The statements by Sfairopoulos, Spanoulis and Printezis

In the aftermath of the presentation of the new sponsorship deal between Olympiacos BC and OPAP, our team's coach Giannis Sfairopoulos, the captain Vasilis Spanoulis and the international forward Giorgos Printezis got to make statements.

This is what they had to say

 

GIANNIS SFAIROPOULOS :
At first I would like to thank OPAP for the collaboration. I think that 7 years of continuous collaboration mean a lot. It means that both companies work as they should and above all else, that the collaboration operates properly. Now, in regard to instant luck, I would like for us to have luck the whole year. It is certain that so long you work you're going to have unlucky moments, however, having SKRATS on our shirt I think is going to give us the extra luck we need to do just fine.

 

The team has changed. We have gotten players that can sync much better with the already existing ones. We have a base of Greek players that remains the same throughout the last years. This base has been enriched with experienced foreign players from the Euroleague and some talented former NBAers. It is for sure a new team in regard to chemistry; we are going to need the time. Nevertheless official games are ahead. We all know that. We begin with the Cup game on Wednesday, and then first league game against Panathinaikos comes Sunday, then we start the Euroleague against Baskonia in Crete. So we have games that we have to play and we have worked well during this time. We have had some minor injuries but however we are looking forward. We have depth as a team and we would like to take advantage of this quality in the long run. Being able to endure is what's going to keep you at a high-level when the critical games come in spring and you need to be at your best shape to challenge the titles.

 

There are still minor problems to face. We still don't know how we are going to be for the Greek cup game, Roberts will definitely not be playing and will have to see how Spanoulis, Papanikolaou, Strelnieks, all these guys that have been met with injuries are going to be doing.

 

Vasilis Spanoulis:
"We aspire to continue succeed. You know, sports offer both happy and bad moments. For us, thank God, the happy ones are more. The thing is to learn how to manage both the happy and the unhappy ones. That's what we've been trying to do and this is the most difficult part for an athlete, a coach, a team. I hope all goes well and we remain healthy above all else. This is the most important thing and that we want to play nice to watch basketball that is also substantial.

 

You need luck, before all else in the health part, but of course in the basketball part as well. I hope we have it. Although my philosophy is that you go after luck, it doesn't come after you. You have to work hard and then luck is going to be with you.

 

The best thing compared to last season will be to win the Championship, the Greek Cup and the Euroleague. Our goal, jokes aside, it to move ahead step by step. We have big goals, we are going for all the titles, and as I said before, we want to be healthy and play good basketball". 

 

Giorgos Printezis:
"Like it or not, luck is a big part of sports. So, I wish luck is with us for the long run and that at the end of the season we have had the appropriate dose.

Basketball is evolving, it's becoming all the more faster. We get to see a lot more talented players. Although I haven't participated the pre-season from day one since I had been with the National team, I have understood that coach wants us to run faster this season, for each player to bring out their talents. We have better creators this year, we got more depth. And depth plays a major role, especially in a season when games and trips are too many. So we are going to be playing more modern, better, faster basketball. I think this is one for the basic components, energy, speed, good defense, pace, depth… These are some of the basic components to win you titles. 

All athletes that are at this level, have a routine that they always follow, but we generally avoid talking about it.

 

I don't think that the game against Panathinaikos is half the season, because too many derbies have gone one way and the season the other. So, I think it's too early. Of course it's a derby that we do want to win very much. You practically gain tranquility, time to work and you start off a season on the right foot. However, from that point on, we are going to clash with Panathinaikos a lot of times in Greece and the Euroleague, maybe for the Cup as well. So it's too early.

 

I think that it's only right to play without fans due to all that happened in the last game last season. We have talked about it before, let's say it once again. It's good for the games to be played in the presence of fans and for everyone to be able to watch their favorite team, to be able to pass a pleasant two hours. They cannot do it at this particular moment. I could answer this question in many different ways… But it's also a matter of violence that needs time to be addressed and fixed".