By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Among the most intriguing fixtures of the 2023-24 schedule of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, Real Madrid hosts FC Bayern Munich in WiZink Center on Thursday. The leaders of the standings are labeled as the favorites to win. The intrigue is rather focused on Pablo Laso.
Laso, 56, returns to the capital of Spain as the head coach of the visiting side for the first time since being let go by Los Blancos in 2022. Before boarding the plane alongside his players and previewing the Round 14 contest, the experienced play-caller confessed to the particular character of the specific game and a touching moment at the personal level.
“A lot of people called me and will come to the game. But I think it is kind of normal because I was there for a long time,” he mentioned, “It is the first time I am coming back to Madrid. It would be stupid if I said it would not be emotional. But when the game starts, it is over, and we have to focus on the game.”
“A lot of things. Many years, many experiences, a lot of wins, EuroLeague champions,” he expanded on his memories from the lengthy stint, “Real Madrid, for me, has been almost a life. When somebody tells you that you have been 11 years at that club, that is a lot.”
Laso won two EuroLeague championships, settled for runner-up on three other occasions, and led the storied club to the Final Four of seven seasons during his stay. Success at the domestic level included six championships in Liga Endesa.
“Though I am not a footballer, they recognize me occasionally,” he described his stature in Madrid.
Friends in Madrid
The players coached by Chus Mateo have deep connections with Laso. Bayern’s head coach jokingly wished it could work in his favor.
“[Sergio] Llull is my friend, Rudy [Fernandez] is my friend, for sure. Facu [Campazzo], Gaby Deck, for sure,” he described relationships with upcoming opponents, “I had a great relationship with them. All the players that I coached.”
“That is dangerous because they might want to play good against you and they’re great players,” he added, “I just hope that they are very anxious and they do not play that good!”
“The best thing that I take is the friendship I have with a lot of the players there. At the end, it is what you get, those relationships,” explained the Vitoria-Gasteiz native.
“The dominant team”
His former side sits on top of the table with a 12-1 record. At 6-7, the Munich outfit is attempting to sneak into the postseason discussion, trailing the Play-In zone by one game.
“Right now, Real Madrid is probably the dominant team in the EuroLeague,” said Laso, “I think for them, we are talking about the reigning EuroLeague champions who acquired Campazzo. What else do they need? They are playing with more or less the same system and the players who have been together for many years, and they are playing with a lot of confidence.”
“This club has a vision,” he went into the project of Bayern, “The new arena is coming, the SAP Garden, German basketball is now at the forefront. I think this was precisely the right moment for me to come to Munich.”
Besides striving for success at the continental level, the team coached by Laso recently clinched a berth in the Final Four of BBL-Pokal and ranks fifth overall in Germany’s easyCredit BBL with a 6-3 record.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net