Bartzokas: «Together we will fight for the victory» (pics+vid)
The number of injured players has increased, but the expectations remain high. Olympiacos will be playing tomorrow’s home game against Villeurbanne (20/02, 18.15 CET) with yet again two more players missing (in regard with the huge victory against CSKA).
After Brandon Paul, Augustine Rubit was admitted today (19/02) at the Medical Center of Psychikon. Both have high fever which makes their absence from tomorrow’s game a given.
Despite all of that, coach Bartzokas expects that his players once again overcome adversity. “We are going to be facing the game against Villeurbanne with all proper seriousness, just like any other game. Villeurbanne is a tough team, an athletic one, they attack the ball a lot and you have to control the game without making a lot of turnovers so as to win. Unfortunately, we played with a lot of problems against CSKA, with a lot of players missing and with a lot of problems. Now we have more, because both Rubit and Paul are sick and at the hospital, so we are missing two more players in regard to last time. But I hope that we are still going to fight, we will stay together and fight for the victory”.
Asked if he thinks that defense is going to be the key, he replied: “It’s going to need cooperation from all the players that are going to be playing. They all need to be mentally and physically ready to fight every play and every possession. This was also the important thing against CSKA, that we had been very good with all challenged possessions. Which means that sometimes, when a lot of players are missing, tactics are secondary to other game factors”.
On whether – given the situation with the ‘reds’ – a closed rotation is something that suits the team for a game or two, he said: “I really don’t have an answer for that. We have to analyze the whole situation when the season is over. All this is not at all pleasant. We have lost important players, like Spanoulis to a surgery, Rochestie to a strained muscle, who has been out for some time now, now Paul and Rubit are out with the flue. We have a lot of issues. It’s not just the game you are going to be playing and you may be kind of alert or focused on the win, it’s also about practice and preparing. When you have so many players missing, preparing is not up to standards”.
When asked to talk about the new additions to the roster, Shaquielle McKissic and Dwight Buycks, and the reasons they got them signed, he commented: “First of all, we need players in terms of numbers. But choosing them means I do believe in them. McKissic has been here for a week and I have more than a favorable opinion of him. I’m certain he’s going to be helping us a lot. He’s a very good player. I believe the same thing about Buycks as well, that’s why I hadn’t wanted to make any hasty decisions, nor did I feel like singing anyone just to sign them. I believe that these players have next year potential for Olympiacos. They are good players and understand the game”.
Finally, when asked on whether there is a thought about more additions, he replied: “For now, no… Just these two”.
«It’s an opportunity…»
Octavius Ellis commented on the upcoming game: «Villeurbanne is a very strong and good team. They are also athletic. They feed of their opponents’ turnovers, that’s why we need to come on the floor focused and ready to protect the ball and our passes. Unfortunately, we have some injured players and some others that are sick. No one wanted for something like that to happen. However, at the end of the day, it’s a good opportunity for the new players to come forward, to be competitive, to give 100% and win the coach’s faith. We need to come out and play hard».
Finally, about his upcoming duel with the Nigerian center of the French team, Tonye Jekiri, he commented: “I have played against him in the past, we had been opponents in some mini camps and in college. It’s going to be fan to face off”.
Look at photos here...