Itoudis: “We were essential after the bad start. The children will also play for Dino”

Greece did their duty in their World Cup debut by beating Jordan and Dimitris Itoudis mentioned the things he liked and didn’t like about the blue and white.

“I don’t know if it’s the most valuable win, the fact that it was a premiership and we start with a win, representing our country, is important. Congratulations to all the athletes, they all offered, even Moraitis, who did not play today, will get his participation minutes in the next matches. We were more substantial, after our bad start, in our defensive adjustment. We were substantial. We had a lot of phases in the air but there was an extra man down and in the 3rd quarter it threw us off their best player, Jefferson, but we knew that the win would come with a good defense and good choices in attack“, the federal technician initially reported to ERT.

“The loss of Dino is very significant. And he would like to be here and help our National Team. It’s a big loss, but all the athletes said they’ll play extra to fill the gap. It’s a good start, but it’s bad to rest and we need to focus on the goals we have in the next matches. Inside the locker room we set goals and asked something extra from each player. We have the spirit, but we have to stay focused on it. We are not favourites, but we learn in every match, we have to stay humble and see how we go next“, added the 52-year-old coach.

He later stated at the press conference: “Congratulations to my team for the dedication, everyone’s effort and of course for the win. We didn’t start well, but then we got the push we wanted from the toughness we put out. We got a difference that showed us how we should play. We led the opponents into several mistakes during this period and got the rebounds. In the third quarter we lost our concentration, didn’t use our fouls properly and conceded 27 points. But in the end we played smart and with the right mentality. We had a good opener, everyone contributed and now we have to focus on the next two games. A big thank you to our fans and the media who came all the way to support our team».

The Fenerbahce coach added: “Jordan hit some 3-pointers and got back into the match. They have some upside, but we had 17 offensive rebounds. Larentzakis was top scorer today, but tomorrow it could be anyone. That says a lot about our team. Everyone has to be happy with their role and that’s important in what we’re trying to build».

About the match against the USA that follows, he said:Against the USA I expect a much more difficult game of course. They’re a great team, they play great basketball and they’ve built a great roster that does very well defensively. We will try to gain some things from this match. They have many virtues and we should be alert to deal with them».