Bologna –
At the end of practice, new acquisition Justin Holiday officially introduced himself to the press and Media at the Porelli Gym.
“I definitely need more games to better understand my new team and European basketball in general, now I’ve been asked to be consistent on the court, present defensively covering more roles and on offense take those shots I’m used to taking. I have to be myself, play the way I know how to play, especially in the defensive half of the court. I already know some of my teammates, both European and American, obviously I haven’t played in Europe for quite some time, but some I had already met, both of my teammates and other players who are currently in Europe.”
“European basketball, EuroLeague basketball especially, is definitely of the highest level and quality. It is stimulating to play this kind of basketball, as well as the Italian Championship. But I’m not just talking about the court but also everything around it. I’ve played two home games at home and I couldn’t help but notice the warmth and atmosphere of the crowd, even in the game with Partizan. It’s nice to be here in Bologna, a city that breathes basketball where all the people live and talk about basketball, it spurs you to do more and helps you give your best, this is something I also like because you are led to play better.”
“I think that this team, but in general at these levels, you have to take the court thinking first of the good of the team and then of the individual, the team always comes first. There are no good teams and bad teams, of course there are stronger and less strong teams, the important thing, as seen in last night’s game in Tortona, is to play as a team and always put the collective in front of everything, regardless of whether it is EuroLeague or Championship, all games should be approached with the attitude we had yesterday.”
“The Italian Cup is a competition in which the loser exits. Very simple, they are also the competitions that stimulate the most and that we all want to play. Approach, energy, team play, are all determining factors. Not only against Milan but in this kind of dry competition, if you lose you go home, we have to take the court hard, ready from the two-ball and I think this is a team ready to face this kind of competition.”
“Definitely when I have more time I will play better, the important thing now was to be ready to serve the team and for my teammates to help me play better despite the fact that only three games have passed. I expected to take the field right away, we had talked about it, of course I tried to be ready despite the few trainings and many little things were not yet well broken in. I have been here for a short time however I wanted to be ready for the time in which I was used in these very first games.”
“The game with Milano has to be approached like any other game, the next game is always the most important one, whether you face Milan or another team. Obviously my teammates explained to me the importance of this match, the important thing is to take the court with the right energy needed in this kind of match.”
