By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Ahead of tonight’s (1/3) game against Barcelona for Round 24 of the EuroLeague regular season, Zalgiris Kaunas head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius noted the vast improvement that the “Blaugrana” have shown since Svetislav Pesic took over.
“They have changed dramatically with Svetislav Pesic. They are playing more aggressively, with enthusiasm and are already winning titles (Copa del Rey). With Pesic, Barcelona is one of the favorites to win the Spanish League. There are good teams there, but I don’t think anyone would think that this team would win the Copa Del Rey a few weeks ago. Now, everyone understands that they are one of the favorites to win the league,” Jasikevicius said in the pre-game presser.
“He’s one of the best strategists in Europe. There aren’t too many, really. He absolutely knows what he wants and what he does. His experience is huge. He’s hard and difficult to work with but his players are improving and the team is winning. There are various methods but if the team needs to win, it’s hard to find better alternatives than Pesic in Europe,” he added.
Jasikevicius knows what he’s talking about also because he has a firsthand experience with Pesic’s coaching. Back in 2003, Saras was the starting point guard of Barcelona under Pesic, when the team won the first EuroLeague title in the history of the franchise.
“Back in Barcelona, we were living in the arena. I don’t know who needed an apartment in the team because we spent all the time in the arena,” Saras said.
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