By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Mickael Gelabale decided to open a new chapter in his career by agreeing to play again for one of his mentors, coach Bozidar Maljkovic, for Cedevita Zagreb. As it was proved on court at the game against Olympiacos, Cedevita is a much better team than its 0-4 Euroleague record suggests and will fight until the end of the regular season for the best possible results.
As Gelebale said to Εurohoops: “We tried very hard to get a win. We wanted to get our first win at Piraeus and then try to keep our chances of qualification alive. Our team has many new faces, we need time in order to know each other, to have better chemistry and present a better image on the court”.
Since Eurobasket 2005 in Serbia, Gelabale is a regular member of the French national team and as a “veteran” recognize the talent of the newest members and he is really optimistic about its future: “Each year we get better and better. We have many new players who are evolving and become better. Players like Nicolas Batum and Kevin Seraphin are playing really well in the NBA. I believe that we have a good roster and as time goes by, we will get even better”.
Gelabale’s trademark was his… rasta style hair which were really long! Now his haircut is radically different – really short for his standards – but as he said to Eurohoops, it’s just a matter of time for the rasta to return! “I know that everyone was used to my previous hair style, but it was two long and I had to cut it! Maybe it will… return. Wait for 3-4 years and then maybe you will see my old haircut again”.