Vezenkov: «Olympiacos must return to his rightful place»

A few days before the official start of pre-season, Sasha Vezenkov talked to Olympiacosbc.gr about his current perception of the team as well as about his expectations of the new season.

“It’s still very early to make assessments. The sure thing is though that the atmosphere is good, there are a lot of smiles, a positive vibe and extra hunger in its one player to work, given that we had been away from courts for such a long time. We are actually a new team that needs time, so that the veterans have time to bond with the new players. I believe though that through practicing and hard work, everyone will be able to assimilate the coach’s philosophy really soon and everything will be ok”.

Talking about the main part of the pre-season, he said: “I’m looking forward to it, since we haven’t played basketball in six months, but also because it’s the time we get to know our new team mates better. It’s the time the team is being built and the foundations are laid”.

About the new – very particular due to the coronavirus – season, he said: “The Euroleague is scheduled to begin on October 1 and up to then there is a lot of time. We don’t know under which circumstances the games are going to be held. We see that football is being played without fans in the arenas. We hope that things are going to be getting better, that we remain healthy, that we follow the protocols and the instructions of the specialists and hopefully we get to have our fans with us. Just like myself, my team mates, as well as everyone that loves basketball, are looking forward for the games to begin, that they are exciting, thrilling and we finally get back to action. I wish that we have fans in the stands, because we derive strength from the fans the fans from us. It’s going to be very good if we even have a small percentage of the fans in the gym. If not, it’s going to be a new given, that we’ll have to get used to. I imagine it’s going to be a little strange at first, but as I said before, health is above all else”.

Finally, talking about his expectations in the ‘red’ jersey, he stressed: “Our main goal is to have chemistry as soon as possible, become a team, assimilate and turn into action all of the things that the coach has been asking from us. I believe that this team has been designed to play a protagonist role. The sure thing is we are going to be giving our best. But I don’t think we need to talk big, but rather work hard to get Olympiacos back where he deserves to be”.