By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
It’s true that in this season with Olympiacos Tremmel Darden doesn’t have numbers that impress. Actually, his averages in productivity and his percentages are below the numbers he had in Real.
With clubs of this level though, you take stock at the end and the one thing that’s for certain is that this is a player who, even if doesn’t score one point, cannot hurt his team. He always brings energy, pressure on the ball, a big effort in the defensive area and in offense he usually gets a certain amount of possessions. Some three-pointers from the weak side of the defense and some individual efforts, mostly by playing with his back against the defense in the low post.
His best appearances this year, the most prolific, came in the 2 derbies against Panathinaikos in the Greek championship. Especially in the most recent one at OAKA he made surely his most comprehensive appearance in the red-and-white jersey. With his presence, and if he surpasses the standards that we have been accustomed to this year, he can bring Olympiacos one step closer to the win.
Tremmel knows this, he has confidence in himself and his team, while he knows well the size of the basketball accomplishment that the Greek team carried out in the series against Barca.
“It’s very hard for anyone to defeat Barcelona 3 times in a row. They have a great team, play beautiful basketball and have a really good coach. Not one of us wanted to travel to Barcelona again. We knew that a game 5 would be very difficult and we wanted to finish the series at home.”
The American was sure that Printezis’s shot was going to go in, watching the ball’s trajectory from the bench.
“I had good visual contact and honestly, from the moment the ball left Giorgos’s hands, I saw that the trajectory is right and the ball would end up where it was supposed to. We managed to make the best possible offense in the time that we had. Whoever touched the ball made the right decision and when that happens, usually things end well!”
He will find himself at the big meeting for the “Holy Grail” of European basketball for a third consecutive season. The first time he didn’t play, the second he didn’t play a lot and his team, Real, missed the big chance in the end. What about this year?
“Everyone who manages to reach the final four, fight for the same thing. I thank God for giving me this opportunity. You know, in my first season with Real I wasn’t eligible to play in London. Last year I came close with my first team but it didn’t happen. Now I have an opportunity and I will fight with everything I have to make it happen together with my teammates.”
If one looks back at the recent past and sees the information underlying the teams, it’s easy to understand that Olympiacos will go to Madrid with less pressure than the other 3 co-contenders. Darden, in any case, says openly what’s on his mind.
“To have fun is not enough. We are going there to win! Olympiacos is not going to travel to Madrid just to show up for the games. We want to win it, I’m sure everyone in the team is thinking the same way. Which also applies to our opponents as well. We will prepare ourselves in terms of our tactics, our mentality, and all the details concerning the semifinal against CSKA, and we will fight hard like we have done throughout the whole season.
With the work the coach and his associates will do, when we face CSKA, we’ll be properly prepared. They are a big team, they have a lot of good players and what is required of us is to have a big game. We know them, they know us and it will all come down to who wants it the most and is ready to win it.”