By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After the EuroLeague win over Partizan, it seemed that Baskonia‘s loss to Tenerife in the opening round of the ACB League was a fluke. However, they lost the next two matches, one to Andorra in the domestic championship and the first EuroLeague road match against Crvena Zvezda.
Speaking after the Belgrade defeat, one of the standout players of Pablo Laso’s squad, Chima Moneke, touched on the early struggles of the Vitoria team.
“We had moments when we were good, and moments that lost us the game. We have to keep fighting, can’t get down double digits. In both games we were down double digits, and made it a game. It’s hard to spend all that energy trying to come back into the game, especially on the road,” Moneke said to Meridian Sport.
Aware of the slow start, especially in the ACB League, Moneke doesn’t want a repeat of the previous season. “The way we play is the most important thing. You can lose games, play badly or play well. We know that we didn’t make the ACB playoffs last year, and we just don’t want to do that again. Simple as that”, he commented about the domestic league.
Playing against Crvena Zvezda had a silver lining, as he had a chance to meet his last year’s teammate, Codi Miller-McIntyre. “I’m happy that he is doing well, that he is happy, he’s playing, he is decisive. He’s one of my favorite people in the world”, he added.
Moneke praised Crvena Zvezda’s team, especially experienced Nikola Kalinic, whom he faced last season in Spain when the Serbian forward was playing for Barcelona.
“They’ve got a chance. Everyone has a chance; everyone should be very optimistic since it is very early. A huge difference is [Nikola] Kalinic – he feels happier. I spoke to him during the game about it, his body language, and he feels involved… Isaiah Canaan is great, [Nemanja] Nedovic is great, and Codi [Miller-McIntyre] is great. I like their team; they are good”, Chima Moneke concluded.
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague