By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Peristeri presented Vassilis Spanoulis to the public and the legendary player spoke up throughout his first press conference as a coach.
“For me, it’s a new beginning. It’s something that excites me and I feel good about it. We had very nice discussions and came to the conclusion that this vision of Peristeri suits us. The goal is nothing more than to fill the arena and this will happen if we play proper basketball that will bring people to the stands, not only from Peristeri but from all municipalities,” Spanoulis said and was clear that there’s no pressure to win trophies at the moment.
“It is forbidden to talk about banners with ten new players and new coaching staff. I do not want us to put up signs and put pressure. I understand the agony and the longing, but we have to get chemistry, be humble and fill the arena as a goal. We will gradually add new goals.”
He also wants to make sure to give young players a chance and wants a mixture of both the youth and the veteran experience that would benefit everybody.
“I believe that in order for a young player to play well, he must have experienced players next to him. By building his personality alongside more experienced ones, they can stand out better. We want to combine both. A group mix. Certainly, because of the academies, we give a great basis to the young children, but we must know that this does not happen overnight. It is not easy to take a child from adolescence and play in top divisions. If you have no other solutions, then you can do it. But when you have a choice, you have to make a long-term plan and make them ready to take a key position in the team.”
Those words seem very familiar and it’s no surprise as that philosophy is very close to what late Duda Ivkovic always tried to do wherever he went. And Ivkovic was one of Spanoulis’ coaches who left a big impact on the former player.
“I definitely got a lot from a lot of coaches. I was blessed to have two of the best coaches in European basketball (Ivkovic, Obradovic) and many great Greeks. I certainly have influences, but I also have my own philosophy. Mine is honesty, hard work, and discipline.”
And that philosophy will be translated to his squad.
“You can not choose players without a philosophy. We had the blessing thanks to the help of the presidents and our organized plan and we got players who were our first choices. We want to play an attractive, modern basketball with great intensity, a tough team, well-trained, a mixture of experienced and young players who will be able to play different tempos.”