Super Cup: The Presidents’ statements
The Presidents of Olympiacos BC talked about an ideal start in the season, following winning the Super Cup tournament.
“It was an ideal start of a new season”, Mr. Giorgos Angelopoulos start in the beginning of his statements and continued: “We begin the same way we finished last season. This is a very important title against a spruced up Panathinaikos and one very different from last season, so both the title and the performance have added value to them”.
On his part, Mr. Panagiotis Angelopoulos admitted that: “I hadn’t expected such a performance, nor such a wide difference. The team was determined, well prepared, and came in strong from the start. Our team maintains the same core, it is re-enforced in the positions of the players that have left and we are going to try for the best possible outcome this year also”.
Mr. Giorgos Angelopoulos pointed out the historic records achieved in the said game. “All the guys were very passionate and highly motivated to make a proper start in the season. We made history in the first half, you witnessed as much. Historic records were achieved, for the first time in a Greek basketball game. This is very important. When you achieve that against Panathinaikos, it becomes even more noteworthy”. Talking about the fact that the ‘red & whites’ never relaxed in the game, despite the huge margin, he said: “That was an amazing reaction, a professional one. That’s what we want. We are proud and we admire them for it”.
When asked by Mr. Panagiotis Angelopoulos to comment on team captain Kostas Papanikoalou initiative to give his place in lifting the trophy to coach Giorgos Bartzokas, he said: “It shows that we are a real bonded team. It shows how much the players believe in our coach and the roles the coach gives each one of them. That says it all”. Mr. Angelopoulos added: “It shows that they respect the coach. If they weren’t, there would be no team”.
Asked about the goals for this season, Mr. Giorgos Angelopoulos was the first to answer: “We want to be very good. To achieve our goals and win the titles we challenge. From there on, there is no contract with success, nor it means that what we did last year, we are going to be able to do this year as well. The team gives everything it has on the floor, we do the best we can for the team and we are going to try and do as best as possible. We’ll how it works out at the end”. Mr. Panagiotis Angelopoulos added: “We are definitely aiming to winning the Greek titles, to making the final four and fight for what we deserve and what we believed we deserved in previous seasons also”.
As for dedicating the first title, Mr. Panagiotis Angelopoulos stated: “To the team of Olympiacos. To the players that are determined and never stopped trying for a minute”. Mr. Giorgos Angelopoulos replied: “Goss was absent for good reason. We wish him all the best on the new baby! Kostas and all the players dedicated the trophy to the coach, so let’s leave it that”.