Walkup on sportfm.gr: “The pack goes… hungry to Kaunas”

Last year in Belgrade, Olympic he got to the… spring but didn’t drink the water, in the Final Four of the Euroleague.

This filled the Piraeus team with more experience and made them even more… hungry, as stated by Thomas Walkup in the www.sporfm.gr. The 30-year-old guard talked about the entire journey of the “red and whites”, which sent them to Kaunas, from the top in the regular season.

From here on and in view of the semi-final with the MonacoWalkup emphasized that he has already… erased what came before the season, while he then emphasized that he would gladly take on the burden of becoming the leader of the Piraeus team.

Finally, regarding the award for the best defender that went to Eddie Tavareshe emphasized that he was not among his immediate targets, as his main one is winning the Euroleague with Olympiakos.

In detail what Tomas Walkup said at www.sporfm.gr:

– After being eliminated in last year’s semi-final in Belgrade, did you make any promise to return to the Final Four this year?

“No. It was nothing like that. Didn’t one of us do some crazy…talking in the locker room. But, the general motivation in the team was very high, to come back. First, because the roster is almost the same as last year and second because we have more experience now. And in basketball, experience means a lot».

– Did you expect to return to the Final Four, while earlier you would have finished first in the EuroLeague regular season?

“You always have to go step by step. The goal remains to win the Euroleague. But, you have a lot of steps to take before you get there. Every week is a step. Each match and quarter is also a separate step. So it’s been a very slow climb, but finishing first in the regular season and having home field advantage was the first step. We did it and made it to the Final Four. Now, we want to get the two wins and win the trophy. There were many steps we took. However, we were totally focused on the small goals we set during the season. For ten months now, this team has been completely focused on their goals. And that’s why we’re in the Final Four».

– Was there any moment during the season that made you feel confident that Olympiacos will be in the Final Four again?

“I would not say that. To be honest, if you think like that then there’s a good chance you’re going to lose your… way. I think it is too much to think like that. The nature of basketball is such that if you think like that then you get punished. The basketball Gods will come down and punish you if you think you’re bigger than basketball».

– Do you feel relatively comfortable with the Kaunas stadium, since you used to play in Zalgiris?

“Yes, very comfortable. I played there for three years. I trained there, played a lot of matches. I really liked there and the city of Kaunas. I felt comfortable. I left with great memories from there. There are people I still love in this place».

– Are the two defeats against Monaco this year an extra motivation for you, in view of the semi-final in the Final Four?

“We don’t care enough about what happened in the regular season and we don’t look at it that way. In a Final Four, where you play knockout matches, you erase everything that came before. Everything you think you know about basketball is erased. The one who manages the most correctly wins. That’s how I see it. You enter completely focused on your plan from the beginning and you fight for every ball. So, for me it doesn’t matter what happened before, but what happens at that moment and day».

– After renewing your contract, do you see yourself as a future leader of Olympiakos?

“I haven’t thought that far ahead. But, if this bridge also comes before me, then I will… cross it».

– Did it bother you that you didn’t emerge as the top defender in this year’s EuroLeague, being behind Tavares?

“Not at all. What’s done is done and I can’t change it. But, that was never my goal when I came to Olympiakos. My goal was and still is to win the Euroleague with Olympiacos. So whether I get the award or not then it has no effect on me and my goal. Of course, but I would also like to receive this particular award. But, everyone in the team is playing for a much bigger prize, which is the trophy, than that of the best defender».

– Is the… pack ready for the Final Four Kaunas?

“The pack remains… hungry and goes… hungry to Kaunas».