Sakota: “They didn’t believe us, but we will show that until the end we will be okay”

OR AEK Betsson prevailed with its 96-65 Bonnfinishing 1st in Group 5 and getting direct qualification for the BCL top-16.

The coach of “Enos”, Dragan Sakotawas “hosted” on air by EOK WebRadio and expressed his optimism for the future of the team, while addressing the home suspensions that are hurting the club.

He said in detail:

For the victory over Bonn: “Based on the importance of the match, it was our best performance this year. The difference was huge. 2nd place is well deserved, but saving the qualifiers in early January, when we have other crucial games, is very important. We qualified directly and the way things are going we avoid the Spanish teams that stand out.”

On whether this win could mean the start of an even better run: “As a new team there is no way we won’t have our ups and downs. Many things happen within a group. Even in bigger competitions like the Euroleague, teams have their ups and downs and will continue to do so. The point is what happens at the end when the most important matches come. This year we cannot say that we had big goals. We have some more important things, like being right, gaining trust. We know that our name is big. We also have some things we are fixing in the financial sector. I believe that next year the team will see the future more comfortably and we will prepare from now on. In general, we need to be stronger in other things as well. They didn’t believe us, but we will show that until the end we will be okay and from next year others will believe us too”.

Regarding the appearance of Yannis Kouseloglou in the game: “I also told Giannis personally “well done”. He had a sprain and a fever, but none of that showed in the game. I tried a few times to reduce his playing time, but the game was very important and he did very well. For this reason, perhaps he played a little more than he needed in the situation he was in.”

On whether he is satisfied with AEK’s progress in the GBL so far: “I personally believe that we could have done something more, but we could not have done it. There are always two sides. When you achieve the goal in the BCL, you forget the two games you have lost, but in the league you can’t forget them, especially when they also count for the Cup. For the Cup, it doesn’t matter what position you finish. I am happy with the development of the team. We had issues and still have, but there is improvement. It will not always be like this, just as things will not always be negative. The point is to be competitive, to fight, for some kids to improve and for us to have a clear picture when we want to make choices for the future. The goal is always to have more people, this is a matter that is not so easily made. I also want to say that I was disappointed by the announcement that we will play behind closed doors with Lavrio. Even in other very good leagues, like Spain and Italy where I have worked, there are no such punishments. I wonder how a person thinks who wants to get a season and thinks that he won’t be able to see some matches. We were punished without our fault.”

On whether they will make a transfer: “We have never stopped watching the market because at any time unpredictable things can happen. What has happened this year I have never seen in my life. There is currently no worthy player at either position. All teams know this. The markets have “opened up” in many countries that pay more, such as Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Qatar. In Israel because of the war and because the players are afraid they gave double money, so many players go there. The players are gone.”