By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Pablo Laso and Andrés Nocioni spoke to the press the day before their first game in the Spanish Super Cup of Basketball.
“It has come around quickly, some of our players are dealing with injuries, but that doesn’t mean we can’t compete from the very first moment. It is the first official competition and we must be ready to play our best possible game if we want to win against a rival like Barcelona”, said Pablo Laso.
“I have no preconceived ideas as to whether the new players will feature or not. I am looking at them all in the same way, as part of a team”, he highlights. “I don’t make distinctions with regard to Hunter or Randolph being new or if Rudy has been here longer. I set the team up so that they can keep improving every day, so that they can grow as a team and that does not mean focussng on one or another. Some of them have adapted quicker, some others have taken longer, some have come in in better shape.”
Andres Nocioni has only one goal for the Super Cup. “We are still in the preseason but when you play the Super Cup all you think about is winning it and getting that victory for your team. Barcelona have put together a good squad, one of the best in Europe, and they are a dangerous team. We will have to give it absolutely everything because they are coming into this slightly more up to speed”.
He also noted the roster upgrade and is very ambitious about it. “I know my duties in this team well and what is required of me. The fact that there are other players in that same position is not an issue. You have to try to adapt and I am at that point in my career when I can’t play 30 minutes so it suits me to be able to divide things up. We have a top level squad, we are highly competitive and I reckon that we are going into this slightly fresher than last year. That is a key factor for a team that wants to win all of the competitions it enters”.