Donta Hall & Corey Joseph on qualifying for the Final 4

Olympiacos qualified for the 15th Final Four in its history, as sweeping the series against Monaco 3–0 and is now just two wins away from its 4th European title. Immediately after the game, Donta Hall and Cory Joseph spoke to olympiacosbc.gr about their feelings.

Donta Hall spoke first, having been outstanding in the series against his former team and reaching the second Final Four of his career: “Yes, it’s the second Final Four of my career. I’m happy to be on the other side compared to where I was last year. But yes, it’s my second one and I’m looking forward to it.”

When asked how he experienced this year’s achievement with Olympiacos fans by his side, Hall said: “Honestly, I’m excited and looking forward to what the future holds and what’s going to happen there. We have incredible fans. I can’t complain! I love it… I love the energy they give us. So yeah, we’ll see what happens.”

Regarding how he feels every time he hears his name from the stands: “As I said before, I feel great. I have no complaints. They give me their love and I give it back. There really aren’t enough words to describe it. Our fans are truly phenomenal! They were with us wherever we played during the regular season, and that’s great.”

On whether the mission has been accomplished, Hall was clear: “Our playoff mission is complete, but our overall mission is not finished yet. The biggest goal is still ahead of us. We had a solid season and finished first, always taking it one game at a time.”

When asked what promise he could make to Olympiacos fans, Hall said: “I don’t make promises. But as I said, we take it game by game. That’s how the whole team and staff approach it. It’s a long season, we’ve achieved some things, but the main goal hasn’t been reached yet. So, what we’ll do is stay united, stay together, play Olympiacos' basketball, and enjoy it.”

On his part, Cory Joseph said about the qualification: “We’re very happy. It’s a very talented team and we had to give our best in every game. We felt we were close, but we still haven’t played our most complete game. We still have some gaps in our performance, so we need to keep trying to get better. But as I said, congratulations to Monaco as well. They had a very tough season with many injuries. They fought, and we had to bring our best.”

Asked about his transition from the U.S. to European basketball and adapting to Olympiacos, Joseph said: “We have a truly incredible fan base. There’s an electric atmosphere in the arena every time we play at home, and I expect them to show up that at the Final Four as well. We’re excited about it, and we still have a lot of work ahead of us.”

On his feelings when he heard his name from the Olympiacos fans: “I was very focused and it was so loud that I didn’t realize it until just before it ended (the chant), but it’s always a great feeling. It’s amazing to feel that respect and to see that the hard work you put in is recognized. It makes you want to work even harder, stay extremely focused, and try to give 101%. When all that is recognized by the fans, it’s incredible.”

The Canadian guard then added about whether he expected this when he signed with the team: “We had a lot of talent and there was definitely an opportunity to achieve something. But when I arrived, I first had to find my rhythm. But you know, the most important thing is still ahead, and we need to keep working while staying grounded because we want to reach our ultimate goal.”

Like Hall, Joseph was also clear about whether the mission is complete: “The mission is not finished. It was a good win and we need to keep what we did well in this series and move forward. At the same time, we have to improve the things we didn’t do well, because now it’s win or go home, so we have to be very, very well prepared.”

Finally, Cory Joseph promised a fight to the team’s fans: “I promise we will fight with all our strength! Both individually and as a team, we desperately want to win, and that’s what our fans should expect from us. No matter the score or how each possession goes, they’re going to see us fighting with everything we’ve got to win the game. Usually when we come out with that kind of energy, a good result follows, so that’s what we’ll focus on.”