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SITO ALONSO, Head Coach
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Coach,
tell us about your team's roster for the next Euroleague season, what
changes you made and what improvements you expect to gain from those
decisions?
“We have changed the team a lot because a lot of important players left, like Jerome Moiso, Rudy Fernandez and Lubos Barton, and so we tried to recreate a roster that was strong enough to compete on two fronts, the Spanish League and the Euroleague."
How
much can you learn from the preseason about your team? What signs do
you look for now that will help when the Euroleague starts?
“At the beginning, the most important thing is the results, for us and all of the other teams. We are keeping a close eye on the other teams and their games and also their players. Our group is quite difficult, so we are analyzing the new signings of other teams as much as the results."
Now
that all the other teams have mostly completed their rosters, how does
the competition in the Euroleague this season look like to you?
"As far as we are concerned, I don’t think people have given enough credit to the other teams in our group. We are worried because everybody has the possibility of qualifying from the group. Also because we are in the group with the team responsible for organizing the Final Four. Alba is making a huge effort and they must be considered as a threat."
What are your goals going into the new Euroleague season?
“We don’t have any real aim to qualify from our group because I think it would be a mistake. We are a new team and we need to open up a new cycle with respect to recent years, but to aim for the Top 16 or a good finish in the league is wrong. We just have to try to improve day by day. That is the best thing for us.”
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DKV Joventut is back in the Euroleague with an upgraded roster aimed at keeping the reigning ULEB Cup champion in the European basketball elite. Joventut promoted 32-year-old Sito Alonso to head coach and added four players, with promising power forward Henk Norel also coming back after a year on loan. DKV found power and intimidation with Pops Mensah-Bonsu, added a pair of proven scorers in Bracey Wright and versatile forward Luka Bogdanovic and inked a true sharp shooter in Simas Jasaitis. Joventut also kept most of the players that led the team to the ULEB Cup and the Spanish King's Cup titles last season. Teen sensation Ricky Rubio is joined by playmaker Demond Mallet, center Edu Hernandez-Sonseca, role players Pau Ribas and Ferran Laviña and power forward Jan Jagla in Badalona to round out a powerful roster. Rubio, who turns 18 in October, is set to take over as the team's leader, in what could be the start of another golden age for Joventut.
| 2008-09 ROSTER |
| Name |
Pos.
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Height
|
| Demond Mallet |
G
|
1.86
|
| Jan Jagla |
C
|
2.13
|
| Ricky Rubio |
G
|
1.92
|
| Ferran Laviña |
G
|
1.92
|
| Dimitri Flis |
F
|
2.03
|
| Pau Ribas |
G
|
1.90
|
| Luka Bogdanovic |
F
|
2.07
|
| Pops Mensah-Bonsu |
C
|
2.07
|
| Edu Hernandez-Sonseca |
C
|
2.12
|
| Simas Jasaitis |
F
|
2.02
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| Henk Norel |
C
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2.11
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| Bracey Wright |
G
|
1.91
|
| Head Coach: Sito Alonso |
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Rubio is possibly the best player in the world at his age, as well as one of the best defensive guards at any level. His long arms, coordination and uncanny anticipation of the opponent’s next move make him a world-class defensive stopper. He has also shown that he is mature beyond his years in terms of court sense and leadership. If he improves his outside shot, Rubio will be simply unstoppable. Mallet is his perfect complement due to his all-around scoring skills and experience. Both Mallet and Rubio are set to take more responsibility without Rudy Fernandez on the team. Wright arrives as a scoring specialist due to his ability to create his own shots. Ribas, the new team captain, has been at Joventut since he was six years old, which speaks volumes about his loyalty to the club. Stronger and more experienced, Ribas is ready to take over. Laviña will come off the bench to provide defense, intensity and the occasional three-point shot at either wing.
Jasaitis joins his fourth Euroleague team in as many years, hoping to show his clutch play and shooting skills are still intact.  Bogdanovic, a young veteran with four Euroleague seasons on his back at age 23, offers versatility and shooting range at the forward spots. Joventut needed a big presence in the paint and Mensah-Bonsu arrives to fill that role. Athletic, powerful and dominant, Mensah-Bonsu is an outstanding rebounder and shot blocker ready to make his Euroleague debut. Hernandez-Sonseca comes off a very solid season and has entered the prime of his career. As a great shot-blocker with the ability to bury long-range shots, Hernandez-Sonseca will help Joventut at both ends. Jagla offers unlimited shooting range, good hands and quickness to the mix. And Norel may become a pleasant surprise due to his speed, footwork and versatility, while top prospect Pere Tomas could find space in Alonso's rotation at small forward.
Coach Alonso may be inexperienced at this level, but he has had a great teacher in Aito Reneses Garcia and will try to employ the same run-and-gun style as the club has used in recent seasons. Defensive intensity with full-court and half-court pressure as often as possible, as well as a fun-to-watch offense will be Joventut's trademark game. Rubio looks ready to become a Euroleague superstar, while Mallet, Jasaitis and Mensah-Bonsu can push the team really deep in the competition. If coach Alonso keeps everyone happy, the masses of Joventut fans are set for yet another great season.
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