Geragotellis: “The management and the president respect and support our work, a positive sign so far in the Euroleague”
The direct partner of Yannis Sfairopoulos in Red Star, who renewed with the Serbian team until 2027, Vassilis Geragotellis, was “hosted” on the “Instant Replay” show of EOK WebRadio with Elena Vogiatzis and Marino Printezis and spoke so much about the extension of their contract, as well as for their progress in the Euroleague so far.
He said in detail:
To extend their collaboration with Red Star: “Today is Christmas for the Orthodox in Serbia so the president and management wanted to give a Christmas present to the fans and announced yesterday (06/01) the extension of our contract. It is a great pleasure and honor, we feel very good to accept a renewal proposal so early. It also shows respect and support for the effort and work we do. It is also a reward for us, in the sense that it is difficult in big teams like Red Star, with the pressure of results and a lot of people, to stay for years. We are very proud together with the coach that we managed to stay at Olympiakos and Maccabi for many years, but also now to make an extension to Erythros Asteras, where we are expected to arrive here again in 4 years”.
For the duration of the discussions: “It was something very quick. In these years that I have been at the highest level, I have never experienced anything like this before. They were very willing to meet the coach's demands, and I don't just mean the financial part. The coach had a chat and asked for some things to do with the team and to have a competitive team on and off the field and very quickly everything was satisfied and we signed. It was probably the fastest contract and negotiation I've ever experienced.”
Regarding the statement of Yannis Sfeiropoulos that he would like to remain for many years in the team and become a legendary coach: “What we do is we try to give the best we can for the team and we always work keeping in mind that we might be in the next 10 years in it. This seemed to be understood by Red Star, appreciated and rewarded for it. I am happy when I hear such statements, because the coach is also in the mood for us to stay here and the management and the president have shown that they support us and recognize that the way we work is the right one. Abroad and especially in Serbia, it is even more difficult for a foreign coach. The big teams in Serbia want to have a Serbian coach for years, so it's even more difficult to be able to stay and have the acceptance and respect for a long time.”
On the importance of having support from the administration: “Support and trust is a factor that doesn't just have to do with coaches, it has to do with athletes as well, across the spectrum of sports. Psychology is so important that if you feel confident and supported, you can definitely perform better and give more in everything you do. This is also the “secret” of success. Anyone who has support and trust can do many things.”
For their progress in the Euroleague so far: “The team is definitely on a positive note and we're definitely very happy about where we are at the moment. I don't want us to be too optimistic. We have a good position, we are in a good psychological state, some of our wounded have returned. If you look at the standings in the Euroleague, there are two teams with 13 wins, two teams with 12 losses, we are three teams with 11 wins and then five teams with 10 wins. We are in a very good position, we are very happy, we also had very big away victories. We have won 6 away games, which is very difficult to do this year and we are proud of that. However, we may be where we are at the moment, but we may be from 2nd-3rd to 12th-13th in some competitions. The goal, which for our team is the play-ins and play-offs, is both very close and very far. The year is very balanced and still has a long way to go. Let's go to the end and I hope we can achieve our goal.”
To support the world: “If you ask me to single out one element that is different from the other two teams we have worked with, it is the “thirst” of the world to see the team high. Not that people are not “thirsty” in Olympiakos or Maccabi. When we went to Olympiakos in 2014, in 2012 and 2013 the team had won the Euroleague back-to-back. Maccabi is traditionally a very big club, having won Euroleagues in the past and made successes. In Red Star, the last time the team made it to the play-offs was, if I'm not mistaken, in 2014, where they played CSKA Moscow and were eliminated with 3-0 wins. The people here are “thirsty” for a good year, a distinction and this shows. Last year, while the team had not started well, we had sold-out matches in all matches, 20 thousand people and a total of 13 thousand regulars. When the team was 14th-15th and it was obvious that they have no luck to get into the play-ins, I expected that we would have 4-5 thousand fans, but we had 13-14 thousand in every match, without having any goal in the Euroleague. That, to me, says a lot. The team has a support whether it goes well or not.”
On whether they have in their plans at some point to have young Serbians play in the Euroleague: “The Serbian element in the Red Star team is dominant. This is something we have achieved and strived for in all teams. For the world to identify with such teams, you have to have native players. For a kid to come in and play on a competitive EuroLeague team at this level is very difficult. We are making moves to keep in mind young indigenous kids who can play at the highest level. However, for someone small to come and enter is extremely difficult, but not impossible. The experience in such a championship as the Euroleague, which is so demanding, is probably number one. We are willing to slowly bring in younger Serbs, as we did in the summer with Plavsic. We want to put such children, we have some goals. They may enter the rotation of the team, but it is not easy to enter and have a dominant role.”
For the readiness of the players in different competitions: “And the Adriatic League is a relatively easier league compared to other European leagues. For example, the Spanish league is much more difficult and all the matches are difficult. It is not easy for an athlete to have the same concentration, the same motivation and the same physical readiness to be able to play in all competitions. That's why there are so many results where Euroleague teams in local leagues lose. This also happens in Euroleague games. Teams have some moments when they make 3-4 consecutive wins and then they can make three consecutive losses, which of course, in which various circumstances play a role. We see, for example, a Paris that made 10 consecutive victories, which for this year's Euroleague is something unthinkable, and now has four consecutive defeats. There are games in which the theoretical favorites lose by 20 points and in derbies the same teams win by 20 points. All this has to do with the fact that it is not easy for the athletes to be able to be ready for all the matches throughout the season.”
