Ioannis Sfairopoulos touched on an interesting situation after winning one of the trophies last season.
Sfairopoulos took a picture with Milos Teodosic, while the point guard lit a cigarette for him, which is how they celebrated their success in the Adriatic.
“A-ha-ha. It was after the win against Partizan in the ABA League. I don’t smoke of course. Then I said to Milos: ‘Come on, give me a cigarette now that we’ve got it’! And the photo came out. This moment explains everything. Not the cigarette, but the relationship you have with your player. Teodosic is much more experienced than when he was at Olympiacos. He is much more mature. It doesn’t have the same freshness, but it has experience.
I feel very fortunate to be coaching him again, this time as head coach. We know each other very well from Olympiacos and CSKA. Milos was thinking about whether to play or not this year… Whether to continue for another year or retire. Then I caught him and said: ‘You will stop playing only when I leave Crvena Zvezda! He is a leading figure”, said Sfairopoulos for the Gazzetta.
The Greek strategist took a slightly longer break before taking over the red and whites, having been out of action for 18 months.
“I didn’t hesitate. People from the club approached me very professionally. It was a big challenge to take over this club. Now we want to build on this season and be even better in the future. There is appetite and enthusiasm.”
In a joking tone, he commented on what is unforgivable in Serbia.
,, To wear black and white in Crvena Zvezda (laughs)! Nothing is forgiven.”
About the Serbian core
There was also talk about the team for the next season. They are already working hard on assembling the team and the reinforcements are lining up like on a conveyor belt.
“In the first year, we want to build a team that will again rely on Serbian players. We kept Rokas Giedraitis, Joel Bolomboy and Yago dos Santos. I think this base of players along with some guys who have playoff and Final Four experience will help Crvena Zvezda compete with the competition in the EuroLeague. As for Isaiah Canaan, I just expect him to give the team what he can.
We all know that he is a very good shooter who, if he finds a rhythm, can “kill” any opponent. He is a player who fights hard in defence, has a strong personality and is loved by the dressing room. Overall, the whole package he carries is very promising for us. I just want it to be what it is. Nothing more than that”, concluded Sfairopoulos.
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