Spanoulis: “I don’t feel pressure-I want to set an example for my children-James knows he can’t win alone”

No pressure is greater than that which he himself Vasilis Spanoulis puts in himself to succeed in whatever he undertakes, as he himself stated in his first major interview after taking over the reins of Monaco. The Greek coach emphasized that he wants to give his team a winning mentality, but refrained from saying big words about conquest Euroleague. At the same time, he also referred to the fact that his large family did not follow him to the Principality, stressing that he wanted to give his children the example that they should always be motivated and thirsty to achieve even more. In detail, Kill Bill talked about:

-his first training session: “We tried to start the preparation for the game against Panathinaikos. Unfortunately we don’t have much time, but it is positive that I saw a positive atmosphere from the children and we will try our best. The coach sets the roles and the discipline, but the players are the ones who fight. Basketball has changed, now there are so many games that you don’t have much time to prepare the team for a specific match. You have to be able to adapt. The element of sportsmanship is also very important and Monaco has that to a great extent. Now we have to put things in their place. It’s harder to be a player than a coach. Now it’s about how you build chemistry and how you make your team and players perform at their best. When you work, you get what you deserve. It takes work, to be mentally strong and to understand that there will be bad days, with defeats, not only victories.”

– the contacts with Monaco: “The owner and general manager approached me in a nice way, the team is very good, the place has a high quality of life and the organization is in a good place. They want to succeed, they are motivated and that suits my character. You can’t say no to such a proposal. The only difficult thing is that I’m coming in the middle of the season and I don’t have much time to work as much as I want.”

-his family that stayed in Greece: “Monaco is a wonderful place, it provides you with security and quality of life. I came alone because my children go to school. I am very close to my family, I am blessed to have this woman. I have to focus on my work. Dad has to work, I think that’s a good example for my kids. You always have to be thirsty and want to go higher.”

-his visions for Monaco: “We must be humble, but at the same time thirsty. I want to see this fire. It’s great that the team has been to the playoffs and the Final 4, but they haven’t won a title and you always have to look for new challenges. What I want is for us to play good basketball, get wins but even if we lose it helps us become the team we want to be. I have a contract for two and a half years and I want us to build a winning mentality so that we keep getting better and better. We have great players, athletes, who play in many positions. We can get a lot better both offensively and defensively. I respect what Obradovic has done for the club, but we want to put in some new elements and the players have to adapt. I want them to be dedicated to basketball and to the team, to be ready every day to improve.”

-the collaboration with Mike James: “Everybody knows who Mike James is. He has my respect and I am honored to be working together. They are among the top players in the last 20 years in the Euroleague, but no one can win alone. We have to build a good team and he himself knows that he needs his teammates. In basketball you can’t win with talent alone, you have to be tough, be strong mentally, know your role. We are a team and we all play together in defense and attack.”

-whether Monaco can win the Euroleague: “It’s my first day here and I can’t say something like that. It’s too far. Now we have to play basketball. I can answer that for you later. Of course you have to have a vision and dream, but right now it’s more important to make the team play the basketball that I believe they can play. I always adapt to my players. I have my philosophy, but you can have your philosophy when you make the team. I think the roster fits my philosophy, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I see motivation and thirst, we will all join forces to do something good.”

– if he feels pressure: “I have no pressure. I put pressure on myself, I don’t have a problem being pressured. It doesn’t matter if I have experience or not, I have a lot of confidence, I believe in myself and my team. It is a privilege and a blessing to enjoy what you do. It won’t be easy, but we want to build a winning mentality.”