By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Czech power forward/center, has been extremely dominant against his opponents in the previous month ,and not only.
As the MVP for the month January in Euroleague, Jan Vesely, gave an interview in the official website of the competition about his performance, the undefeated streak of Fenerbahce in the Top 16 and the fact that his team… wins where noone else does.
Hello, Jan, and congratulations for being named MVP for January. What does this award, which has everything to do with you helping Fenerbahce win all its games last month, mean to you?
“Thanks a lot. Like you said, the most important thing is that we won all the games in January. I always try to do my best to help my team win and everything ended up pretty well last month, so I am very, very happy for it.”
As the only undefeated team left in the Top 16, what has made Fenerbahce so competitive, home and away, so far?
“We have been able to play hard and play together – and it is working. Everybody enjoys playing together and we like it right now. Everything is working pretty well, so we just have to keep going like that.”
You opened January by beating Crvena Zvezda Telekom in Belgrade by Fenerbahce’s biggest margin of victory this season. Were you especially motivated that night? Why?
“Of course, you know, because Zvezda was our biggest rival when I played for Partizan. Every time I play against them, there is always some kind of rivalry going on. I like to play these kinds of games, especially in Pionir. It doesn’t matter who is the home team, Zvezda or Partizan, I just like the atmosphere in the arena. It gave me more energy.”
Zvezda has beaten everyone else at home, but you have won in Belgrade twice. What was the secret to beating them this time around?
“The key to this game was not to fall when under pressure in the arena. We beat them twice in the regular season and knew how to play against them. The most important thing was not to fall under the pressure and the atmosphere. That was our main focus: the pressure from their fans is big.”
You went on to beat Lokomotiv Kuban at home. You were down by 9 at the end of the third quarter, but came back to win. What were the keys to overcome that situation against such a difficult team?
“Yes, that was a pretty, pretty tough game. Like you said, we were down most of the game and tried to stay close, which was tough for three quarters. We stayed in the game and fought until the end. That was the main thing, what decided the game. We never gave up, had a good fourth quarter and played until the end.”
Next, visiting Darussafaka Dogus on the other side of Istanbul, the teams combined for 113 first-half points and both reached 100 at the final buzzer. Did you expect a game like that?
“I really didn’t expect a game like this. We were many times up by 15 or something like that. In some moments, it looked like we would win the game easily, by 20 points or so, but they kept shooting the ball and came back. It was our mistake: we should have closed the game before we actually did. We thought it was over when we were up by 15 points, and Darussafaka came back. We have to be more careful in these situations.”
To close January, against Cedevita, Fenerbahce had five double-digit scorers, including Ricky Hickman. How important is it for you guys to have him back in action and doing well?
“It is great, you know? He helped us a lot last season. After the injury, it took him a lot of time to get back and be healthy. It is not easy to come back when you have been out for such a long time, but he is doing a great job, working hard in practice and trying to get back in shape, getting the game rhythm. I am happy that he is getting better and better in the Euroleague and the Turkish League. We have a big rotation in this team and somebody will step up in each game. It is great to have one more great player like him.”
Fenerbahce is undefeated at home, sometimes using fourth-quarter rallies to stay perfect. How important is that home strength and how do the fans help you do so well there?
“For me, personally, I love to play in front of our fans. They cheer and have helped us to stay in some difficult games and win them. They have helped us a lot, all season. Like you said, we were down by nine against Loko and they were unbelievable. Our fans saw that we were trying to come back and started to cheer for us even more. It is a big help to play at home in front of them.”
After one and a half seasons with Fenerbahce, how do you like to be such an important player in such a big club?
“It is great, of course. I finally found myself. The opportunity Zeljko [Obradovic] is giving me is great. People like me and the team is doing well now. The situation is perfect for me. I am really, really enjoying it. Zeljko believes in me and this is why I came to Fenerbahce. I knew what a great coach he is and about his winning mentality. I am trying to make the most of this opportunity from Day 1, and to help the team as much as I can.”
Fenerbahce already made it to the Final Four last season. Is that in the back of your minds, getting back to the Final Four with a better shot at the Euroleague title?
“Of course, you don’t start the season thinking that you will lose everything. We would like to go back to the Final Four and win the trophy, but it is a long season and we have to go step by step, like we are right now. We have to keep working hard to get even better, get ready for the next game and prepare ourselves for the next one.”