‘If you start talking about the story with the national team we won’t get the offer’

Sasha Vezenkov hosted and spoke EXCLUSIVELY on ANT1’s Game Nighe Late with Pantelis Vlachopoulos, Pantelis Diamantopoulos, and Themis Kaisaris on Friday night (4/21). He mentioned, among other things, the upcoming Euroleague MVP award…, Olympiacos’ battles with Fenerbahçe for qualification to the Final Four, the reason why he not only wears the jersey of the Greek national team but also the NBA dream.

What he said in detail:

For the UEFA Europa League Regular Season Player of the Year award, he is favored for:

“I don’t like to rush things in my life. Thank you for your words. It sounds cliche but the important thing for me is to go to the final.” four“.

On how the player can focus 100% and not get nervous:

“The tension is always there. We’ve had a year full of expectations, we’ve raised the bar a lot. Going into the final four Many people may take it for granted, the logical thing. It’s not just that. We have to face a team with good players and a good coach. So things will not be as simple as they seem. We’ll have to bleed and play 100%. We all focus. Here it calculates how much you want to go and how much you worked because if you fail, no one will remember what happened all season.”

On the matches with Fenerbahçe and whether the organization really changed in the qualifiers or is it just a story:

“And I thought until last year it doesn’t change. I said what’s going to change, it’s like the regular season. Nothing’s the same. You have a team that you go up against in a couple of weeks. They know you, you know them, there’s nothing to hide and everyone plays to go to the Final Four. Because there’s a different competition. Exactly, because it’s a match. In normal time, even if you lose, you win somewhere later. Maybe some teams weren’t in good form at the beginning. Now mistakes are not forgiven. You have to be there 100%.”

As for whether he wants Final 4 or another format:

“the last four Nicer for viewers. It’s mysterious. But you fight for eight months, you are the first and everything is judged in two weeks. I will not judge what is fair and what is not fair. In football, whoever gets it first after ten months, there are play-offs in some countries.”

On whether a coach or a player can think and choose an opponent in the end:

“I don’t criticize anyone who wants to pick an opponent and go their way. They are in the competition. It’s allowed based on the schedule, because not all matches are played at the same time in the last round. I’m allowed to make up scenarios. But we as Olympiacos and I as Sasha don’t want to I lose anywhere. So I won’t be able to decide if I pick and all my teammates and coaches won’t sit back and see if we lose against Baskonia and see what happens. We went to play and won to be good with ourselves.”

On whether they would tease each other and even take on Fenner even though they came first:

“That’s one side, you go out first and you face a very good team, with a big budget, with a lot of players, with different expectations when the season started. On the other side, you’re on your toes. The day you know how you’re going to play at Fener, you focus 100 percent. “You can’t underestimate anything. So we’re on the alert. We’re going game by game against a very big opponent. We finished well and we’re moving forward.”

On why he didn’t play for the Greek national team:

“If I start talking about the whole story, we don’t get 15-20 minutes. This is not the time and moment to say more.”

As to whether someone has been found to be offered to play in Greece:

With his hand over his heart in 2011 Mr. Yiannopoulos came, he was in Ducasse, if I’m not mistaken, the children’s national team and all he expressed was ‘I hope you play for us’. Nothing happened to discuss it. Then I played from the under-18s in the Bulgaria. The scenario is getting more complicated. I don’t want to think about what, how and if. And in youth, if you go back and look, you’ll see that I’ve been out of the league for a year and the authorities know why and how.”

On whether he would like to be able to play:

“As I see myself now and see what the national team is, and how the world lives it, I certainly wouldn’t say I’m jealous in a bad sense, but the World Cup, the Olympics, which I know as a realist I’m never going to, is certainly a beautiful thing.

To make sure I don’t get it wrong, playing for the Bulgarian national team is a lot of fun. Simply because I live in Greece, I have spent several years of my life here, and my colleagues and friends playing in Greece are definitely something that influences both Greek sports and all Greeks. We also tested it in the summer, and you saw it too. And people who don’t watch basketball watch the national team.

So it’s good that all these negative things we’ve all heard in the last few days when Greece is playing differently. In the summer we will say well done again, and I hope Greece will get a medal. This consensus is good.”

On whether the year will end with all of Olympiacos’ honors and MVP honors if it’s time to take a look at the NBA:

“It sounds great. Nice script but like I said I don’t want to get ahead of myself. That’s how I am as a person, I don’t want to think that far. We’ve had both titles but it’s the most important one now. I hope you’ll ask me the same question in June and maybe I can answer you.”

On the Larry Bird-like shooting style:

“Profane what I said about Larry Bird, we are moving on. This about work is what I want to say to the new guys, don’t be discouraged. Anyone who deserves it will find their way. They will get their chance. Everyone has their own story.. Let the kids keep working and dreaming” .