Walkup: “I told my agent not to come before he is ready to sign a new contract with Olympiakos”

His great desire to stay for years in Olympic expressed the Thomas Walkup confirming that contacts are being made with his agent in this direction. The American guard has “bonded” with the team and the world and soon wants to sign a longer-term deal than the current one, which ends in 2024.

“All I will say is that I love living here and I don’t want to over-prioritize or push for anything. But I really like it here, Whether I renew is something that my agent will find out with the team, I’m not involved in those discussions. I told my manager, don’t come to me before you’re ready to sign (pp. new contract). But I have more important things to think about this week with the Cup“, he emphasized on the Jambol show of ERT.

“That was the reason I came here, because of the vision and what ambition the club had. We wanted to build something. Here success is achieving the top goals, to win the EuroLeague, to conquer the triple-crown. And that is always the first step because I always look for the ambition of the club“, he added.

As for how he connected so well with Olympiakos? “I matched with Olympiakos on many different levels. With the coach’s philosophy, but also with the spirited potential. Everyone on the roster, from the first to the twelfth player, we fit very well, we play well together, we are not selfish. To be honest, being part of a team where we are all focused on every goal that comes our way and not everyone on their own is a really great joy».

For the 30-year-old ace, the titles he has already won with Olympiacos are not enough. “No, of course not. The moment you start thinking it’s nice, it’s enough, then you give up. This is the wrong mindset. The right thinking is that even if we have done something fantastic this year, next year you try to do even better. I am happy that we are on the right track, but we are not satisfied».

At the same time, he referred to the beneficial consequences of the cooperation with him Kostas Sloukas. “Slukas is competitive in every practice. I have been here for 1 and half year and still learning from him. How he reads the game, how professional he is, how he works his body, how he works his game. It’s not one or the other, I think we fit very well together and that’s one of the big reasons I came here».

On the way he perceives the game by putting the team and the defense above all else, he said: “In my opinion, the more serious you are, the more you enjoy basketball. When you do things the right way, when you don’t play selfishly, when everyone shares the ball, that’s when you really enjoy the game. If you’re lazy, laid back and don’t take the game seriously, that’s no fun to me. It’s a blessing when the ball moves fast, you execute, you play great defense and you have pace on both sides of the floor. The only way to achieve this is if you take the game and training seriously».

Everyone sings the praises of Olympiakos, but Walkap believes that there is a lot of room for improvement. “I don’t know if there’s such a thing as perfect basketball, but I think we’re playing basketball the right way. I will say no, because we are not perfect. Basketball is not perfect and it never will be. But I think our philosophy (is very good) and congratulations to coach Bartzokas, who has instilled it in us from the beginning. From the first day I arrived I knew it was all about sharing and moving the ball. This system is the right way to play basketball. Our team has a very good character. We pack a punch, 100%. We are united, no one escapes. Everyone is focused on the goals. No one thinks about individual stats and individual achievements».

Finally, about the challenge in the Final 8 of the Cup and the very possible early final (in the semi-finals) with Panathinaikos? “As I have said before, we are a pack of hungry wolves. We play like this, we train like this, we behave like this. We are humbled and hungry. We want the Cup, more than we wanted it last year. We have a taste for blood and want more. I expect nothing less from Panathinaikos than to try to give us their strongest blow. We will do the same and see how it develops».

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