In the 12th week of the EuroLeague, Anadolu Efes achieved an important victory by defeating Barcelona 74-73 at home. After the match, Head Coach Igor Kokoskov evaluated both the match and the current situation of the team at the press conference.
“WE ARE NOT IN TROUBLE, WE ARE ONLY PLAYING WITH SEVEN LACKS”
Kokoskov started his speech by congratulating his players:
“I have to give full credit to my team. I told them both in the half and at the end of the game, ‘There is not a single practice where you do not play hard’. In the EuroLeague, just being hard is not enough; you have to play smart as well. We achieved this today.”
Rejecting the perception that the team was struggling, the experienced coach underlined that they did not make excuses despite the shortcomings:
“Anadolu Efes is not in trouble. We only have seven missing players. We are having a hard time with this, but this is not an excuse. Today we had to recruit a very young player, 16 years old, but we never ‘cry’ about our situation. Those who love this club have the right to know this.”
“THERE ARE NO ROOT APPLES IN THIS TEAM”
Kokoskov emphasized the character of the squad he had:
“We have a special group of players. There is no ‘bad apple’ among us. Nobody is selfish, everyone plays for the team. There were moments when we were tired, we felt the absence of our shortcomings, but our players showed their heart.”
Stating that they implemented the game plan against Barcelona, the experienced coach drew attention to the difficulty of the fixture:
“We started the match ready and motivated. We were tired at some moments, but we found a way to win. The fixtures are brutal; the league game on Sunday, followed by a double game week.”
“LARKIN IS THE FACE OF THIS CLUB”
“Does the team play better without Larkin?” in the press conference. Kokoskov gave a clear answer to the question:
“I can’t say a single bad word about Shane Larkin. He is the face of this club, a true legend. When your best player is missing, the team can sometimes play differently, because others take more responsibility. But Larkin is still our best player and we need him very much. We feel his absence in every training and match. I hope he returns as soon as possible.”
“THE CONDITIONS ARE DIFFICULT, BUT WE WILL NOT GIVE UP THE FIGHT”
Finally, Kokoskov said that he was satisfied with the team despite the injuries and concluded his words as follows:
“The conditions are heavy, Erkan Yılmaz was also injured yesterday. ‘Who is left?’ We’ve come to think of it as such, but this is part of the journey. I especially emphasize this: Anadolu Efes is not in trouble. We have shortcomings and despite this, we will continue to struggle. “Let our fans know everything.”