By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
Head coach of Greek champions Olympiacos, Georgios Bartzokas, gave a long interview to Sport24, referring, among other things, to Serbian international Vasilije Micić.
He could not reveal much regarding the rumored interest in the Serbian star, while making it clear that he wants players who desire to play with the red-and-white jersey.
“Micić is a fantastic player, no doubt about it. You ask if he fits Olympiacos? Do you think I’ll say live on a show, which player from those rumored interests the team has? All good, talented players fit at the highest level of European basketball, that goes without saying. Basically, I want players who want to come to Olympiacos,” said Bartzokas.
Bartzokas implied that this mentality also touches the case of Filip Petrusev, who still has a contract with Olympiacos.
“Petrušev belongs to those who do not want to be at Olympiacos. Filip is an incredibly talented player. In my opinion, he is exactly what we need — he can play both the four and the five positions, can stretch the floor with his shooting, is good at rebounding, strong in transition, and can also play with his back to the basket.”
Things changed with the Serbian big man when Sasha Vezenkov returned, and Petrusev eventually moved to Crvena Zvezda on loan.
“Since we had signed Vezhenkov, he showed a completely dismissive attitude toward the team. He didn’t listen to anyone; he looked elsewhere; in his own way, he wanted to show us that he wanted to leave. It has nothing to do with his class, his talent, or how we treated him. If you ask me, I treated him like my own son, with love and everything. And suddenly, as soon as Vezenkov arrived, his behavior was to look away, to walk around on the court, and so on. So, that couldn’t be tolerated. Someone has to want to be here to show their talent. Filip wanted to go there, but history has shown that he changes teams every year.”
On whether he’s willing to have another conversation with him, Bartzokas said: “No. He has to show that he wants to come to Olympiacos, that’s the rule. Our team will consist of those who want to be here. There are players we have approached over the years who, for some reason, Olympiacos did not suit them. Trying to convince those players to come is a failure from the start. I want players who, when they are at Olympiacos, want to stay, and when they are away from Olympiacos want to come back.”
The Greek coach used the examples of Evan Fournier and Sasha Vezenkov: “I understand it immediately when I talk to them. Fournier, for example, seemed to really want to come to Olympiacos, and obviously his transfer was important because he wanted to be here. The fact that he is a great player, a fantastic player, was a given. I wanted Sasha to return to Olympiacos, and that is more important than how good a player he is. Players who appreciate the team. Those transfers will be successful.”
Petrusev’s agent Misko Raznatovic responded to Bartzokas’s comments about the player on Twitter.
There is no better way to refresh the memory of forgetful people than to call in the numbers for help!
Box scores from Greek Super Cup final 2024, where Petrusev played great with Vezenkov, without watching on the side😀 and won the trophy! pic.twitter.com/QhPoDExL7j— Misko4Raznatovic (@MiskoRaznatovic) June 13, 2025
Additional help😀
Filip Petrusev in Greek play off final 2024!
5 games
58 minutes or 11,6 mpg
39 points or 7,8 ppg
Very far from horrible 😀😀 pic.twitter.com/mAYUp9ScD6— Misko4Raznatovic (@MiskoRaznatovic) June 13, 2025
This clarification was truly necessary, because Filip Petrušev genuinely felt affected by the false statement made about his attitude and relationship toward playing for Olympiacos! pic.twitter.com/Iaz5iwxHma
— Misko4Raznatovic (@MiskoRaznatovic) June 13, 2025