Kostas Sloukas says Ergin Ataman is “the best coach in Europe for the last 7-8 years”
· EurohoopsPanathinaikos’ captain stepped up late to push his team against Fenerbahce in Istanbul
By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
In a game full of leads gained and lost, Panathinaikos bounced back following last week’s double-game back-to-back defeats, beating Fenerbahce 81-76 on the road.
Fighting back after a sloppy start to his EuroLeague season, Kostas Sloukas was crucial for the green-and-white powerhouse down the line, converting a huge three-pointer to regain the lead.
In the post-game flash interviews, Panathinaikos‘ captain spoke about his performance. “Personally, I had to react because I played two bad games previously. Today, I made it”, he said before praising Ergin Ataman, who previously motivated one of his key players to do more to help the team.
“We have a good cooperation. For me, he’s been the best coach in Europe for the past 7 or 8 years. He gives answers every time, he’s always hungry”, Kostas Sloukas commented on Ergin Ataman.
“They reacted in the third and fourth quarter, we had to react back. We had good offense sections in the end. We stayed calm in crucial moments. We continue, it’s still October and we need more and more”, Kostas Sloukas also said about the Greek team’s win on the road.
Ergin Ataman praised him back
Following the Greek point guard’s veteran performance, the Turkish head coach couldn’t do anything but praise him back. “If [Kostas] Sloukas plays like this, he takes the leadership on the game like last year, we can win many games. EuroLeague is very difficult, you can’t dominate all games”, he said.
Former Fenerbahce center Omer Yurtseven also took time to speak in the post-game interviews, finding valuable words for his captain too. “All that mattered was a win. Their comeback was insane, we had some flaws in our defense that they cracked. It was all about coming back from it. Kostas [Sloukas] hit some big shots, our free throws helped a lot and kept us in the game”, he commented.
Panathinaikos will now play in next week’s double-game action against ASVEL at OAKA before travelling to Belgrade to go up against Crvena Zvezda. The reigning EuroLeague champions are now on a positive record after losing last week’s encounters in Paris and Madrid.