By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
With Panathinaikos getting a big win over archrival Olympiacos at OAKA, coach Rick Pitino was in the mood to explain all sorts of game details and specifics during the post-game press conference.
And while Tyrese Rice made history with 41 points, Jimmer Fredette, one of the best-known US players who compete overseas, had seven points on 1/8 shots. Pitino explained, without even receiving a question beforehand, what Fredette must change in order to become effective in Europe and explained one of the main differences of the EuroLeague with the Chinese CBA.
As Pitino said: “Obviously Tyrese Rice was great and Jimmer has to learn a few things in order to become an effective EuroLeague player. In China, because the defense is not like the EuroLeague, you just can come off a screen and be open. He has to learn to dislodge his man, stand them up, fake one way and come off the other way. That’s one thing. The second thing he has to learn to stop going one-on-one and pass the basketball in crucial situations. So he is going to grow because of these mistakes tonight and certainly I think the world of him as a basketball player, but he has to learn those two things in order to be effective in the EuroLeague”.
Panathinaikos coach also elaborated on why it’s important to respect the opponent and made a special mention to Olympiacos captain and EuroLeague legend Vassilis Spanoulis: “I marvel at Spanoulis, to his age, after knee surgery to play that well. He is a wizard with the way he plays. Because of my respect for Olympiacos, I think that we will always be going to have great games, we are not trying to disparage them in any way. So when you have great respect, you have great games”.