“We played an excellent game in [Athens] against AEK. We lost the last ball. [At home] against Minsk, we were missing four players; we played with six players. We lost by 10, but we were also down 25. Our team was completely naked. We had one win in the first three games.
We went step by step. In Minsk, we just wanted to win; we didn’t care for the difference. Because I wanted to prove that the first game in Israel was an accident because of injuries. We didn’t make it 10 points in the end, but we won the game that kept us alive. The same day, Cholet beat AEK. So, we knew that we had two games, and everything was in our hands. Basically, we faced three finals back-to-back, and we won. We showed amazing character. That’s why we’re here in the next round.
Our budget is very small. We don’t have players [earning] more than 10-12k per month. I’ve never had a budget this small. This makes you more concentrated and makes you look more for the guys that used to be [on better teams] and need an extra push. For example, [Chris] Johnson, [Tyrus] McGee, and [CJ] Harris used to play for good money with good teams, but they were without a job.
I present my thoughts, my plan, and they were super happy. All of them made their names. And I think they’re gonna double their money next year together if we have a successful season.
I took, generally, the players that I wanted or the parameters that I wanted. They can run my philosophy; they understand; they are thirsty, not like rookies, but to open a page in their careers. They’re not young, but they still have time to improve. And they used this opportunity with Holon.”