Maccabi reaction from Sarunas Jasikevicius: This is not good

Fenerbahçe Beko Head Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius made a statement before the match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, which they will play in Kaunas instead of Istanbul for security reasons.

Sarunas Jasikevicius’ statements are as follows:

PLAYING THE MATCH IN KAUNAS INSTEAD OF ISTANBUL

“I can say the same thing as last year. We wanted to play in Germany. Germany did not happen, I don’t know what else was there, but Kaunas was not one of our first options like last year. Especially in a week when Zalgiris played two Euroleague games. We do not expect a lot of spectators, very Few tickets were sold. This is not good.”

WORDS AFTER THE PANA MATCH

“After the defeat against Panathinaikos, you said that you missed the unity of the players. Is this an isolated incident or something worrying at the beginning of the season?”

“There are some situations. There is a need to build a team, there are a lot of new players. You know the situation of number five, there are injuries. There are some things this year.”

WADE BALDWIN

“Wade Baldwin’s arrival was discussed a lot throughout the summer. How is the adaptation process going?”

“He’s doing well. You have to understand that Wade hasn’t played for about four months. He didn’t play when he got injured after two months off, and he didn’t play for two months in the summer. It’s not easy not to play for four months and come to a new team with a very different philosophy from your old team. We understand, we’re helping him. But I can say that the adaptation is going well.”

TRANSFER MARKET

“A lot of coaches in Europe are talking about the ruthlessness of the market right now. You also jumped into the market where you bought Skylar Mays. How does he adapt to a different kind of basketball and did you feel that the market was having a hard time finding players?”

“It’s hard to say. The transfer market is so interesting that you think one thing, but the information comes from somewhere else. At the beginning we thought the market for point guards would be huge, then the opposite happened. First there were no point guards, then there were a little more point guards. We will see how it will be with Skylar. It doesn’t make sense to say anything after a week. We have to wait, we have to suffer somehow so that we don’t lose the front, there is nothing else to say here.

BOBAN MARJANOVIC

“One of the most high-profile transfers of the season was Boban Marjanovic. What did you learn about your player in the first months and how do you see his strengths and weaknesses in the Euroleague?”

“It has been difficult so far. He is another player who hasn’t had a lot of playing time. It is very difficult to understand how much he can contribute. He is a player for certain matches, certain opponents, certain moments. You have to get used to when he can play, who he can play against. He understands his role, he has accepted his role.” “He’s not a kid. It’s nice to talk to him off the field, he’s a really great person.”

ARTHUR ZAGARS

“Arturas Zagars, who made his Euroleague debut, is also taking a role in your team. How is his adaptation to the Euroleague level going?”

“It’s great. I wouldn’t even say the most enjoyable part is the game, but coaching, seeing him in training. I would like to see him stay healthy, play for 10 months. That would be better for him because injuries make things difficult. Every time I put him on the field he gives something. Anadolu Efes “He almost decided the match against . He trains really well, he trains very well. We put him in a bad situation because when new players come you want to integrate them and Zagars is on the sidelines a little bit. But it’s nice to bring him in and help the team.”

ROKA JOKUBAITIS

“You will also face Rokas Jokubaitis. Did he consult you before deciding to play for Maccabi?”

“We talked, we tried to help him a little bit directly, but every player is responsible for his own decisions. He chose this…”

“IT’S HARD TO SAY WHO YOU ARE”

“Was it a surprise that he was Tamir Blatt’s backup in Tel Aviv at the beginning of the season?”

“I don’t know. Here in Europe, it’s hard to say who the substitute players are. In modern basketball, a substitute player is someone who sits on the bench for the last 5-6 minutes. I don’t know if he sat during those minutes.”

SON LUKAS JASIKEVICIUS

“Fenerbahçe already has a second Jasikevicius on its roster. How is your son Lukas and how different is his experience in Türkiye and the Spanish basketball school?”

“Less speed, less detail. A less developed youth basketball system and program. Everything is more improvised. In Spain, no matter which team he played for, they had a similar style. Of course there are differences in level, but the styles were similar. Everything is different here, for sure Slower, more physical, we’ll see.”

“JOSE MOURINHO”

“Another famous coach, Jose Mourinho, currently works at Fenerbahçe. Have you had the opportunity to talk to him and what kind of relationship do you have with this former coach of Real Madrid?”

“I haven’t had any contact yet.”