Eurobasket.com has just had the chance to ask a few open questions to Chris Finch , the current Dexia Mons-Hainaut and British National Team head coach.

Born in Ohio in 1969, Chris Finch graduated from Franklin & Marshall in 1992. He was a successful British league player afterwards and became a successful coach later on. While it is true that his teams play a somewhat different style of basketball and his players run and score quite a bit, Coach Finch actually considers himself as a defensive-orientated coach by far. He feels that his teams usually play a tough defense and that is really the route to his squads success. Coach Finch is used to European players and to working on their skills.

As a player for the Sheffield Sharks in the BBL-British Basketball League, he became league champion in 1994 and 95 and won one BBL Cup title in 1995. He was then coach of the Sheffield Sharks from 1996 to 2003. Chris Finch was three time league champion and won the national cup two seasons in a row as he coached the Sharks.

Coach Finch then left Sheffield for Giessen 46ers in German First Bundesliga but was released in February 2004.

Two months later, he took over Belgian team Basket Bree which he coached until the end of the 2006-07 season. He led Basket Bree to the Belgian league title in 2005. In 2007-08, the US coach signed with Dexia Mons-Hainaut. Each time he and his team have been in a European campaign they have advanced to the latter stages. In Bree, his squad was the surprise qualifier from a ULEB Cup group that included Aris of Greece, Estudiantes Madrid of Spain and Alba Berlin of Germany. That season, Basket Bree narrowly lost to Hapoel Jerusalem in the knock-out stages. Last season, Coach Finch led Dexia Mons-Hainaut to the FIBA EuroCup Final which they lost after a very close game. He keeps on coaching Mons and is still doing a fantastic job this current season. He and his team again have just made it out of the initial group phases by topping the table for the second year in a row. Also to be mentioned: Chris Finch has been the British National Team head coach since 2006.

Here is Coach Finch's interview:

Bertrand Larsimont Eurobasket (EB): Your team was involved in the FIBA EuroChallenge 2008-09 Group F with Khimik Yuzhny of Ukraine, Galatasaray of Turkey and KK Zagreb of Croatia. You have now reached the Top 16 and will be playing in another group against CSK-VVS Samara and BC Triumph Lyubertsy of Russia as well as EclipseJet Amsterdam of the Netherlands. How would you rate this competition, compared with the other major European club competitions (Euroleague and EuroCup --former ULEB Cup--), and which team(s) would you see as possible EuroChallenge winner at the end of the season?

Coach Chris Finch (C.F.): When you get to this stage of the competition all the teams should be considered dangerous and especially when you get to the knock-out phase anything can happen. But when you look at the final 16 teams you have to give special consideration to BC Triumph Lyubersty, BC Kiev, Virtus Bologna and Cajasol Sevilla. Those are the sexiest names left in the hunt. Having said all that, we are simply focusing on our chances and the rest of the teams in the group.

EB: You reached the final of last season's EuroCup organized in Limassol, Cyprus from April 18th to 20th. A great result despite the defeat 63-62 against Barons LMT Riga of Latvia in the final. Is the current Dexia group specifically built to reach the EuroChallenge final and maybe win the FIBA Europe competition this season? Would you agree with observers saying that the team is better balanced than the one of last season?

C.F.: From a competition point of view, this team is built no differently than any other team we have built during my coaching career to date. That is said, this team is built to win every time it steps on the floor. We never differentiate between League, European or Cup games. To do so sends the wrong message to your team. You cannot prioritize games if you want your team to perform at its highest level of effort and execution every night.

We also try not to compare teams from previous seasons because each team is unique in its make-up and the challenges they face and overcome. Having said that, I do think this season's team is deeper, more physical and full of more individual playmakers. That is to take nothing away from last year's squad. Even though they didnt win any title they certainly accomplished a lot by making two finals and competing hard every night. So far, that's more than this year's team has done but it is still early.
EB: What do you think about this season's domestic competition with only 9 teams?

C.F.: I'm totally fine with it. I actually enjoy the bye weeks, especially with our European campaign. Given my history there and the relationships I have with the people there, it was sad to see Basket Bree denied participation this season. I don't feel the league has ultimately suffered however.

EB: You are also the coach of the British national team which qualified for the EuroBasket 2009 to be held in Poland next September (against Spain, Serbia and Slovenia in the opening Group C). You have managed to build a competitive team for the 2012 London Olympics so far. You know what it is like to lead a NT. What do you think about Belgium's NT and the fact that some Belgian Lions have trouble to find a decent job at the start of the season? Do you think that the idea of Jacques Ledure, the Lions' Manager, to create a Team Belgium involved in Ethias League is a good one for the future of Belgian basketball?

C.F.: Coaching a NT is a real roller-coaster ride. On one hand it's the most satisfying, wholesome basketball experience a coach or team can have. Playing for a higher purpose is really motivating if handled in the right way. On the other hand, it's full of a lot of innate challenges and each nation has their own set of hurdles that must be jumped in order to have the best chance to compete at the highest level. Overcoming these obstacles is a full time job in itself before you even think about a practice plan, a set play or a game strategy. So much of the job is about building relationships, maintaining and improving professionalism and getting your players to play hard together quickly.

As for the Belgian NT, I am not close enough to the situation to comment. I can say however that I believe they have the right guy coaching the team in Eddy Casteels. Furthermore, my dealings with Jacques Ledure have been nothing but professional. I know for a fact these two guys care deeply about the program and are trying their best to remove every obstacle so the Belgian NT can reach its potential. We played them twice this summer and I like the way they played - and that was without their three biggest names in Mbenga, Hervelle and Van den Spiegel. I think they have a very good chance to make it to Poland this summer. I would not be surprised to see them there at all and I hope they make it.

EB: How do you like Mons and its supporters? What would be the difference(s) between your experience in Mons and the one in Bree? How do you see or plan your future career (either in Belgium or elsewhere, as a coach or any other position)?

C.F.: Mons is the best situation in Belgium. I really enjoy so much about the club and the overall environment. We have super fans and a great home court atmosphere. The professionalism of the club is top notch, very professional. We have excellent facilities, a complete and committed support staff and team of volunteers. Without all those people these clubs struggle to operate. The great thing is that all people I have met here at Dexia Mons-Hainaut are so positive and are enjoyable to be around.

Like any driven, competitive person, I want to reach the highest level that I can and it's my goal to do that. I have always believed that in our business there are two types of coaches: those who spend a lot of time looking for their next job and those who spend a lot of time trying to be as successful as they can in the job they currently have. I am undoubtedly the latter. I'm not trying to chase any jobs. Rather, I am just trying to be the best coach and win as much as I can right now. I am then hopeful that I am fortunate enough to be considered as a candidate when the right opportunities come along to move up or challenge myself anew.

EB: Finally, can you give a short sentence, a kind of motto that you would repeat in order to boost your guys in the locker rooms before each game?

C.F.: I'm not really a rah-rah type of coach. Before games we simply cover the basics we want to accomplish and we continually remind our guys of the things we do that we believe make us successful. We prepare in practice and we stress that if we are ready and we do our stuff well together that we are capable of overcoming any challenge or winning any game.