Papanikolaou on bwinSPORT FM: “Olympiacos highlights players and that’s how it succeeds”

Optimistic that despite the departures of two key players, as well as the problems he faces in preparation, the Olympic he will manage to achieve his goals again this year, he declared to News Bulletin 247 Kostas Papanikolaou.

The leader of the “red and white” pointed out that, despite the passing of years, he still feels… a child, and analyzed the problems that exist in the preparation. At the same time, he characterized Vezenkov and Sluka as key players, emphasizing that they also launched through the Olympiacos programwhich constantly highlights players and thus succeeds.

In detail, the interview of Kostas Papanikolaou with News Bulletin 247 and Nikos Zervas:

-Besides two daughters that you have acquired, but also some trophies, what has changed in your thirteenth preparation with Olympiakos?

“The truth is that I don’t feel that much has changed. I feel the same child as I did then. My lower back and knees hurt a little more (laughs included), I need a little more warming up, but when I sit and look back and reflect, I don’t understand how all these years have passed. In part this is a good thing. It goes to say that I have experienced such beautiful and powerful moments, which made this whole period go by faster.”

-Since you said about… pains, is the biggest obstacle in your preparation this year the absences due to injuries and National teams?

“This is always a problem in the summer. Especially for the coach, who is trying to “build” slowly next year. It’s definitely a problem. As well as accumulated fatigue from last year. It was a very difficult season and continued for most into the summer. And let’s not forget that we have an equally demanding next summer for the National team. All this together definitely creates problems, it can cause injuries or some deformation”.

-You’re coming off two straight double-doubles, as many Final Fours lost in the shootout, and you’ve also lost two key players. With four new players, where should the bar initially be set for this year’s Olympiakos?

“Since 2009 when I joined the team and that season we went to the Final Four in Paris, until last year, we never started a year saying this year they will go to the Final Four, this year we will win the titles. Every year you fall to… zero and have to start all over again trying to… push the team up. This can be done this year as well. No one doubts that we lost two very important players. But both of these children stood out through team play. Coupled with their personal talent, they raised their stocks. But I will give one more example. Thomas (s.s. Walkup), Moose (s.s. Fal) and Sasha (s.s. Vezenkov), before working with coach Barzoka, when the year started most people said “where are we going with a kid who came from Zalgiris, one from Villeurbanne and one more who is not playing”. But we saw two years later that one is considered one of the best guards in Europe, the other one of the best tall guys in Europe, and Sasha is now playing in the NBA. Through teamwork and the Olympiacos program, everyone improves personally and the team manages to reach its goals.”

-The year begins with claiming the fourth place in the target hierarchy, the Super Cup, but also three games with the strengthened Panathinaikos within a month. Is it a positive or negative that these special conditions games are played so early in the season?

“It does not mean that because Panathinaikos is better than last year, we will lose in all three games. In this case, the way we are now with the difficult preparation we had, it might not be good. But this is what we have to face and this is how we will proceed. We won’t paint them… black because that’s how the program left us. We respect that and will prepare as best as possible.”

– Do you agree with coach Bartzokas that another title of recent years is the “bonding” with the world that… has disappeared the permanent ones? Besides confidence, does it give you a little bigger “should”?

“It must not cost us extra no. Because that’s undoubtedly what you want. A full stadium to give you energy and support from the people. We really thank the people for all this support in the last two years and the response they showed in the seasons. It is very important for us to have him on our side. The seasons have become very strong, the Euroleague very demanding and there are no easy games. We are a team that must fight in every phase, every second to win what belongs to them on the court. And the world can play an important role in this.”