Comments from Giannis Kastritis ahead of the Tezenis Verona vs. Pallacanestro Openjobmetis Varese game:
«I hope our latest victory in the BCL will give us more confidence, and I’m convinced it will, because I believe in our players. We always say we need to let the past go and move on, since we’re playing constantly. So I expect these results to help us believe even more in what we’re doing. At the same time, though, that confidence must remain just that—it mustn’t turn into complacency or lead us to think we’re set for good now. We must always stay hungry: we have to keep wanting to prove our worth, over and over again. The improvements in recent games? This is the path we’re following, and it’s what we expected. As I often say, though, this is a long-term process that must never stop. We mustn’t feel complacent or satisfied—we still have plenty of reasons not to be. I do feel, however, that we’re on the right track. The most important thing for our progress and for the success of the entire season will be to make sure we stay hungry, motivated, and united, no matter what happens. Not every game will be perfect, and we know we’ll continue to have ups and downs. But as long as we maintain this hunger, this motivation, and this unity, we’ll have the chance to bounce back and get back on track. The more we work and play together, the more data and insights we gather through video analysis—all of which helps every member of the team. We’re gaining a better and better understanding of what we want to do and our defensive system, which is always difficult for newcomers to grasp at first. But I feel the same way about our offense. As a group, we want to and strive to play together, starting with defense and defensive rebounding to launch the fast break. Similarly, attacking well, limiting turnovers, and maintaining a good offensive balance helps us defend better in transition and, subsequently, against a set defense. These are all interconnected aspects, and we feel we’re improving steadily. Ultimately, though, I’ll keep emphasizing one point: every game shows that, in most cases, what decides the outcome is intensity, the will to win, and the ability to be on the court with the right body language and the right attitude. As for Verona, I want to stress that they’re a very strong and solid team. They are a team—in all capital letters—that is well-prepared and well-coached. They know their strengths and weaknesses and play accordingly. That’s why I think it would be an oversimplification to focus solely on Tobey, who is obviously a very dominant player for them. First and foremost, we need to focus on ourselves and on what we need to execute correctly, starting with our defensive transition and extending to defensive rebounding. If we can perform at a high level in these two areas, I believe we’ll have an excellent chance of controlling the game and winning it».