By Stefan Acevski / info@eurohoops.net
Tomas Satoransky left Barcelona this summer after four seasons and joined Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Having won the ACB League in 2023, Satoransky departed from Blaugrana, but it seems the parting was not great. Tomas discussed everything that happened in an interview with the Czech ‘Seznam Zpravy’.
To begin with, he talked about his move to Hapoel and the fact that he will finally not be the first option in the point guard spot, something he had long requested from Barcelona.
“Without a doubt, this will be my role; I am not the starting point guard, that is Vasilije Micic. I think I will be the second or third point guard, which is something I was looking for in the EuroLeague. At Barça, they also promised me that I wouldn’t play as much in the Liga Endesa, but since we didn’t sign anyone, that wasn’t the case.”
Regarding his relationship with Xavi Pascual, Satoransky confessed that the coach’s departure made him think that his time at Palau had come to an end.
“When coach Xavi Pascual, for me one of the best coaches in Europe, decided not to continue, I had a feeling it wouldn’t go well; it was the only link that would have kept me. I wanted a change of scenery; the last two years had not gone well for us due to political and economic reasons, we weren’t signing entirely suitable players.”
He also added that he pushed himself to the limits in Barcelona despite his back problems, and he spoke about the emotional farewell to the fans.
“I had a lot of back problems, I had pushed myself too far. When, at the end of the final, the coach substituted me and Jan Vesely, it was difficult to say goodbye from the bench,” he explained, adding that “there was a period when I played 30 minutes per game in the EuroLeague, the body was completely wrecked and by the second or third day, we were already playing the league.”
Satoransky directed particularly harsh words towards the leadership of Barcelona. According to him, the football section took control, and the results and successes of the basketball team were no longer important.
“Barça was a huge disappointment due to the attitude that the football directors adopted towards basketball. In recent years, they have put obstacles in our way, and it was clear that winning in basketball was not very important to them. And it’s difficult to fight against that.
It is true that we did not play at our best level, but, on the other hand, we signed seven players over the age of 34; I think it’s quite admirable that we lasted until the final against Valencia, where we had no chance. Now, at Hapoel, we have a visionary owner and, without a doubt, we want to win the EuroLeague.”
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