Barcelona basketball player and Spanish national team representative Alex Abrines compared former Barcelona coach Sarunas Jasikevicius and the new head coach, Roger Grimau.
Abrines represented Spain at the World Cup. Despite defending their title, the Spanish team was eliminated in the second stage of the tournament. The Barcelona basketball player spoke on the “Tot Gira” program on Catalan radio and compared his current and former team coaches.
“I can see that the chemistry is excellent, which will help all of us. Grimau is a different type compared to Jasikevicius. The change from previous seasons is strange. Going from Sarunas, who shouts a lot, to Roger is a transition I appreciate,” he said.
“You don’t expect that, and it’s difficult to react after three years with Jasikevicius and one with Svetislav Pesic. The game concepts change significantly compared to the Sarunas era. There will be an adjustment period, but I hope we can compete with everyone by then.”
Abrines wasn’t sure that Barcelona would make such a move and change the coach, but he believes Grimau deserves a chance.
“The club invested ‘all its chips’ in a coach coming from within. Roger Grimau has earned this opportunity because he served the team as a player,” concluded the Spanish player.
Grimau replaced Jasikevicius on the Barcelona bench after the Lithuanian spent three years coaching the team. The main criticism during his tenure was the failure to win the EuroLeague championship.