February 09, 2012
Euroleague 2009-10, Regular Season, Group C analysis and Quotes

Analysis

CSKA MOSCOW

CSKA MoscowThere’s a new look at CSKA, but the goal is still the same: Win. CSKA has been to seven straight Final Fours and four consecutive Euroleague titles games – winning twice – but a coaching change that welcomed former assistant Evgeniy Pashutin to the sidelines is the start of a new era at the club. Despite a new coach and some roster changes, don’t bet against the Russian power being in the fight when it matters most.


CAJA LABORAL

Caja LaboralTau Ceramica’s run of consecutive Final Four appearances came to an end at four last season, however head coach Dusko Ivanovic’s men were in it till the very and will be sure to challenge to return this year. Despite expected roster changes – Igor Rakocevic and Pete Mickeal have already left and Lior Eliyahu arrived – there is no doubt that Tau’s style of attractive scoring and tenacious defense will win many games.


MACCABI ELECTRA

Maccabi Electra Tel AvivCoaching great Pini Gershon returned home to Maccabi midway through last season and this summer he has the chance to handpick the roster for the 2010 campaign. In every season that Gershon has started on the sidelines at Maccabi, the club has reached a continental title game. The fans at Nokia Arena are expecting no less this year.



VIRTUS ROMA

Virtus RomaVirtus Roma heads into the new season after an impressive 2009 campaign in which it went to the Top 16. Head coach Nando Gentile gets the chance to start the season on the bench after taking over midway through last year. One of the more active teams early in the summer market, Roma has re-signed Andre Hutson and added three others as it looks to contend for a quarterfinals place in 2010.


UNION OLIMPIJA

Union OlimpijaUnion Olimpija heads into a new season with former playing legend Jure Zdovc on the bench. Zdovc took over midway through last season and guided the team to the Slovenian crown. Now with a full preseason to work with his charges, Zdovc and Olimpija will look to start strong and battle their way back into contention for the Top 16 and beyond.




Quotes

Maccabi Electra head coach, Pini Gershon

“The regular season is a stage that we have to get through and I think we will advance. What is really important is who we will face in the Top 16. I always say it’s better to face the strongest teams in the beginning and I hope that CSKA Moscow and Tau Ceramcia are considered strong. The games against Tau and Lior Eliyahu will of course be interesting.”

Shimon Mizrahi, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv president

“I think it will be a very tough group. We have CSKA and we all know their ability. We have Tau with one of our former players, Lior Eliyahu, so it will be very strange to play against one of our former players, but also interesting. Roma and Olimpija are teams with a lot of experience. Lets hope the best teams go to the Top 16. I think most of the teams already have their rosters, but there will still be changes.”

Lottomatica Roma head coach, Nando Gentile

"We knew that we would land in a tough group because all the teams are strong, but I do think that our group is the most difficult one. We will play against skilled, experienced teams. We are young but we will do our best in all games. It will be another great occasion for our players to get more experience."

Tau Ceramica general manager, Carlos Izar

“Always the competition is strong. For us we have to compete with two big teams, Maccabi and CSKA. And also Roma was strong last season. Of course it is good news for the marketing to face strong teams.”

CSKA Moscow CEO, Andrei Vatutin

"The Group is exactly what we need. We have a new-old team, the new head coach, the new strategy, and as much motivation as ever. We need to prove that we are ready to show the result in more difficult conditions. And Group C will allow us to show that we are a capable team immediately, from the first game. Among the rivals, of course, I’d like to mention Maccabi and TAU - branded clubs for Moscow. Nevertheless, I hope that USH CSKA will be sold out for each game, because for us every game will be a challenge, and the team needs the support of fans more than ever."

CSKA Moscow head coach, Evgeny Pashutin

"The group is very strong. First of all, I will mention Maccabi, which won the Euroleague twice in the past six years and is constantly playing in the Final Fours. Tel Aviv team has Pini Gershon back as a head coach and sets the highest goals again. In addition, it is always difficult to play in Israel – they have very active fans and their 10.000 arena is always packed.

TAU is also a club, which participates in the Final Fours regularly and, even without winning the title, looks very decent, always playing at the highest level. Plus, the team returned Dusko Ivanovic, well known throughout Europe as emotional, strict and committed to aggressive basketball coach.

Lottomatica is a club with great traditions, which is on the way of revival. This is a good team with character, ready to battle against the leader and always striving to win.

Olimpija is a team with the national colors, always having in its roster many talented Slovenian players. It is known to raise the players for the national team. I would say that my experience of playing in Ljubljana was always very difficult. They love basketball and know how to play - since know this firsthand as we have two Slovenians on the team. We do not yet know the opponent from the qualifying round, but there are no weak teams there, so I look forward to meet the high-level club. I can say that we will seriously prepare for the tournament."

Union Olimpija general manager, Igor Dolenc

"It is a tough group, but at the same time, very attractive for us. It is a difficult group if your goal is to try to make it to the Top 16, but this is the Euroleague and you cannot expect weak opponents. We will try to upset some of the Euroleague giants and we are solid, especially at home with our fans, we have a legitimate chance to get into the next round. Our fans once again will have the chance to see some of the best teams in Europe and that is great for them. Basketball is very popular in Slovenia and we hope to fulfill our goals, challenging all the big teams in our regular season group."

Virtus Roma general manager Piergiorgio Bottai

"It is a very hard group, just as we expected. It is also a big challenge for us. We have to take one game at the time and our initial goal has to be reaching the Top 16. The new Euroleague will be very interesting and we expect a lot from our supporters. We are expecting a bigger audience next season and will do our best to reach as high as possible in the competition."

Maccabi center, Yaniv Green

"There's no doubt it's a very interesting draw for us. Playing against Lior Eliyahu with his new team will be exciting. It's weird to play against a player you played with for so many years. CSKA is one of the top teams in the Euroleague in the last years, and though some say they have gotten weaker, it's still a class A team in Europe. Obviously we cannot under estimate the teams from the lower seeds. Our goal is to make it to the Top 16 from the best position."
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Euroleague.net
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