After Aris’s win in Larissa, Fotis Katsikaris spoke about the game against G.S. Olympia, but also about the 22-year-old Serb Dragan Labovic.
“We were looking for a player who would have different characteristics and style than the ones we already have on our roster. Labovic can play in both positions ‘4’ or ‘5’, he passes very well, he is equally good in the low-post and as a three-point shooter, but most of all he will be very motivated -just like his compatriot, Ivan Paunic. They are hungry for success. They know well that Aris is a big club and that this is their great opportunity to shine. They will need some time for adaptation, of course, but all Serbs have a special temperament, which gives them the ability to get fast into the mentality of a new team”, mr. Katsikaris said and added:
“Labovic might not be a quick player, but his thought is faster than his legs and this is what we are looking for. Since he was 16 he has been playing in the men’s team of Zeleznik, which is a ‘factory’ of new players. Last year, they had played against my ex-team, Valencia, so I had the opportunity to watch him twice”.
Moreover, mr. Katsikaris quoted that “I spoke a lot with Zeleznik’s coach, Vlado Djurovic, whom I had as a coach, too, during my career. He explained to me why Labovic didn’t play so much this year”.
When asked about the possible comeback of Jeremiah Massey, Aris’s head coach said that “things stalled, because it all depends on his contract with Real Madrid. We had to move fast and, since we were sure of Labovic’s option, we signed him. It wasn’t clear if and when Massey would be set free”.
The 42-year-old coach also spoke about the forthcoming game (Tuesday 05/01, 21:00) against Zadar: «This will be a tough game, maybe the most difficult game we have had so far. I hope that the two Serb newcomers could train with the rest of the team on Sunday. If all formal procedures are finished on Monday, we will see if they are getting into the team’s mentality soon enough».
At the Press Conference, earlier on, Fotis Katsikaris had said the following, regarding the victory against G.S. Olympia: “We were focused and this helped us have a good disposition in defense. After all, the local team has got players who are gifted in attack, so we tried not to let them play in the open court. We fought for every ball possession and for every rebound. At some point, it was only natural that G.S. Olympia reacted, but we handled the situation well. In attack, we had a good balance between shots from the perimeter and points scored in the paint. It’s very good to see Betts recovering his good game in offense. It was natural that he played bad in attack at some point, as happened in the previous couple of games, but tonight he helped us a lot. In the perimeter, Dixon’s absence made the rest of players have things more clear about their role”.
On behalf of Aris’s players, Nikos Argyropoulos stated: “It was a very important win, which we needed for two reasons: Because we weren’t good in the previous matches and because we wanted to start the New Year in a good way. For the most part of the game we controlled the tempo and we played very well. Towards the end of the third quarter, we relaxed and lost most of the difference, but even then we managed to show good attitude. We gained back a big score difference and went on to win easily. We must keep on playing like this, in order to put Aris as high as it should be on the standings table”.
On the other hand, G.S. Olympia’s head coach, Giorgos Kalafatakis, stated: “I agree with Fotis Katsikaris in the fact that Aris’s players controlled the tempo and the rebounds thanks to their concentration and commitment. This was the key of the game, not only to them, but to us as well. We didn’t have such passion and commitment. When you play against an opponent who has got quality and a big name, you must do all you can and even more. We didn’t. In the first half, we were too bad in defense and our rivals scored 47. We were way behind in the rebounds and we didn’t defend strong or commit enough fouls. Also, I had warned my guys that Dixon’s absence would make Aris a better team. Dixon was able to put on a ‘one man show’, but his departure helped his teammates have more specific roles on court”.
Also, G.S. Olympia’s top scorer, Devin Green, said that “Aris had good players, who executed us with their shots. We tried different things to stop them, but we are still looking for the right ‘chemistry’ in our team. We have to play harder in the next game and give the best of ourselves”.
