By Rigas Dardalis/ dardalis@eurohoops.net
He is talented also as a basketball analyst and that’s why he is practically the only European coach who, in a year between jobs, he did what most American do by being an active member of the media. He started at Eurobasket at the Greek channel OTE TV, he is a columnist for the Spanish portal kiaenzona.com and he is also a Euroleague analyst for Greek channel Nova.
And it was only natural for Eurohoops to ask him his opinion about the upcoming Eurocup finals, since he was last season the competition’s coach of the year. “The discussion about the change of the system and the double finals have started since last season and I think that it’s more fair, since both teams will have the chance to perform before their home crowd. On the other hand you can’t deny the fact that a 40 minutes final in a neutral gym is a much more exciting affair”, says the 47 years old coach, who spend three seasons at the bench of Valencia and knows the team very well.
“It’s a team that has build a tradition in Eurocup and the trophy is a very important goal for them. They have won it twice, they have played in the final of 2012, they have been countless times in the semis and the quarterfinals. If there’s a signature team for the competition, then it’s Valencia”.
The point guard similarities
Both opponents are very strong contenders, their weapons are many and well known, but for coach Katsikaris one thing stands out in particular: “The point guards match up will be more than interesting, since the teams have four guards who are a great combination of quality, strength and size. You have Zisis and McKee for Unics and on the other side Lafayette and Van Rossom. This duos duel will be more than crucial in order to get an advantage”.
Valencia the “punisher” and “hard” Unics
What’s the strongest point in the game of the two teams according to Katsikaris? “What really impresses me is the way Valencia can “kill” you in a minute. They punish every turnover of the opponent, they get easy points in the transition and they can either finish a game, or turn it around if they are trailing. They are fed by opponents’ turnover and that is evident by their stats.
Unics’ trademark is their defense, which is based in coach Trinchieri’s philosophy. It’s the hardest defense in Europe and don’t even think about mixing hard and “dirty”, because they know the rules and their limits and they play within them”.
Doellman and Zisis
We also asked from the coach to pick two players who can make the difference. To be exact, we gave him a choice at Valencia, since in Unics there’s one of his best “students” playing…
“Doellman is the key for Valencia and Unics will have to take some defensive risks in order to stop him. His presence in both games will be really important. On the other side for Zisis, I can talk for hours. The titles he has won during his career and the way he is appreciated by his coaches and his teammates speak for themselves. His experience in those kind of games is very important for Unics, as it was evident in the second semifinal against Crvena Zvezda”.