By Antonis Stroggylakis / info@eurohoops.net
After winning the 2021 Copa del Rey and his first trophy as head coach of Barcelona, Sarunas Jasikevicius talked about the philosophy that he’s looking to implement further on the team and how everyone involved should put on the same amount of effort towards the common goal, regardless of their role and status.
“We intend that nobody is above the team,” Jasikevicius said. “From the biggest star to a player in the academies, everyone has to work the same, sacrifice the same. We have to win all together. This isn’t tennis, or golf, this is basketball. We need each other, believe in each other.”
Jasikevicius’ Barcelona defeated archrival Real Madrid 88 – 73 in the final to lift the 26th Cup title in the history of the club. Cory Higgins won tournament MVP after averaging 19.0 points on 21-35 shots plus 2.7 rebounds in the quarterfinal, semifinal and title game. He dropped 20 points in the latter.
The Blaugrana dominated their opponents in all areas of the game and were vastly superior also on the physical aspect of it. Saras praised his players’ attitude and particularly their transformation into “bad boys” on the court. “They are good guys, they try. But to win the important things we have to be even a little bit bastards.”