Ilias Papatheodorou spoke about the possibility of changing the format in the Final 8 so that the teams, apart from Olympiakos and Panathinaikos, have more hope of winning. Mission to Heraklion: Michalis Gulenoglou.
THAT Ilias Papatheodorou talked about his success Prometheus to be in the final 8, however, he also referred to the question of the format of the institution, where the coach of Patrina emphasized that a draw, without taking into account the positions, would give the teams greater hopes, except Panathinaikou and Olympiakou.
“We started the year really well, we had very good results from the beginning and quickly got the position that led us here. We are happy about that, because last year we didn’t make it. So for us it is a success and we are happy to be here with the best teams and we will claim everything we deserve,” said Papatheodorou for his team.
For the possibility of surprise at Cup stressed: “The differences are big and in games that are decided for titles it is difficult to face teams with the quality and budget of Olympiakos and Panathinaikou. So the chances are slim. It is a proposal that I would like to make that the format should be different, that lots should be drawn, because now we know that Olympiacos and Panathinaikos will probably be in the final. If there was a tie, they might meet in a quarter-final or semi-final, so the other teams would have a much better chance of reaching the final. Commerciality won’t go down like that, and yet we have to think a little about basketball. Commerciality is of course necessary, but the other teams must also have the right to make a surprise and have an extra incentive.’
Regarding the possible semi-final with Olympiakos, he explained: “I don’t want to run that far, the memory of last year is fresh. Panionios was then in the Second National League and lost to AEK in overtime. This year Eric Dunan is in the Elite League, with a better list and it won’t be easy. If we succeed and pass and face Olympiakos, we will make a better effort compared to the two league games.”
Chrysikopoulos:
THAT Linos Chrysikopoulosspoke on behalf of the players, spoke of an unpredictable tournament.
“Just our presence is a success for us as last year’s team was not present. It means we did something good in the first round and were rewarded by taking part in Final 8. And in Europe there are three games left and we have a good chance to qualify. We will even fight for first place”, said the striker about Patrina.
He added: “The Cup is the organization of surprises, at least in Europe. We hope it happens here one day. All the teams have become stronger and thus the tournament becomes more unpredictable.”
On whether Prometheus can be competitive in an eventual semi-final with Olympiacos, he said: “All teams have weaknesses, it’s just that the times when Olympiacos show weaknesses are few and many situations have to happen for a team like Prometheus to be able to win a game like that. The whole staff, the whole organization decompresses us a lot, so I don’t think there’s any particular pressure”.
