Michelakos: “The rise of Triton is a big deal for Sepolia”

The winners of Triton and the losers of Psychikos declared themselves proud of their effort in the first semi-final of the Final 4 of the Elite League Errikos Dunan.

Michalis Michelakos (coach of Triton): “The moments are special. I had never thought about this reason that I am called to do. I am impressed, ecstatic with my players, with their mentality and consistency. Many times I pushed them out of bounds, but I take my hat off to them. It’s an amazing moment for Triton, after a journey of so many years, to be able to talk about being considered a Basket League team. We have had many protagonists over the years, but I want to focus on the people who have supported us in easy and difficult times. I want to congratulate Psychiko and coach Remendela. He was a worthy opponent. Last year they smiled, this year it was our turn. For me after 13 years at the club where I was nurtured and matured, what I live is something special. Triton made an effort last year, they are a grassroots group. I don’t need to say what it means for Sepolia to have a team in A1. The Elite League is a category that has come closer to professional data, with the changes made by the federation and this awesome celebration that took place today. My players white-faced me 100%, all year. Youth, ambition, motivation and confidence carried us throughout the year.”

Nemanja Manoilovic (Triton player): “Congratulations to all the team and our fans who were our sixth player. I also wanted to thank the coach for bringing me back, because we had some work left unfinished. Well done to Psychiko as well, because he had a very good run and fought hard. Not many believed us, but we made it. We achieved something historic.”

Panagiotis Tsamis (Triton player): “I want to thank the crowd, the coach, the team and those who supported us from the first day. We are a really tight-knit group. From day one we wanted not just the experience, but to play and star. We had very worthy opponents, but we managed to dominate.”

Giorgos Remendelas (Psychikos coach): “Congratulations to Triton, today at least he deserved the win and promotion. The only category where we fell behind was long-range shooting, which to me is a paradox. Today we happened to play the worst game of the whole season in that part. It’s a shame to lose the goal for that alone, when Triton had percentages he’s not used to in most games. The kids wanted it 100%, I’m proud of my athletes and their effort. The heartbreak is indescribable, I still haven’t realized it. I still believe we will go out and win. But this is sport, games are judged in the details. We were at +11 in the ranking but we lost. There were also some extra-competitive details that I don’t want to go into. Also the three players who carry the weight for the most part of the season were 3/20 from 3-pointers. The stress hit us harder, because my players really hurt the team. Life goes on. We will learn to live with it too.”

Yannis Athanassoulas (Psychikos player): “Unfortunately, we did not manage to meet the demands of the final. Although we were better in most statistical categories, the one game rule was confirmed. No tears for our own team, I’m very proud of the effort we’ve put in all year. Everyone was congratulating us on the basketball we were playing. But as the format is, everything is decided in one match. Triton was fortunate to shoot very well unlike us. Congratulations to the opponents.”