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Group E player analysis: Hollis Price, Lietuvos Rytas
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No doubt the biggest surprise among group winners in the regular season was Lietuvos Rytas of Lithuania, which was led by a point guard making his debut in the competition. Few players have had such quick success as Hollis Price, who ranked fifth in both scoring (16.9 ppg.) and assists (4.1 ppg.) among all Euroleague players in the first phase. He also made the third-most three-point shots, 39, or all players and ranked 10th in free throw accuracy (90.7%). In other words, Lietuvos Rytas found a leader, especially at the ends of games, and now Price will be asked to guide his team through the rough waters of the Top 16. "One good thing about our team is that we're buying into the way the coach wants us to play, first defense, and then taking our chances on offense," Price told Euroleague.net. "Defense is the first thing we want to take care of in Rytas. Then we go from there."
First off, Hollis, Lietuvos Rytas played strong from the start, but you guys still had to fight for first place until the finish of the regular season. You think that effort will help the team in the Top 16?
"We lost a big weapon of ours in Matt Nielsen. He's a huge part of our system, so losing him is just as huge. Now, we have a lot of adjustments to make. In our last game, against Cibona, it was different already without him and with not much of a crowd there, when we are used to 5,000 or more everywhere else we play. Getting used to playing without him gives our team a whole new look. It's crazy how one person can do that, but we have to go back to the practice board and find ways to win without him. That's basketball, though. Teams have injuries and have to find ways to get better."
Among your team's Top 16 opponents, let's start with Tau, a perennial Final Four challenger that you know from last season, when you were in Spain. What sort of challenge does Tau present?
"The challenge they bring is that they are a team that played the Final Four already. I am sure that everyone in this group knows that Tau is the team to beat, even though we were seeded first. They've got a few Final Fours behind them, they are near the top of the toughest national league in Europe. They have a great team. Prigioni, the point guard, has been doing well. Tiago Splitter is playing really well. They just have a good nucleus. It's going to be a tough game, the first one at home, but all the games will tough. If we come to play the ball we've been playing until now, we'll have a chance to win every game."
Fenerbahce Ulker you know less, maybe, but what kind of fix do you have on them?
"I don't know much about them except the few players I have seen, like James White and Will Solomon. They have experience on their side, but we're still hungry for more. All of us start at 0-0, regardless of who's the number one seed or whatever. If we get a win on Tau in the opener, that will put us up on the group right away. The whole thing is protecting our homecourt. We did a great job of doing that in the first round, and then found a couple ways to win on the road. That's important. Who knowws what can happen, but with the first two games at home, we have the chance to go 2-0."
Aris you guys dueled with in the regular season, good games, and great fans on both sides. What's there to watch about Aris?
"It's always hard to beat a team more than two times in a season. And Aris is a good team. They took us down to the wire here in Vilnius, and did the same with us in Greece. They were up almost the whole game on their court, but a few stops we got late helped us win. Both of us are defensive teams, and their coach stresses defense as much as ours, so those'll be two defensive battles for us. We have great fans here that have helped us come back in games, and we hit some big shots that quieted their fans down on the road, so hopefully we'll do the same when we go back there."
Finally, how are you enjoying your first experiences in the Euroleague so far?
"It has been real good for me. I don't think a lot of people thought we would do as well as we did. I think it's a reward for the hard work we put in every day at the gym. The coaching staff does a great job with us in practice. One good thing about our team is that we're buying into the way the coach wants us to play, first defense, and then taking our chances on offense. Defense is the first thing we want to take care of in Rytas. Then we go from there."
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Friday, February 08, 2008
Euroleague.net
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