Kastritis: “The guards’ absences cost us”

Yiannis Kastritis emphasized that the absences of some guards and some peripherals cost Aris and that they brought an adjustment to the training sessions of the week, he believes that they should have been more aggressive in their defense against the Italians, but he found that they had tension on both sides of the field , made it clear that he must manage and rotate and use all players on the roster, called for more intelligence in games them, he emphasized that they spent energy to “turn around” the match and that they are a strong team.

In detail: “It was a very tough game for us even before it started. We had absences and injuries, all of them were at the guard position, ball handlers and important players for us. Everyone in the team had to make the right adjustments in training and be at a good level.

Unfortunately, we didn’t start the game the way we would have liked. We should have been more aggressive in our defense, we didn’t and Venezia took advantage of that. They have players with enough quality and talent and they scored a lot. At the beginning of the second quarter we had a completely different picture. Our performance had more intensity on both sides of the pitch.

Our players gave their best. In the second half, until we got tired towards the end of the game, our players got their hands on the ball, we won almost every melee battle. Unfortunately, in games like this the details always count and Venezia had them and in the end got the victory”.

To manage players’ playing time: “Certainly, it is a process that, in any case, we have in mind in the sense that we have the experience from last year and we know that the games are continuous. For this reason we want to have a “deep” roster and to rotate the children. It’s a process we always want to do. The conditions of each match are important.

From the moment the team came back and were in contention for victory, we had to claim the match with all our strength. I talked to the trainer and we saw the participation times, no one has played more than 30′. A related management was done, but it’s basketball. The players love to play basketball, we will rest and do our best to be ready on Saturday.”

On the return to scoring and the psychological boost it gives the team: “Sure, we have to be smarter. We know that we are a team that in every game we have to manage a completely different roster. So, this in the offensive part makes our job very difficult in terms of homogeneity and cohesion. So, we have to be smart and approach games from the start and not waste a whole quarter defensively.

Through our energy to “build” our possessions and for our presence in the game. The children understood this and I am sure that from our very next match they will present themselves as they should”.

For what played a role and the team did not manage to get the victory, despite the overturning of the score: “When you make a big effort to come back from a difference of almost twenty points, you spend energy. When the roster is limited and you lose Noley and Cooper for a long time due to fouls then game management is a fine line. Well, that’s where the details have to do, they were on the side of Venice and, like that, they got the victory.”

On Toliopoulos’ injury and Cooper’s addition: “We are not the team of one, we are the team of the whole. Our team is neither of Toliopoulos, nor of Bohorides, nor of Woodbury, nor of Kastritis, nor of anyone. We are a whole, that’s why the team has so many players. If someone is injured we try to cover them. The children who have come are new, they need time.

We all need to support them through training so they can join the team faster. Frankly, we are not concerned with filling any particular gap. The only thing that interests us is as a team to find the way in every game to present ourselves as best as possible”.