His first Euroleague season has been a learning experience for Romain Sato, but fortunately for his team, Montepaschi Siena, he's a quick learner. If that wasn't so, the 27-year-old forward could never have made the career moves necessary to come all the way from his homeland, the Central African Republic, to the heights of European basketball. Sato has jumped on the chance to play in the Euroleague with both feet, starting fulltime as Montepaschi made itself into a Final Four juggernaut as the season progressed. Along the way, player and team have gained the confidence needed to overlook their lack of Final Four experience and to challenge for a crown in Madrid. "Yes, we don't have Final Four experience, like most of the teams there we'll play against, but it's always good to be an underdog," Sato told Euroleague.net. "We feel like underdogs, but our experience is having played already against a couple of teams going there. We know can work hard against and play against them, so if we keep going like all season, we can get it done."
Hello, Romain. Congratulations for reaching the Final Four with Montepaschi Siena. This will be your Final Four debut, how do you feel about it?
"I feel pretty good. It's a great moment, really. I am so happy to make it this far. It's been tough to make it. In the Euroleague, you've got to learn quick and adjust quick. I tried do that in my first year, learn and get better always, improve myself and prove myself. It has been hard, but exciting."
You've come a long way from the Central African Republic to be at the top of European basketball. Are people in your country aware of your success?
"A little bit, yes. They follow some Euroleague games on TV. Other than that, though, they don't know much about what Montepaschi has done. But it's good for basketball in my country for me to come here and play at the top level in Europe. Having someone from the Central African Republic on one of Europe's four best teams is good for them, and good for me."
How happy are you to prove this season that you can be such an important contributor to a Final Four team?
“I feel great about it. Nobody believed we would be going to the Final Four. We believed in ourselves and worked harder and harder, one game at a time. We knew that if we kept working, anything could happen. For me, I just come here to work hard, help team in any way I could. That was my goal from the beginning of the season, and I'm glad I was able to help."
What has a young head coach, Simone Pianigiani done to bring out the best in you?
 "It's my second year with him and he's a good coach. He wants for all of us, and him. to get better with each game and each year. He wants to prove himself as head coach just like we want to prove ourselves as players, so he tries to get us all ready for that. He gives us everything we need in practice to get better. As a team, he always puts our best option first, by which I mean the team goal first and the personal one second. He pushes us to work hard, play together and to get every small detail correct. That's something he taught us, in order to get better as a team. We've been doing that consistently and we appreciate what our coach has done for us."
Very few people expected Montepaschi to reach this far at the beginning of the season. Which have been the key moments for the team in your opinion?
"For me, having our first regular season group as one of toughest in Europe was important. We had to play CSKA, Tau, Olympiacos, some of the toughest teams, with lots of players who have Final Four experience. To fight against them and try to finish first wasn't easy. We worked hard and kept trying to improve, and in doing so, played pretty well against such tough teams. As soon as we knew we could play against them, we knew we could play against anyone, and it made us work harder."
Montepaschi overcame a tough situation when scoring leader Rimantas Kaukenas got injured. How did the team regroup then and stay so consistent?
"When he got hurt, it was tough right away and hard to adjust. We felt that we adjusted kind of quickly, however. We knew he was out for the rest of the season, and we didn't want to think about him maybe coming back. Every guy had to step up and bring everything he could to help make up for Rimantas not being there. We knew at that moment it would take everything we've got, and we did that: we gave it everything we have."
Bootsy Thornton is the only Montepaschi player with previous Final Four experience. How can you guys deal with the issue of experience as you prepare for the Final Four?
"Bootsy is telling us and talking to us about how tough it is going to be in the Final Four. We're not just happy to go there: we want to go and win. He says it won't be easy, and we've got to work now, before we go, to get it done. Right now, we've worked too hard to get there to say we don't have the experience to challenge for the title. Yes, we don't have Final Four experience, like most of the teams there we'll play against, but it's always good to be an underdog. We feel like underdogs, but our experience is having played already against a couple of teams going there. We know can work hard against and play against them, so if we keep going like all season, we can get it done."
 Montepaschi's semifinal opponent is Maccabi. What do you know about Maccabi and what will it take to defeat them?
"I don't know that much, and we haven't had much of a chance to talk about them yet, but we will. Except to say it's a good team for sure, like all the teams there will be, I know that Maccabi is a big team that plays fast and spreads the floor. They are the kind of guys we'll have to cover a lot of ground to defend. They play with four shooters, even five sometimes, so we'll really have to cover ground and recover. But we'll know more about what we have to do before we play them."
9. What is your personal approach to the Final Four opportunity before you?
"It's something that you might get only a few chances to do in your life, and that's if you're lucky. Lots of guys work hard their whole careers and never get there. I am getting that chance now, maybe there will be another, but you cannot think that way now, like you are sure to go again. You've just got to go there and give whatever you've got this one time. You can't tell what will happen in the future."
What would be mean for you to lift the Euroleague trophy as the 2008 champion?
"Man, that would be something. I don't know, but if it happened, that would be god's plan for us. I'll pray that hopefully that happens, because it would be unforgettable. For now, I can just cross my fingers and hope and play hard enough to have a chance. Then, we'll see."
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