By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
ANTWERP– A few moments after leading Virtus Bologna to the 2019 Basketball Champions League semifinal with a Final Four-tying 21 points against Brose Bamberg, Kevin Punter flat out refused to comment on his game.
“No,” Punter told reporters when asked if he wants to talk about his performance. “It’s a team game. I want to win.”
And Punter did exactly that in the first Basketball Champions League semifinal in Antwerp. In the beginning of the fourth quarter, he pretty much “signed” his team’s dominant victory with six points plus a steal that led to a transition bucket.
He also paired his offensive output with eight rebounds. Not bad.
“For us… we just played our game. Defensively and offensively. We were in front the whole time. We played hard. The coach gave us the game plan. We just executed.”
Punter himself is a reigning Basketball Champions League champ since he won the trophy last season with AEK Athens. Now he wants to lead Bologna to the achievement. Something that will mean the world to the franchise.
“It’s amazing,” Punter said when asked the importance of Bologna returning to the final of a European competition. “Amazing. Last time we played in a European competition… I don’t even remember when it was. To be here and to be able to do it, is amazing.”
“Our job is not done yet. We won. Yet still not done,” Punter added.
Punter believes that he and his teammates don’t need to make any special preparation ahead of the Final. After all, they came to Antwerp with a mission.
“We already have the right state of mind. We came here with the right state of mind on Wednesday. At this point… we just got to stay locked in. “