By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The coach first focused on the difficulty of the season with Barcelona, as he said that he was prepared to join the team, though everything turned out the wrong way. “In the aftermath, the situation was indeed tough. Talents like Satoransky and Abrines went to the NBA, the players’ age average was high. We’ve had nearly five absencies in every game and so we couldn’t find our chemistry. I didn’t pick the players, though they informed me about the active contracts we had”.
During the season, Bartzokas was often rowdy during games. “My reactions were extreme”, he explains, “but I always connect to the team I work for. I try to manage it.”
His departure from Olympiacos was rather rocky, with fans enraged at him after the end of the Greek finals. “It’s all an experience collection. Maturity comes with a price. When you rationalize what happens, you see what it is all about. For me it was good, afterall. I wasn’t hit, or cursed at. The way they talked to me was disrespectful and made me want to end my contract.”
“I struggled a lot when I was out of action, as my relation with Olympiacos wasn’t just on a professional level. The outcome was expected. When you can’t win, you can’t stay.”
Bartzokas also commented on the new EuroLeague format and how it felt like from a coach’s perspective. “All coaches said the same. You can’t control the team with such little time to prepare for every game. In addition to that, the Spanish league is tough and every ACB league game requires commitment, which made it very challenging.”