By Alex Molina/ info@eurohoops.net
Hapoel Tel Aviv beat Barça away (75-80) in another match played behind closed doors. Itoudis’ team prevailed after a great second half to move to 18-11 in the standings in a much-needed victory for the Israeli team.
The Greek coach spoke at a press conference after the victory, highlighting his team’s effort and the importance of these wins.
“I would like to congratulate my team. All the players for the win and also for the performance”, Itoudis said. “If I can summarize a little bit, we opened the game a little bit rusty. It has an explanation, because the last official game was 14 days ago and we opened the game without having the right mindset on the defensive end“, he explained.
“We only used 1 foul at the end of the quarter. Barcelona was doing everything they wanted to. It’s obvious the second quarter changed drastically, helped us, and all the players from the bench brought their energy, from Chris (Jones), to Kessler (Edwards), to Randolph. They brought the enthusiasm on the defensive end, they set the tone, and we forced a couple of turnovers”, Itoudis analyzed.
“We had some turnovers; Barcelona was aggressive. It was obvious what they were doing with a mobile as big as Vesely. We’ve been prepared for that to attack it in several ways, but the turnovers and the fact that we missed some free throws cost us a little bit of doing a big separation”, he answered.
“We’re happy the team is back on track, and the team never lost contact with the Play-In or Playoffs spot, and that is something. We know it’s a marathon. Next week is a double-action week for us. Good luck to Barcelona and my friend Xavi”, he said about the situation of Hapoel.
“We’re trying to entertain people”
Of course, coach Itoudis was asked about the geopolitical situation in the EuroLeague with Hapoel Tel Aviv leaving Israel due to the war with Iran and relocating to Bulgaria.
“It was a very well-executed plan from our GM and all the members of the club. A lot of people had contributed in order to evacuate on time and to be safe through Egypt, Athens, and then Sofia. It’s not my job to comment on what happened on the geopolitical part because there are a lot of things happening in the world”, Itoudis said.
“My job is to teach basketball and friendship. We come from different countries, but at the end of the day, we’re united. Hapoel Tel Aviv is new to this environment, but we have built a team with a combination of youth and experience that wants to win. We had our ups and downs like everybody else. Injuries… It’s not easy. But in the end, we’re committed, they’re committed”, Itoudis continued.
“We’re focused just on basketball. We know our fanbase is a big fanbase, and what matters is Hapoel Tel Aviv. The mission of a sports club, in any sport, is to entertain people. Your help as a journalist is to write that and to leave us out of whatever happens outside our world. We’re trying to entertain people. The artists will do it, the singers will do it…”, he concluded.