Spanoulis: “I missed the Euroleague, I knew I would come back – Panathinaikos is very strong but we are going for victory”

Happy for his return to Euroleaguesomething he was sure of, said o Vasilis Spanoulis after the taking over the technical leadership of Monaco. Kill Bill spoke of his high motivation and said he is determined to justify the team’s choice. At the same time, he mentioned his premiere on Friday against Panathinaikos at OAKA, but also his relationship with Mike James and Nick Kalathis.

Vassilis Spanoulis spoke in detail about:

-the decision to go to Monaco: “It is a pleasure and an honor for me to be here. I know that in the last three years Monaco has made huge strides in the Euroleague. I see it as a great challenge and motivation for me and the players, for the whole organization, to work hard and show on the pitch what we can do. I missed the Euroleague. Whether as a player or as a coach, for me it’s the same, listening to the anthem and facing the best. It’s something very beautiful, in this sport everything is competition. We have to be mentally and physically ready to face the best and adapt to the conditions.”

-his return to the Euroleague: “When you start a coaching career you want to be in the Euroleague. I took the steps quickly, but I knew that one day I will be a coach in the Euroleague. It’s not arrogant, I’m humble, but I know what I can do in basketball. It’s different being a coach than a player. The players are the stars of the league. I chose Monaco because I believe in the team and the players and their potential. We don’t have much time to work and prepare, because we have consecutive games, but we will try to do the best with the players, with speeches and videos, so that they understand what we want offensively and defensively.”

-what will be his first words to the team: “I believe a lot in this team, I think they have players who are hungry and motivated, I’m always motivated myself and that’s why I think the chemistry is perfect. That’s what I’ll tell the team.”

-the first things he wants to improve: “We don’t have much time to work, but these are the conditions. It’s not the easiest to come in the middle of the season. Coach Obradovic has done a great job for three years. He chose the team and I have to continue by putting some things that I believe. I want to thank the president and the GM for trusting me. For me it is a big challenge to justify them and show them that they made the right choice”.

-the premiere with Panathinaikos: “That’s the program. Panathinaikos is one of the best teams in Europe, they are the champions and especially in their field they are very strong. We have to prepare in two days to go and play a good game. In every match we go to win.”

-Mike James: “I talked a little with him, we have time ahead of us to talk a lot. We talked about some things. Now we have to work. I don’t mean only the work on the field, but also the video or the mental preparation for the next games.”

– Nick Calathes: “He is one of the top playmakers for years in the Euroleague. He is the mister assist in the Euroleague, he knows the game well and puts everyone in the game. He can control the match, be a quarterback on the floor. We have to put all the pieces in place, because it’s not the names and individual performances that win, but the team. We certainly have great personalities and we are happy about that, but the point is to become a whole.”

?????? VASSILIS SPANOULIS EXCLUSIVE FIRST INTERVIEW AS THE NEW MONACO’S HEAD COACH ????

The Euroleague legend Vassilis Spanoulis has given his first interview as the new coach of the Roca exclusively for SKWEEK ??

Enjoy it??

EuroLeague legend Vassilis Spanoulis has… pic.twitter.com/svvva2Yr77

— SKWEEK (@skweektv) November 27, 2024