Maccabi’s head coach Giannis Sfairopoulos after the 75:78 away loss to Fenerbache: “We have a bitter and a sweet taste in our mouth”. Michael Roll: “We were a force in the EuroLeague we just didn’t have enough time”
“I think that one more time we showed to everybody that we fight all the games, we try to do our best from the moment I came to the team”, said Giannis Sfairopoulos after the game. “It was hard what we tried to do because the handicap at the beginning was really deep”.
“I arrived at the team when it was 1:6 and then I arrived one day before Efes away and Fener at home back to back games, so with one practice we played two difficult games that we lost”, recalled the coach. “On 22 of November our record was 1:8 and we were the last team in the standings”.
“From that moment I think after we practiced one week and we started to win some games, We turned things around”, added Sfairopoulos. “I think at the end let’s say we didn’t qualify but we have a bitter and a sweet taste in our mouth. Bitter because we didn’t qualify, but sweet because we changed all the things around for the EuroLeague and we fight all the games”.
“One of the biggest examples is today’s”, said the coach. “Although we didn’t have a great motive to play this game, we were disappointed yesterday night after the results but you see how we fight until the end and we lost to the first team in the standing on the buzzer”.
“At the end of the day I’m very proud how our players fought in all the periods so far”, concluded Sfairopoulos. “From now on we need to focus on the Israeli league, to play the rest of the games of the regular season and then to be ready for the playoffs and the final four”.
“I want to thank all of our fans that they support us all this period”, asked the coach. “It’s very important that when we fought on the court we were listening to their voice from the stands and I want to say that we need them for the Israeli league. I want to wish good luck to Fenerbahce and to their coach”.
“We fought very hard as a team”, said Michael Roll. “Our usual, played a great team at their home court where they are undefeated this year, minor detail at the end of the game and Sloukas is a good player, made a big shot. We had a terrible start a lot of different circumstances and once we got healthy and got playing with each other we got much better once we got rolling, we were a force in the EuroLeague we just didn’t have enough time after that start and we came up short”.
“It was a hard fought game”, said Tarik Black who scored 23P and 7R. “I’m proud of the team and everybody here and how we came in and performed regardless of the situation. We came here and gave it our all, there were circumstances outside of our hands, that definitely held us back but we can’t control that. Playing in the EuroLeague has been amazing great talent here, great group of guys in this locker room, had a lot of fun traveling around going around perform and play in a high level.
“It’s the story of the year just come up a little bit too short”, said Scottie Wilbekin. “We played good, third quarter came out strong, they got a couple of free throws, the tech the unsportsmanlike, that hurt us and that run hurt us but we fought till the end and it was just, they made a tough shot in the end. It sucks but at the same time if we’re trying to reflect on the whole season, I think since we’ve been 1:9, it’s been a successful season if you look at it just in that sense from 1:9 and to the rest of the season, it was a pretty good second half of the season but hopefully next year we’ll start good from the beginning”.
