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It is KDKA Channel 2’s distinct privilege to present Coaches’ Corner with Pittsburgh’s adopted son, Ognyan Dragomirov. Live from Los Angeles, California, here is the head coach of Loyola Marymount University.

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Oggy:
Welcome and ‘zdraveyte’ to another episode of Coaches Corner with the brothers Dragomirov. It’s a new year, and that means new questions from all of our lovers and haters. Are you excited little brother?

Dinko:
Not as excited as I was to see the whole family in LA for Christmas and then to beat you on the 28^th.

Oggy:
And that’s enough of that. Today’s episode is full of viewer questions. The first one is a 2-parter from Olivia in Portland, Maine. Part 1 is for me: “Oggy, what are your realistic expectations for this season at Loyola? Do you envision this being a team that contends for a conference title in your first year, or do you see it more as a building season?”

Well Olivia, thanks for the question. This Lions team won 4 games last season and only had 1 new player added to the roster: transfer Immanuel Kahrimanovic. Unless one of these players is a Decepticon and can transform into a whole new player overnight, this is definitely a building season. I would love to shock the world and see if we can finish top 3 in the WCC. However, I think a successful season is to triple our wins from last season: getting 12. I’ll be ecstatic if we can finish .500 this year.

Dinko:
I love the job you took here in LMU and really hope you can bring the Lions back to the tournament in a couple seasons. These fans haven’t tasted glory in 35 years, and it’s a program that holds a special place in the hearts of many NCAA fans.

Oggy:
Thanks Dinko, I agree. Your reward for that is the second part of the question from Olivia! “Dinko, you’ve knocked on the door a few times in the NCAA tournament, what will it take for this team to be a consistent contender to grab opening weekend wins in March?”

Dinko:
It’s been a lot of fun to make the tourney 3 times in 5 years, and I’ll never forget our double overtime win against 4^th seeded UConn back in 2022. I think that we’re getting close to being the kind of team that can get 1-2 wins in the opening weekend of the tournament. We were unfortunate not to make the tournament last year, and this season we have wins and close games against big time programs like Virginia.

To help us consistently compete and get a higher seed, I probably need to nail a couple of recruiting classes. I’ve had some great players, but I’ll need to find a diamond-in-the-rough that ends up being an NBA prospect. That kind of talent will help us get to the Sweet 16.

Oggy:
So true, and unfortunately Loretto, PA isn’t exactly a destination for recruits. But I believe in you ‘malkiyat brat’, and so do the fans, which is why this next question is also for you and from Ethan in Savannah, Georgia.

“Dinko, do you have any funny recruiting stories to share from your time at St. Francis?”

Dinko:
Sure, there are two I can think of. The first one involves Gerardo Bethel, who had 2 great years for us as a stat-stuffing guard. I believe he’s the only player I’ve ever coached to get a triple-double. He was a sophomore at Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio and I was set to meet him at his home he was renting with some roommates, and then we’d walk over to the local gym.

I knocked on the door and one of his roommates answered the door and I introduced myself. After that, he turned and yelled “G! There’s a Russian monster at the door.” That’s not the first time I’ve been called a monster, but it was the first time I was called Russian.

The second is a bit more colorful. I was visiting a recruit in the Midwest – I’ll refrain from mentioning his name – and when I visited his home I was getting ready to knock on the door. Before I could open the door, an elderly woman wearing nothing but a baggy t-shirt opened the door and starting yelling at me. “Oi, ‘oo are ya?! Are ya here ta take muh dog, cause you can’t have im!”

The rest of the family quick came and hurried her away. It turns out his elderly grandma was living with the family and her memory was failing. She was more quirky than anything, but it was the wildest welcome I’d had to someone’s home.

Oggy:
I’m not sure how you kept your composure for either of those, but you’ve always been a bit better at that than I.

Dinko:
For better or worse, that’s true. Speaking of emotions, here’s our final question of the day and it comes to us from Sophia in Boulder, CO.

Oggy, I’m a Nebraska fan and I kind of hate Colorado and all the media attention they get, but I do like Matt Rhule and his personality. With that said, I see a little bit of Deion in you and Rhule in your brother. What do you think of that comparison?

Oggy:
Wow. Not sure what to think of this. Am I supposed to be flattered or insulted? I suppose there are some surface-level similarities here: I am more outspoken, Dinko generally lets his team’s play do the talking.

I guess where I think I am different than Deion is that he seems to be a bit more focused on getting headlines than on winning. I certainly will get something out there, but try to ensure I’m being outspoken from a place of competence and a bit of authority based on some winning. I didn’t come into Loyola and proclaim we were going to take over the WCC – but maybe I’ll be saying that in 2 years.

With that said, I think comparing Dinko to Rhule is very flattering, and even though Dinko has changed teams far left, like Rhule, he has a strong sense of “calling” that guides what he does.

Dinko:
I do agree that the comparison is flattering, but I appreciate the creative question. This is definitely outside the realm of what we usually get.

Oggy:
Absolutely, there might just be a few dozen of you that watch this, but know that you are all great and wonderful and we wouldn’t have a show if you weren’t. Have a great evening, and this is the brothers Dragomirov signing off from this edition of Coaches’ Corner.