By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
The score in Martin Carpena was 58-46 for Unicaja against Prokom 109 seconds before the end of the game. The fans could start walking the exit door celebrating one more win, but coach Jasmin Repesa changed their mind. He decided to use for first time this season Sergi Vidal, a legendary Euroleague player, who just recovered from his injury.
Eurohoops.net talked to 31-year-old Spaniard who is 13th (191 games) in the list of the players with the most appearances in Euroleague games and he focused on the big success of his team. Unicaja registered six Euroleague wins in row, their best start since 2008-09. Also, they already qualified to Top16 having six wins and three more regular season games before them. It’s an impressive record so far, having in mind that during the last two years Malaga had just 10 wins 22 defeats in the competition.
As Vidal said: “We celebrated our first goal which was to qualify to Top16. After that, we will try to keep ourselves in the same level and try to reach the best position in the group. We will not have any more the press to qualify and I think we will play better in the next games. The team hasn’t showed still its abilities. We don’t play always well until now and he have a lot of ups and downs. Sometimes it looks easy for us to win every opponent but in the same time we give chances to them to beat us. Though, it’s logical. It’s the first time we meet each other, since only two players were last season also in Unicaja. We still try to know each other. The most important think for us is to keep working. We‘ll try to win as many games we can”.
The game against Prokom was too special for Vidal who came back in action: “It was a small step for me. I keep working to get in the team, to recover and come back in good condition. It was my first official game after six months and the feeling isn’t the same. I’m very happy that I compete with my teammates and take part in the practices alongside with my personal extra work. I can’t think even if I’m tired because I want to be again in my level”.
How he felt all this period when he was out? “It was too hard for me. All the players want to play and it’s too bad to be unable to help your teammates. Alhtough, I was trying outside the court to help them with my experience by talking and making them better”. And it’s too easy for him to do it: “I’ve played my entire career in Euroleague having only one year gap last season with Lagun Aro. I have enough experience to teach the young kids of the team”.
His first game with Unicaja for him in Liga Endesa will be in Fernando Buesa Arena against the team in which he spent most of his years. “I have played nine successful years in Caja Laboral. We won many titles; we played in four Euroleague Final Fours and one final in 2001. It’s my home there. It’s special for me every game in this court. I have great relationship with the crowd. So, I know very well how hard is to play in Vitoria and especially to win there”.
But the same time, Sunday’s match will be the first home game for Caja Laboral without Dusko Ivanovic and the first in Liga Endesa. Sergi Vidal is one of the most appropriate people to speak about the Montenegrin coach. He came with him in Vitoria in 2000, cooperated for five years and met him again for one season (2008-09), when Ivanovic came back. “It will be very strange a Caja Laboral’s game without Dusko. This situation will be very dangerous for us, because they will have new coach and every player will want to show that he deserves his place. Also, we don’t know the plays of Zan Tabak”.
What’s his opinion for the legendary coach of Vitoria? The Spanish tried to sum up his experience with Ivanovic in few words: “I respect him. It’s hard to play for him. You are not allowed to rest any minute with him. If you are available to suffer, he will make you a better player. I learnt a lot technically in Joventut. But mentally he changed me a lot. He made me a better player and I understood the meaning of the words “suffer” and “effort””.