ve been there for a few months, what do you think?
“Well, the players that do big things in their national team are not playing in Poland, so that is one of the main factors. Most of their main players probably play outside of Poland. If you check the games, you would say the main guys who lead the team, I think all of them play outside.
“Even with that, I would say the Polish League is kind of an underrated championship because everybody thinks Poland is a weak basketball country. But if you come here and play, you will find it is completely the opposite, because the guys out here play physical, they play strong. People who have never been here think it’s easy, but it isn’t.”
Q: After two years of EuroCup experience and a strong season with VEF Riga, did you join Slask to take on a leading role?
“Yes, exactly. That’s why I came here, and also because Coach Bagatskis is my basketball father, I can put it like that. We have known each other for 8–9 years already, I can’t even count it. It has been a long time.
“I knew that if I signed here, I would be one of the first options in the team, and well, Coach knows me and I know him. Like I said, we have known each other for a long time — it is easy to adapt to each other. I think these two things were the most critical ones in my decision.”
Q: How was the experience with Prometey — playing in Riga, reaching the semifinals, and meeting Ukrainian fans along the way?
“I would say it’s the best team I have ever played for because of our mentality, the team’s chemistry — what we had as a team… I never experienced anything like that.
“I hope one day I will come back to the team and experience it again because the vibe out there, how we understood each other, how we moved… man, it was something. I don’t even know how to describe it.
“I never felt like that. I just had to look at my teammate to understand exactly what he was going to do. And this is a great situation for a player like me who is always trying to learn.
“I think those were my best two years because I learned a lot from the guys and the coaches: how to win, how to be a good player and how to play around good players. When you are around good players, you don’t have to be selfish. In Prometey, I had to spread the floor, share the ball and help my teammates.
“It was a very good experience that I would never trade. If someone had asked me back then if I wanted to go to another team, I would say ‘hell no.’ I definitely wanted to stay there and experience all of that. It was unbelievable, man. Unbelievable.”
Q: You face Bahcesehir at home this week. How big of a test is this for Slask?
“I wouldn’t say it is a test for us. Like you said, the last time we played EuroCup, it wasn’t that good. We expect to do way more than we did two years ago.
“We have a big goal, which is improving game by game. This game is another chance for us to show what we are about.”
Q: You were away from the EuroCup for a year. What did you miss most about the competition?
“Referees, man! There is a high level of referees. I have been playing a lot in other competitions. I want to humbly say that the referees out there need to learn a lot of things. I am being humble — please put it like that. I am saying it humbly and in a good way.
“They still need to learn a lot because the way they call games out there, man… you know, after some games, I wanted to quit. You work your ass off to do some things and a referee tells me that I am too strong and this is why he is not giving me calls. Because I am too strong! Come on, man.
“So yeah, EuroCup referees are high-level guys. They are not judging, but refereeing. Some referees judge. They say, ‘I think it is not.’ This is not about what you think — we have a book of rules. You just have to do what’s in the rules. Don’t tell me, ‘I think…’. I don’t care what you think, I want it like it is in the rules. If it is a foul, it is a foul and if it isn’t, it isn’t.
“For me, that was the most painful thing. I am kind of emotional because for me, referees are the main thing — they run the game, and if they make three or five bad calls, the opposite team can be frustrated and not understand how to play.
“If you play well and do everything but the referees call dumb-ass fouls, it just ruins the game. So yes: referees. I would say one thing — r-e-f-e-r-e-e-s — and that’s it.”
Q: I’m sure the EuroCup referees will appreciate the love…
“I am just being honest! I was in the EuroCup for two years, got out one year, and man, I have been missing these referees. You can see how I come to them each time before the games. I hug them, almost kiss them. I am being serious, man.
“For me, it is really a big blessing when I see these guys. Even when they make mistakes, they will come and say, ‘Hey man, I made a mistake, we are all human.’ And for me, as a man, this is the most important. If he didn’t call a foul and says, ‘Hey man, maybe it is a foul but I missed it.’ Thank you! It is always good to hear!
“Because I can’t really play basketball when the referees do the opposite of what they are supposed to do.”
Q: Coach Bagatskis was a great shooter as a player. How does that influence the way he coaches?
“One million percent! He has been inside the kitchen and understands what to do. I think anybody who really understands basketball can see that he knows basketball at a high level.
“He has a different mentality, different thoughts. And I think it has really helped us understand what he wants because, being a former player, it is easier for him to tell us what to do than some other coach who just reads the books. They have never been inside the kitchen and it is difficult for them to understand how to talk to players and how to explain certain things to some guys.
“So yes, I would say it is easy to see that he played high-level basketball before and understands the game.”
Q: Slask has many fast, athletic players who fit your style. How fun is it for you to play for this team?
“I think they’re really underrated. They just need some time to show everyone that they belong at this level and what they’re capable of. In a couple of years, I’m sure they’ll be somewhere in the EuroLeague and making a big impact.
“And yes, this is why I’m here and why I do what I do. For me, leading this team has been the main priority – just being the leader and showing it. For me, it’s basic. I don’t overthink it, and I’m not focused on anything other than doing my job. But at the end of the day, like you said, it’s about leading the team and being one of the first guys out there showing everyone how things should be done and in what way.
“So yes, for me it’s not about fun – it’s just the basics. This is why I came here. I wasn’t really excited; I just have a goal, and I’m taking it game by game, that’s it.”