Intro

Alturino: 00:00 – 0:08

What’s up, Gators? Welcome back to another episode of The Chomp. Today, I’m joined by Alex Gilat, SFSU men’s assistant basketball coach. Alex, my man, how are you doing? 

Interview

Gilat: 0:09 – 0:10

I’m good. Thanks for having me on. 

Alturino: 00:10 – 00:19

Of course. All right, so let’s just start to go all the way back, man. How did you first start playing basketball? What’s your origin story with basketball?

Gilat: 00:20 – 00:53

When I was 8 years old, I was at home. I was speaking with my parents, and I wanted to invest my time in a team sport. Growing up playing tennis and swimming, just sports that young kids do. And I got to a point where I just wanted to be a part of a team. And we looked at every single sport in the area. We even tried handball and American football because that was not anywhere in England.

00:53 – 01:09

Then it got to a point where I was like, “Dad, you used to play basketball when you were younger, right?” He was like, “oh, yeah.” Found a team close by, started playing, fell in love with it. And I had dreams to play at the college level ever since I really got into the sport.

Alturino: 01:10 – 01:17

That’s fire, yeah. So, just tell me about how it is playing overseas. You started in Serbia, correct, right? Started in Serbia, then Czech Republic. Tell me how that was. 

Gilat: 01:18 – 01:45

It was different. When I was growing up, the area that I was playing basketball in, it wasn’t very advanced. So, I didn’t feel like I was developing as well and as fast as I should. And also because of the resources, they’re just not as available as they are in other countries. So, when the opportunity arised to go to Belgrade in Serbia, I went there for two years. 

01:46 – 02:15

It was intense. Two, three practices a day and really focusing and honing on the fundamentals and playing the game the right way. And after two years there, I made a jump to an academy that has a reputation for sending players to America. So, I went to that academy and, I mean, it got me where I am now. So, it did exactly what it needed to do.

Alturino: 02:15 – 02:22

Elaborate more on the difference between playing overseas and playing here in America. What’s the big difference that you see immediately when you first came here, especially?

Gilat: 02:23 – 02:49

I will say, I’ve noticed at our level, Division II, it’s obviously different than playing in Europe, but it’s a lot similar to what people may think. Division I, NBA, pros and even high school is very different because it’s a lot faster. It’s a lot faster, kids are some freak athletes over here. 

02:50 – 03:17

Same thing in the NBA, there’s unbelievable athletes as well as Division I. So really, the athleticism and speed is the biggest difference. And also in Europe, obviously, it’s more basketball and playing it the right way, whereas here, it’s very entertainment-focused. That’s the biggest difference.

Alturino: 03:17 – 03:31

I see exactly what you mean, because you have guys like Jokic and Luka, how the way they play is very technical, very slow-paced. But they get the job done. Here, you have guys like LeBron, they just zoom past you and go straight to the bucket.

Gilat: 03:32 – 03:34

That’s also because of the rules in the NBA. 

Alturino: 03:34 – 03:38

Yeah, explain that, the rule changes.

Gilat: 03:38 – 04:11

I mean, there’s just a few rules that are different between the NBA and FIBA rules in Europe. And one of them is, in defense, you can stay in the paint. Here, there’s a three-second violation, so there’s no paint. The paint isn’t getting cloaked. So there’s space for guys to make straight-line drives, and they’re athletic enough to make an athletic play. And that’s where you get your views, your entertainment.

Alturino: 04:12 – 04:20

I can’t even imagine having Wemby, 7-foot-4, just staying in the paint the whole game. There’s no layups, nothing like that.

Gilat: 04:20 – 04:24

No, and in Europe, you can also hit the ball out of the rim.

Alturino: 04:25 – 04:27

Oh, so there’s no offensive interference or goaltending or anything like that?

Gila:t 04:28 – 04:36

No. So you can hit if the ball is on the rim, you can hit it off. So, yeah, if Wemby is in the paint.

Alturino: 04:36 – 04:41

He can just grab it and hit it off. And the ball is different too, right? The ball?

Gilat: 04:41 – 04:48

I mean, it’s a different shape, but it’s the same size. I mean, different shape as in like the lines. It’s the same size.

Alturino: 04:48 – 04:55

I mean, how did you get recruited to the Gators? Tell me that experience. Did Coach Inglima reach out to you personally, or what was that experience like?

Gilat: 04:55 – 05:35

That’s a great story. I was in the Czech Republic at the time. It was my third year there. I was 18. I was technically doing a prep year. It’s the equivalent of doing a prep year over here in America. I was trying to get recruited. I was trying to achieve my dreams of playing college basketball in the U.S. It was really difficult because that was when the second wave of COVID just hit. That was October 2020. Yeah. I’m pretty sure that was the second wave. 

05:36 – 06:08

It was a wave. I don’t know which one. It hit and after three games during our season, our season was cut. So we had no season. And that was the year that I’d really grown into my body and was ready to take on a bigger role and prove myself that I can play at the next level. Unfortunately, my first three games, I didn’t play up to par, didn’t do close to enough to get enough film to send in to coaches. So I didn’t help myself there.

06:09 – 06:47

Everything shut down. Most people went home, but there was a select few that stayed. And we just continued to develop and work. Come April-May time, right before the 2021-22 season started, I was getting a little bit anxious. I was thinking of Plan B, C and D. And there were some schools, random schools in Kansas and Virginia that my academy was trying to speak to, but it just wasn’t happening. 

06:48 – 07:33

And I spoke with someone connected to SF State. Long story short, a few days later, I got a phone call from the head coach, and he offered me a spot. I took it in a heartbeat for a few reasons. One, Division II, high level. Didn’t have the ability to play in a season, so to even get a roster spot offer through all those circumstances, it was truly amazing. It was a privilege. And second, my mom graduated from SF State. So my parents met in America. 

07:34 – 07:52

And my mom actually graduated from SF State, so it was just such a small world, full-circle moment. And I couldn’t have been prouder to be able to go to a school to get my education and play basketball where my mom went. So, that was really special.

Alturino: 07:52 – 08:01

Yeah, you played four years here. Just, overall, how was your experience? Do you feel like your game was able to develop more and more as you went on, especially with Coach Inglima at the helm?

Gilat: 08:02 – 08:39

So, not to sound a bit too down, but my college career did not pan out how I wanted it to. A lot of that was self-inflicted. That was my own individual issues up in my head and self-confidence. It took time. I got to a point where I became a rotational player. I played in every single game, my junior and senior year, contributing valuable minutes and impacting winning.

08:40 – 09:22

But it wasn’t to my full potential. But the only person that got in the way of that was me at the end of the day. So, college career was a little underwhelming. However, everything happens for a reason. And in my four years here, I did more than enough to prove my worth and my value, so much so that Coach Inglima saw that and respected me enough to offer me the assistant coach role.

Alturino: 09:23 – 09:32

Yeah, going off that, how did that opportunity come about? When you graduated, what were you thinking of doing after that? When did Inglima ask you to be his assistant coach?

Gilat: 09:33 – 10:14

So he asked me before I had actually graduated, it was right before. Our old assistant coach, Coach Drew. Shouts out, Coach Drew. That’s my guy. That’s family. He’s now the head coach of the varsity boys’ squad at Sacred Heart. And he got that opportunity, and no one deserves that opportunity more than him. When he took that role, there was a lot of things going on in the department. There was a lot of things going on with the team. 

10:15 – 11:02

And Vince looked at me, I would presume, because I know the system. I have a high basketball IQ. I’m intuitive. I pick up on things pretty quick. I’m also an organizational, clean freak in the sense that I’ll get everything done to the best of my ability, always. And the fact that we have 11 new guys on the squad, it’s like a fresh start. I got told before Coach Drew officially went to Sacred Heart. I got told that it might be the case and that they’re looking to me. 

11:02 – 11:40

It caught me by surprise. It really caught me by surprise and I wasn’t expecting it because, for a very long time, I had plans to move away from San Francisco. And I was just going to get my life started. Not too many people know this, but, at first, I wasn’t going to take the job because I wanted to prioritize other factors and other things. But then, I spoke with my family. I also spoke with my girlfriend, who was extremely supportive throughout the entire process. 

11:40 – 12:11

And it was actually her that was like, “We know what your dreams are. We know what you want to accomplish. This is the stepping stone. This is the first step that has to be taken to go and accomplish your dreams.” So, with that support, when I got the offer, took it. And that was the entire process, basically. It was a whirlwind, but here I am now.

Alturino: 12:11 – 12:35

Yeah, it sounds like a crazy time. You’re about to graduate, thinking about moving away from the city. And now you’re the assistant coach of the team that you just spent four years playing for. You mentioned now you have 11 new players. I know we had a lot of departures from graduating seniors like yourself and other transfers. Looking at the team now, what are your expectations moving forward? How do you assess the team this year?

Gilat: 12:35 – 13:17

Well, I expect our team to be an extremely tough playing team. Because we have so many new guys, a team that has never played together before, guys that have never met before move-in day, expectations for us are extremely low. It’s an amazing opportunity for us as coaches to teach our system, teach our habits, teach how to play the right way, how to be mentally and physically tough. 

13:18 -13:30

My expectations for our team is that every time we’re going to go out and play a game, you’re going to have to really grind against us if you want to beat us.

Alturino: 13:30 – 13:36

Right. You’re expecting to be like that gritty underdog team that you might not have the most talent, but you’re going to fight.

Gilat: 13:37 – 14:07

We have the talent. We have the pieces. We have the pieces that can make it happen, but with circumstances like people are new. There are some people that have come in who are really good, but they haven’t played at this level before. And there’s some people that have been in our environment at this level, but they haven’t had significant minutes playing at this level. 

14:07-14:19

So, we need to do our best to coach it and teach it. And then it’s up to our guys to grab the opportunity with their hands and to make the most of it.

Alturino: 14:20 – 14:28

Yes, see how they mesh and see how they play within your guys’ system. Season is a couple months away. What have you learned for coaching thus far?

Gilat: 14:29 – 14:44

I’ve grown up always wanting to be a coach. So, technically, I’ve only been working here and employed for less — It’s coming up in a month tomorrow, actually. Very fresh.

Alturino: 14:45 – 14:55

You spent four years here at SF State learning the system. How do you take everything that you learned here as a Gator and transition it to being a coach?

Gilat: 14:56 – 15:30

That’s a great question. I have learned so much, not only my years here at San Francisco State, but also my years living away from my parents and attending academies and learning from the best of the best at those academies. So, my biggest takeaway is how can you best prepare. And now that I’m in a position where I can mentor and help coach. I want to help our players be in the best position for themselves to succeed. 

15:30 – 16:13

Whether they are handling and dealing with the mental aspect, whether it’s the physical aspect, taking care of their bodies, I know — thanks to my experience — what it takes to be at peak form. And I want to be able to mentor our guys to be in the best position for themselves to succeed. And I also want to be a resource for them, an outlet for them, for anything. And, growing up, I always wanted that. I did have that in many different forms. 

16:13 – 16:31

I had people that were there for me for many different circumstances. I want to take everything that I had and I want to be that best version of myself for every one of our guys, so I can help them put them on their own path to success.

Alturino: 16:31 – 16:44

Being a coach now, I know some of the guys were your teammates a couple months ago. How would you like to transition from being a friend to being a coach, or from being a former teammate to being a coach? How do you think that’s going to go for you?

Gilat: 16:45 – 17:19

I think from my perspective, it’s going to go great. It’s going to go extremely smooth because even when we were teammates and players, there was already a mutual respect, and that’s what you need as a coach. You just need people to respect you. And that respect is, and was, there and. As soon as I got the job, everyone that I played with last year — it’s only a handful. 

17:20 – 17:38

I called them straight away and I said, ‘Look, this is my new role. I’m still here for you, whatever you need.’ But you know, between those four lines, there’s gonna have to be that level of professionalism and respect. Everyone understood, but they were able to understand that straight away, because that level of respect was already there.

Alturino: 17:38 – 18:00

Right. I think that’s great that you actually reached out as soon as you got the job, to set that boundary. Like, we’re still boys and everything, but this is a different situation. So I really respect that you did that. Again, moving forward, elaborate more on your expectations on the season. Fresh new team, new coach, same system. What do you think the Gators are going to do this season?

Gilat: 18:01 – 18:27

We are going to learn a whole bunch as a whole collective. I’m learning everything from behind the scenes. I’m learning how to instruct a college basketball team. And our guys are going to learn how to play at the college level. Hopefully, with the right mentorship, the right coaching and the right mentalities. 

18:27 – 18:38

It has to come from both sides. Hopefully, we can do something. Hopefully, we can really do something special and surprise everybody. Because I feel like we are going into this season as underdogs.

Alturino: 18:38 – 18:44

To end it off, I just want to do a little quick rapid fire. Quick questions. You know, first thing that comes out of your head. Just let me know. 

Alturino: 18:44 – 18:45

Favorite shoe to play in?

Gilat: 18:45 – 18:47

Kobe’s. 

Alturino: 18:47

Which ones?

Gilat: 18:47 – 18:51

Six’s and eight’s.

Alturino: 18:51 – 18:58

If you weren’t playing basketball, what other field would you go into — not sports, like anything that you would go into?

Gilat: 18:59 – 19:09

I probably would be going into some corporate-like business analytics, 9-to-5 kind of thing. Something I really don’t want to do.

Alturino: 19:09 – 19:13

I saw that you were a business major, you had like a 4.0 GPA. How did you even —

Gilat: 19:14 – 19:31

I just grew up —  my parents always told me to care about school, but it was just because I’m a perfectionist that I wanted to be perfect in all that I do. I cared enough about school to maintain it. 

Alturino: 19:33 – 19:35

That’s what’s up. One word to describe Coach Inglima?

Gilat 19:38 – 19:43

Man, I want to say comedic. I don’t know. He’s just funny. He’s just a funny guy. 

Alturino: 19:44 – 19:47

What stands out as a funny moment between you and him? That you could share.

Gilat: 19:49 – 20:05

He probably got mad at me for saying this. But he told me that listening to Taylor Swift isn’t a guilty pleasure artist. He was like, “I like listening to Taylor Swift. So how is that a guilty pleasure if I like it?”

Alturino: 20:05 – 20:07

That’s not a bad take.

Gilat: 20:08 – 20:15

I told him, “You’re a grown man listening to Taylor Swift.” Like, of course it’s a guilty pleasure. It was funny. It was all in good spirits.

Alturino: 20:18 – 20:21

Last one. Who’s the GOAT? Who’s the basketball GOAT?

Gilat: 20:22 – 20:26

My GOAT is Kobe. My GOAT is Kobe. That’s just someone I idolized growing up. 

Alturino: 20:27 – 20:29

Same here. Just for my favorite player, Kobe.

Gilat: 20:34 – 20:46

I will say this. I’m not going to say one name. I grew up saying MJ, but LeBron is making it really difficult to not say him. Really difficult. That’s all I’ll say. I can’t pick.

Outro

Alturino 20:47 – 20:56

Well, I mean, we had a great conversation, me and Alex. Good luck to you and the Gators this season. And again, thank you all for watching The Chomp. See you all next time. Peace.