Bologna –
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs Zalgiris Kaunas. Game time tomorrow, Thursday October 5, 8:30 p.m., Paladozza (Bologna).
Referees: MATEJ BOLTAUZER, ANNE PANTHER, SERGIO SILVA.
Livestream on Sky Sport, DAZN, Euroleague.tv and Radio Nettuno Bologna Uno.
Coach Banchi’s statements on the eve of the first European game: “We are playing against a team that has kept 9/12 of its roster, the same coach, it is a broken system that during the summer has a chance to refine with the national team. It is a team that is very well known, but especially seeing the path it has had since the arrival of this coach and the number of victories it has won you can see that it will be a complex debut. Let’s try to get through it through the excitement of this home debut, hopefully it will be a good night. The opponent imposes the best possible basketball, an effort not only from a physical point of view but also from a technical/tactical point of view, it is a ready-made team that has many weapons at its disposal. We saw it in the pre-season in the two games it played, especially those with Olympiacos and Red Star, they are ready for high-level basketball.”
On Dobric: “Dobric is doing quite well, he seems to be in a comeback and recovery phase. He needs to acquire not so much condition, he comes from a World Championship as a star player, but knowledge of his teammates. He more than anyone else needs to understand who he is with and who he is playing with. Let’s see tomorrow, he’s quite well, he moved with great confidence and I think the staff did a great job.”
On the first days of work: “Challenging, there are so many things to do and you have to try to maintain balance because we would all be in a hurry to do what this team needs to raise its level. A few hours before the start of the Euroleague you feel like you’re never ready, like before the Supercup or the game against Scafati, we’re only at the beginning and the start is immediately one to shake your wrists. I hope we will be able to compete and show the face that has distinguished us up to now, without getting carried away by the excitement of the debut, which will surely bring its own share of stress. The public will help us, they will have to understand that this is an ideal setting to play as a team and not as individuals.”
On the importance of Smits for the opposing team: “His versatility is important from a technical point of view, I think in a group like theirs it is also important from an emotional point of view because his experience since last season has been instrumental in giving solidity to the group. If we go down to analyze the technical part you know that his versatility in being able to move between the role of strong wing and center allows him to have both offensively and defensively many weapons. Important player whose characteristics allow the team to have so many arrows at its disposal.”
On the arrival of Lassi Tuovi to the Virtus coaching staff: “He brings his knowledge, despite his young age he is a coach who has accumulated great experience both in the role of assistant coach and head coach. Today he holds a very prestigious position which is that of Technical Commissioner of his national team, imagine for a 34-year-old guy to have such a role what it could have meant when you have players of the caliber of Markkanen or the experience of Koponen before and Salin now on the staff. He is a basketball man who has a vision, I got to see from taking over from him in Strasbourg how much good he did in that reality to try to orient and characterize it from a technical/tactical and organizational point of view. He heads a very rich staff, we have a lot of very promising young coaches. Having him here also gives them the guarantee that they can continue this growth, if before there was a clear reference point in Scariolo now with me we are not at the same standards and I have asked for reinforcements. Lassi is here to help me and help give influence to a technical staff that has the characteristics to do well.”
Captain Marco Belinelli’s statements on the eve of the challenge: “It is important to face all the games with desire and with a winning mentality, the Euroleague is a very difficult league, we are a good team, it is right to face the games with a positive mentality from the start. This year we have more experience than last year adding up all the players, it can definitely be a favorable thing. We have to try to play our basketball, a little different from last year but it’s a team game, it’s important for everyone to touch the ball, make a contribution on defense and try to go to rebound to create second chances. We will try to do our best. We definitely have more experience than last year, that is an important thing, however, we should not make predictions but play one game at a time.
“We are thinking about tomorrow’s game against a strong and prepared team, but this is the level, in the Euroleague all games are tough both physically and athletically. We have prepared the game well and we will try to be ready, we know it’s the first home game, we will have a full palace and we want to do well, but it’s right to always keep our feet on the ground and try to give our best. We looked at the opponents, they have left 9 out of 12 players from last year and we know what their style of play is, very physical, they know how to attack well. It will definitely be a tough game, but as I said before all Euroleague games count, all possessions are important. It’s up to us to play as a team and set the tone for the game right away.”
On what might be the characteristic of the new team: “It’s still early to say. We played the Super Cup, it was important to bring it home because it’s always better to start off on the right foot. We played a pretty good game in Scafati, which is a complicated field for the Italian league. The positive thing I see is that we still have a lot of things to improve both on offense and defense, there are the conditions to do something positive. There will be a good group and a good team game, that’s what has to come out, we all have to be ready. Tomorrow we play at home, it is important to face the game immediately ready from a physical point of view. We all know the differences between the Italian league and the Euroleague, it is a much more physical game. We will have to be ready from the start, have a good physical impact.”
