By Evaggelos Papadimitriou/ info@eurohoops.net
On the heels of the latest offseason packed with rumors linking him to a move to the NBA, Vasilije Micic is back for Anadolu Efes.
In the last couple of editions of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, he has been named Final Four MVP twice as the main player responsible for lifting the Turkish club to back-to-back championships. In addition, he was the 2020-21 season MVP and the 2021-22 Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy recipient.
“There is always something left. I never look at it that way,” he told Eurohoops making his intentions for the next season clear, “Winning two titles gave us the understanding that in basketball we have to play until the end. The way we started both seasons was not very well. We had to learn from that. We had to build our character through these beginnings.”
Echoing the general expectations of a demanding season coming up in the EuroLeague, he also expressed his determination to keep proving himself in this environment.
“Personally, I never miss motivation,” he said, “The way I approach the game is always the same. I don’t really mind if I play against Turkish league teams or EuroLeague teams.”
“Definitely, there can be some lack of motivation in the beginning,” he added referring to the fact that the team guided by Ergin Ataman has been extremely successful in recent years, “In the end, the most important is to win and find the inner motivation.”
In Greece for the 4th Pavlos Giannakopoulos tournament, he also answered a question about the host of the friendly games in Athens, Panathinaikos.
“Among the big changes for them is the coach,” he mentioned about the Greens hiring Dejan Radonjic, “He is a good friend of mine and a great person. I am very happy he decided to come here. At the least, they are going to have a very dedicated coach.”
Launching the 2022-23 schedule, Efes will welcome Crvena Zvezda mts in Istanbul on 7 October.