Nicolaidis: “Standards for the Men’s and Youth national teams”

THE National Youth left for Tampere, where on Saturday she begins her duties in the European U18 and the coach of the team, Iosif Nicolaidis, set an example for his players of the national Men’s and Youth teams, with their achievements this summer.

In detail, the federal technician spoke to EEC Web Radio:

To prepare for Eurobasket U18: “The kids have been amazing from the beginning until now. They are very dedicated to what they do and I am very happy to work with them. The last ones left are the hardest part. The fact that they will not be in the team does not mean anything about their competitive value, because being there and having reached this point means that their value is very high. For some reasons the coaching staff has decided we have to stay 12. We’ve said that from the beginning, the guys know it, the process is this, it’s going to be difficult for these two, but life goes on and they have a whole future ahead of them them to conquer their dreams”.

For the team: “The team is talented. In the following years they will frame the following National teams. It is a joy, an honor, a pleasure to work with such children and the whole future is in front of them if they stay dedicated.”

For the roles in the team: “From the beginning of the preparation, the job of the coaches was to build a team that will not rely on 1-2 players, because all the players are talented. We are interested in the group reaction of the children in the group. We had to distribute the roles and everyone accept their role and present a team in the game that will be based on teamwork on both sides of the field, in defense and attack”.

For the schedule where the races start in the morning and continue into the evening: “It plays a role because the games are one after the other every day and the more you can rest the better.”

For their Eurobasket U18 premiere against France: “We’re not looking at that, if it’s a premiere or if it’s at the end. We look at every game. In every game we want to be competitive, play as a team, play for each other and present a good face, regardless of the opponent we have.”

For Lithuania, considered tournament favorites: “They are a very athletic and strong team. They rely a lot on the guards they have, who are very strong as players, that is, physically they are strong. They are a “close” team, they know their roles and what to do in the game. At the moment they are presented as favourites, but in the tournament they sometimes do not progress. A lot can be said in theory, what matters is practice. At that moment, how committed, how strong both mentally and physically you will be to face the situations you will find in front of you.”

For the need for standards: “Kids always need role models and not only the Youth team, but also the Men’s team is a role model for our team right now. For the way the Men’s National Team fought to achieve the distinction of participating in the Olympic Games and the Youth National Team by winning the medal, for the way they played, for the teamwork. Now at the tournament we attended in Spain after a dinner we put up the picture of Zugris who was bloody and clenching his fists. Children need good role models and that’s what we try to give them.”