Walkup: «We must show our character against Fener»
Olympiacos is in Istanbul for the game against Fenerbahce for the 20th round of the EuroLeague, and one day before the game, Giorgos Bartzokas and Thomas Walkup got to comment about it.
The Olympiacos head coach was first asked about the recent addition of Tyrique Jones to the team and stated: “I think it’s a mistake to talk about Tyrique right now. We need to see him when he arrives and then I can tell you more specific things, after I’ve also spoken with him. We need to explain what our philosophy is and how it fits with his own, and find common ground. What matters to us right now is to win tomorrow’s game, and then we’ll have the opportunity to talk about Tyrique in the coming days. What matters is that we play well. It’s the fourth consecutive away game and you understand that there is certainly some fatigue, but on the other side every game is demanding and we have to prepare for it.”
Regarding Olympiacos’ improved performance after the game against Valencia, Giorgos Bartzokas said: “First of all, I don’t believe that in the game against Valencia it looked like we were in crisis. We played well; we were 12 points ahead in the 3rd quarter. Valencia played excellently in that game, made some very difficult shots and put pressure on us at the end. I would say that the bad game we played was against Barcelona, where we played completely abandoning our principles. Against Valencia we showed signs of improvement, then we had the game with Villeurbanne at home, played Bologna and Panathinaikos away, and in between we also had some good games in the Greek League.
It’s easy, given how games come every 3–4 days, to label a team as being in crisis or in great form. The same happens with every player. Someone is considered out of form because he played poorly for 2–3 games, but a week earlier they had played a great game, so he's in form. We should be more thoughtful about what we define as form in each situation. I think that in general we are working well. Obviously, we trust our roster. The addition we made was something we were thinking about anyway, because there are so many games and a potential injury could create a problem for us. But as always, we waited for the right moment to make the move we believed was necessary. The same applies to Monte Morris. At this point, the puzzle we had already agreed on with the Presidents since the summer is almost complete. That is, we start the season this way and, depending on the opportunities that arise, we are ready to make some moves. I think that in the second round of the EuroLeague we need to play better than in the first, be more compact, more consistent, and ultimately see what we can achieve.”
Regarding Fournier and the fact that he took just one shot in the second half against Panathinaikos while playing excellent defense, the coach replied: “We can’t predetermine any course or any result. I think that as a team we have a good philosophy in terms of how we build the team and how we try to make things fit. Right now, we are passing the ball much better, and that shows in the numbers. We believe that we can still improve even more defensively, but in any case, we go into games following a plan and then we see whether it is effective or not. We believe we have players who can follow the plan, and in the end we’ll see what we can achieve.”
As for tomorrow’s opponent, Fenerbahce, Giorgos Bartzokas said: “Fenerbahce generally makes the opponent’s game difficult; it’s not something specific to us. It’s a team that plays defense with switches about 90% of the time, with mobile big men and tall guards. In general, they try to isolate ball-handlers and force them to go to the side they don’t like. Tactically, it’s a very good team. It also has great depth in its roster and plays that way overall. It allows fewer assists than any other team in the league. We have to adjust to that, but because they are a physical team and play with a lot of contact, the game will go that direction, into toughness. We have to respond in that area, and I hope we’ll be physically ready in terms of energy. The games have been many and difficult, and games against Panathinaikos always bring a certain level of exhaustion.”
From his side, Thomas Walkup commented on the team’s good form after the Valencia game: “I think that even though the loss against Valencia was tough, we played well in that game. I believe the change came compared to the game against Barcelona, where we didn’t play good basketball, we didn’t play our style of basketball. The worst thing, however, was that we weren’t representative of what we stand for as players, as a team, as a club. It’s OK to lose, but not in that way. Against Valencia we played better, and since then we’ve been playing quite well.”
Regarding the team’s energy levels, Walkup added: “They are excellent. After Panathinaikos, we played against Aris in less than 48 hours and it wasn’t an easy game. It was a demanding match-up in front of a sold-out crowd. I think we already gave our answer. The game against Fenerbahce is a tough one, they’re a physical team, and we need to show character.”