By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
In the last home game of its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, the already-eliminated Milano managed to beat FC Barcelona 84-76 in front of the red-and-white crowd.
In the post-game press conference, the guests’ head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius revealed which team exceeded his expectations in the race for the playoffs.
“You have to put Zalgiris, nobody expected. Because I’m a huge fan, I’m very proud to say that Zalgiris is fighting in this race: nobody expected them to be here at the beginning of the season. More people didn’t expect them to be in the race after Keenan Evans went down”, he said following the loss.
“They pulled a lot of games on share character and share will, just fighting and fighting. This is a great example of basketball and sacrifice. I’m so happy because Zalgiris is very special for me”, the Lithuanian head coach added.
Sarunas Jasikevicius, who has been in charge in Barcelona for almost three years now, is a Zalgiris Kaunas legend. He retired there as a player following a career full of milestones, and debuted as a head coach in the EuroLeague in 2016, bringing the Lithuanians to the Final Four in 2018.
PHOTO CREDIT: Zalgiris Kaunas