By Michalis Gkiouneloglou / info@eurohoops.net
After the best EuroLeague performance in his career so far, Panathinaikos Athens big man Omer Yurtseven talked to Eurohoops about the encouragement he’s been receiving from injured teammate Mathias Lessort and how it helped him step up during the latter’s absence.
“We talked with Mathias and sent some messages to each other, I can’t remember them word by word,” Lessort said to Eurohoops. “But he was here. He worked a bit, something that I thought was funny. I wanted to tell him, ‘brother you have time ahead of you, relax to get well and come back.’ But we talked, yes. He’s an amazing person. What happened to him was sad but he will definitely come back stronger, mentaly, physically in every aspect. He’s encouraging me. We were practicing every day, he understood what I can do and continues to encourage me.”
Yurtseven dominated Virtus with 27 points on 13-16 shots. He also had seven rebounds, three blocks and two assists for 34 in PIR to be named MVP of the Round by EuroLeague.
“I found the confidence I was looking for,” Yurtseven also mentioned “From the first moment I came here I wanted to play as tough as I can. From the preparatin games, I showed what I can offer to the team. There was a period of stagnation.”
“I was the substitute center,” Yurtseven added. “I accepted it but now I know myself that I should do the step up and make big plays, have big games, protect the paint and go into Lessort’s role. All these are something that I waited for and I have worked hard for.”
Asked about Panathinaikos Athens coach Ergin Ataman’s comment that the “party is over” in the EuroLeague and the true competition now starts, Yurtseven pretty much agrees.
“Things have become more serious to be honest,” Yurtseven said. “We knew what we wanted and what we must do, everything has a purpose: Why I have to roll, why I must do something else, to score, to dominate, do everything. When I had this intentional belief, the bulls–it was over.”