By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
Barcelona was down after the first quarter, at halftime, throughout the second part of the third, and the first part of the fourth period, but managed to defeat ASVEL at Palau Blaugrana.
With that win, Joan Peñarroya’s side improved to 4-1 and, after five rounds, sits at the top of the EuroLeague standings.
“It was a game where, for many minutes, we didn’t take the initiative, but I value the ability to struggle through, even without playing well and being behind on the scoreboard. The minutes we would have liked to play at the beginning, we played at the end, when it usually matters more; that was the key. The competition is tough for everyone, and the results reflect that. I’m happy because we knew how to suffer through an ugly game. We were poor both in offense and defense, slow and soft, and they had the initiative. We struggled in our defense. It was our first game without Lapro, a very important player for us. We are still in the building phase. It was an ugly win, and the teams that want to be at the top have to win many like this,” said Barcelona’s head coach, Joan Peñarroya.
After the game, Jan Vesely praised the talented Dame Sarr, saying “he brought the energy” and “lifted everybody” in the second half. Peñarroya continued in the same manner.
“I’m very happy for him because he introduced himself today. He had the injury setback, which slowed down the great work he was doing and the respect he was earning from his teammates, which is the most important thing for a guy like him—to earn his teammates’ respect. Today he was one of the keys to the game. His energy, defensive skills, one-on-one coverage, attacking the rim, the three-pointer he made, a block… We need players with that capability. This isn’t about finding scoring leaders or the flashy things we like, but the work that helps teams win. He’s very young, had a great game today, but we don’t need to get carried away. Everyone thinks he’s an incredible talent; we have a lot of faith and confidence in him. He’s earning his minutes, but the coach might not be able to give them to him. He’s shown many of the qualities he can offer us,” Barcelona’s head coach praised the talented Sarr.