By Alex Molina / info@eurohoops.net
Barça continues to win in the Euroleague, and coach Joan Peñarroya was satisfied at a press conference.
Considering that Barcelona lost on the weekend on the road to Valencia in the Spanish league, this win was kind of revenge.
As the coach said: “A game against Valencia is never easy, and we played a very good game. We had moments where we gave up, but they kept going, but we dropped our defensive level a bit and made mistakes… The team always found offensive opportunities, taking another step forward, ultimately relying on KP’s talent. The team was always in the game.”
Barça kicks off the Euroleague at the Palau with a win, and Peñarroya expects more: “Last season is last season. Our last season in the Euroleague was quite good; we would be wrong to compare it. What we have to do is continue along these lines and have the new players learn and contribute more.”
Barça’s victory came despite a poor defensive performance, and that makes it even more important: “I know that those who aren’t very close to the team or the coach will say that the team doesn’t defend anything, but I can say that the team played a great game, and we beat a team that had never lost so far in the EuroLeague. We’re going to see the glass as a little full. We need to be more solid, but we just beat an opponent who came in without a loss.”
Punter and Clyburn shone, but so did Satoransky. “We tend to undervalue Sato because he doesn’t shine in offensive situations, but today he had a great game. Sometimes his work is undervalued. We have players who have been and are important in the Euroleague, and we have to find a balance.”
This was the first home game for one of Barça’s biggest signings, who arrived with some doubts (but not from Peñarroya). “I’m surprised there were doubts about Will Clyburn; he’s a top player. If he’s healthy, he’s a top player. If anyone’s just discovering it now, he’s going to give us a lot. We hope that with his athleticism, his health will be respected. We were sure that we were signing an impactful player.”
And finally, a complaint. “It’s clear that energy is important in today’s basketball. Having long rosters to play in two competitions is very important, and the players need to recover. We’re incredibly unlucky in that we have little time to prepare for the Endesa League match. We’re a team that plays 17 of these 28 matchdays in less than 48 hours. But we also have an added bonus: we have six games on Sunday morning. Less than 30 hours. This causes us a lot of problems. Our team is the one that gets the least rest. We’re at a huge disadvantage compared to our rivals.”