Re: 7. Κώστας Βασιλειάδης
Δημοσιεύτηκε: Δευ 19 Οκτ 2015, 20:00
Πρώτο θέμα στην ιστοσελίδα του EuroCup, η συνέντευξη του Βασιλειάδη...
Interview: Kostas Vasileiadis, PAOK Thessaloniki
A familiar face returned to PAOK Thessaloniki this season ready to make a difference. Experienced shooting guard and clutch master Kostas Vasileiadis left the team in 2006 and is now back nearly a decade later. In the meantime, Vasileiadis helped Bilbao reach the Eurocup final in 2013, made it to the Euroleague Final Four with Unicaja Malaga in 2007 and became a go-go guy for all of his teams in close games. Indeed, Vasileadis already proved that with PAOK by hitting 4 free throws in the final 18 seconds to lead his team to a 72-69 home win against Szolnoki Olaj. While away, Vasileadis stayed in touch with PAOK and kept several season tickets throughout the years; he never hid his love and support for the club. Vasileadis wants to lead PAOK beyond the expectations and for a great season, as he told Javier Gancedo of Eurocupbasketball.com in this interview. "This is my hometown, my family is here and I came back at a good time in my career, when I can still help the team achieve what we can reach," Vasileadis told Eurocupbasketball.com. "I think that with good work and good chemistry, we can do something special this season."
Hello, Kostas, and congratulations on your first Eurocup win this season. How important is it to start this competition on the right foot?
"Of course, it was very important. It was a difficult win and we wanted to start the Eurocup by getting a victory in the first game of the season. We saw a lot of video and knew that Olaj is a good team, and they played a great game against us. Still, we had a good start and I hope we can do better in the next games, because we need to play against great teams."
You were down by one, but your drew a couple of fouls and hit all 4 free throws to win the game. Is that the role you were looking for when you joined PAOK – to be the go-to guy in crucial moments?
"Well, I have been doing the same thing in former teams in recent years. I take the ball in the final seconds, draw some fouls, make free throws... or to take the last shot! I like this - I am not afraid to get the ball in the final seconds and like to help my team win, if that is possible, whether by taking the last shot or drawing a foul to go to the free throw line."
Up by 2 and with a few seconds left, you opted to make a second free throw attempt. You were on the court when Zoran Planinic hit that 24-meter shot with Efes off a missed free throw by Keith Langford. Was that in the back of your mind in that moment?
"[laughs] Well, we were up by 1 point, so I thought that hitting both free throws would most likely finish the game. You never know what can happen! Maybe they can get the rebound and score like Planinic did! So I just thought about scoring the free throws and winning it. That was a crazy shot - you know, I was at half court asking for the ball like crazy, to shoot the last shot, and Zoran takes that shot and scores it. I was like 'oh my God, what the hell! How can you score that!' but for him it was a natural shot. He says that he always shoots from there in practice."
Let's talk about PAOK - you were always linked to the team and bought season tickets while playing far away from Thessaloniki. How special is it for you to be back?
"It is always nice and beautiful, because I have always been a PAOK fan since I was a small kid. I played for seven years – from age 16 to 22 – before I left. It is always good to come back. This is my hometown, my family is here and I came back at a good time in my career, when I can still help the team achieve what we can reach. I know that we don't have the level of other teams in the Greek League or in the Eurocup, but I think that with good work and good chemistry, we can do something special this season."
How have you changed as a player since you left PAOK?
"I played with great teammates and great coaches over the last few years. I played a lot of games and learned a lot of things. My coaches helped me improve my game, not only to shoot three-point shots, just also to put the ball on the floor and score two-pointers, all these things. I am a better player and a better person. I hope I can help PAOK more than I did before."
What did you miss the most about PAOK and Thessaloniki?
"Well, I missed the city itself and it is good to be back. I missed my friends all these years, to be with them and spend some time with them. As for the club, it is always the fans and the big games you get to play. The atmosphere in home games. I missed this kind of atmosphere. In all of Europe, I don't think anybody plays in front of this atmosphere."
Your next game is against Zenit St. Petersburg, led by Ryan Toolson, your former teammate, who is doing very well. How much are you looking forward to it?
"Yes! I saw their friendly games, the one in the VTB League and their first one in the Eurocup. He is playing really well, but Ryan is a great player, a great shooter and a great teammate! I am very happy for him and his family, because he is a great guy who works really hard."
What will it take to beat Zenit in St. Petersburg?
"First of all, it is difficult for us - we play against a good team on the road. We need to play great defense against Ryan and their point guard, Zab Dowdell. I think if we stop these two players and rebound well, this is very important. We need to play our set game and share the ball to be able to score. This was our main problem in our first Greek League game against AEK. We didn't share the ball well in the final five minutes and lost the game at the end."
You said it before - you like to have the ball in your hands when the game is on the line. What does it take to be a clutch player?
"I think you cannot be afraid to take the ball and make decisions for your team. I think you need to have a clear mind to know exactly what you want to do in the last second - draw fouls or take a clear shot. Everything is about not being afraid of anything and being yourself, working in your game."
What would you consider a good result for PAOk in this Eurocup season?
"First of all, we have to go past the regular season and go to the next round. This is our goal this season. I think we have a pretty good team to do this. All we need is our fans in our games. We need their help. We need them to be with us in every Eurocup home game."
Interview: Kostas Vasileiadis, PAOK Thessaloniki
A familiar face returned to PAOK Thessaloniki this season ready to make a difference. Experienced shooting guard and clutch master Kostas Vasileiadis left the team in 2006 and is now back nearly a decade later. In the meantime, Vasileiadis helped Bilbao reach the Eurocup final in 2013, made it to the Euroleague Final Four with Unicaja Malaga in 2007 and became a go-go guy for all of his teams in close games. Indeed, Vasileadis already proved that with PAOK by hitting 4 free throws in the final 18 seconds to lead his team to a 72-69 home win against Szolnoki Olaj. While away, Vasileadis stayed in touch with PAOK and kept several season tickets throughout the years; he never hid his love and support for the club. Vasileadis wants to lead PAOK beyond the expectations and for a great season, as he told Javier Gancedo of Eurocupbasketball.com in this interview. "This is my hometown, my family is here and I came back at a good time in my career, when I can still help the team achieve what we can reach," Vasileadis told Eurocupbasketball.com. "I think that with good work and good chemistry, we can do something special this season."
Hello, Kostas, and congratulations on your first Eurocup win this season. How important is it to start this competition on the right foot?
"Of course, it was very important. It was a difficult win and we wanted to start the Eurocup by getting a victory in the first game of the season. We saw a lot of video and knew that Olaj is a good team, and they played a great game against us. Still, we had a good start and I hope we can do better in the next games, because we need to play against great teams."
You were down by one, but your drew a couple of fouls and hit all 4 free throws to win the game. Is that the role you were looking for when you joined PAOK – to be the go-to guy in crucial moments?
"Well, I have been doing the same thing in former teams in recent years. I take the ball in the final seconds, draw some fouls, make free throws... or to take the last shot! I like this - I am not afraid to get the ball in the final seconds and like to help my team win, if that is possible, whether by taking the last shot or drawing a foul to go to the free throw line."
Up by 2 and with a few seconds left, you opted to make a second free throw attempt. You were on the court when Zoran Planinic hit that 24-meter shot with Efes off a missed free throw by Keith Langford. Was that in the back of your mind in that moment?
"[laughs] Well, we were up by 1 point, so I thought that hitting both free throws would most likely finish the game. You never know what can happen! Maybe they can get the rebound and score like Planinic did! So I just thought about scoring the free throws and winning it. That was a crazy shot - you know, I was at half court asking for the ball like crazy, to shoot the last shot, and Zoran takes that shot and scores it. I was like 'oh my God, what the hell! How can you score that!' but for him it was a natural shot. He says that he always shoots from there in practice."
Let's talk about PAOK - you were always linked to the team and bought season tickets while playing far away from Thessaloniki. How special is it for you to be back?
"It is always nice and beautiful, because I have always been a PAOK fan since I was a small kid. I played for seven years – from age 16 to 22 – before I left. It is always good to come back. This is my hometown, my family is here and I came back at a good time in my career, when I can still help the team achieve what we can reach. I know that we don't have the level of other teams in the Greek League or in the Eurocup, but I think that with good work and good chemistry, we can do something special this season."
How have you changed as a player since you left PAOK?
"I played with great teammates and great coaches over the last few years. I played a lot of games and learned a lot of things. My coaches helped me improve my game, not only to shoot three-point shots, just also to put the ball on the floor and score two-pointers, all these things. I am a better player and a better person. I hope I can help PAOK more than I did before."
What did you miss the most about PAOK and Thessaloniki?
"Well, I missed the city itself and it is good to be back. I missed my friends all these years, to be with them and spend some time with them. As for the club, it is always the fans and the big games you get to play. The atmosphere in home games. I missed this kind of atmosphere. In all of Europe, I don't think anybody plays in front of this atmosphere."
Your next game is against Zenit St. Petersburg, led by Ryan Toolson, your former teammate, who is doing very well. How much are you looking forward to it?
"Yes! I saw their friendly games, the one in the VTB League and their first one in the Eurocup. He is playing really well, but Ryan is a great player, a great shooter and a great teammate! I am very happy for him and his family, because he is a great guy who works really hard."
What will it take to beat Zenit in St. Petersburg?
"First of all, it is difficult for us - we play against a good team on the road. We need to play great defense against Ryan and their point guard, Zab Dowdell. I think if we stop these two players and rebound well, this is very important. We need to play our set game and share the ball to be able to score. This was our main problem in our first Greek League game against AEK. We didn't share the ball well in the final five minutes and lost the game at the end."
You said it before - you like to have the ball in your hands when the game is on the line. What does it take to be a clutch player?
"I think you cannot be afraid to take the ball and make decisions for your team. I think you need to have a clear mind to know exactly what you want to do in the last second - draw fouls or take a clear shot. Everything is about not being afraid of anything and being yourself, working in your game."
What would you consider a good result for PAOk in this Eurocup season?
"First of all, we have to go past the regular season and go to the next round. This is our goal this season. I think we have a pretty good team to do this. All we need is our fans in our games. We need their help. We need them to be with us in every Eurocup home game."
