Hall: “Monaco prepared us – We showed we wanted it more”

Donda Hall spoke after his win Olympiakou over Hapoel Tel Aviv and emphasized the importance of the defeat against Monaco, which – he said – helped the team to better prepare for the demanding game against the Israelis. The American center emphasized that in the second half the “red and whites” played harder and with more energy, showing that they wanted the victory more. At the same time, he underlined the importance of rebounds and the improvement needed in this area.

What he told the “PlayMakers” in detail:

On what changed at halftime: “The energy was not what it should have been in the first half. in the second we were better, it was a more physical game and we played harder. That’s how the Euroleague is, especially this year when it’s expanded, you’ll have games that you win by 15 points, but also others that have to do with who wants it more. It was an ugly game, we wanted it more in the second half».

For rebounds: “Rebounds were key. We lacked a bit in the previous games, especially the attacking ones. We are not doing particularly well this season. The coaches told us that the tall ones, me and Nicola, had to be better at it».

On whether the loss to Monaco played a role: “Monaco played physical throughout the match, that’s how they play. This helped us to prepare for this match, because we knew how physical Hapoel will play. We made sure the second half was better. You have to come back. It’s the Euroleague, every match counts. You have to win at home».