Eurocup Final: Bertomeu, Katsikaris and Pashutin press conference
Eurocup Final will be played on Saturday
The crowning event of a season full of thrills, the 2013 Eurocup Final, got underway officially on Friday in Charleroi, Belgium with an opening press conference featuring representatives of the two teams that will fight for the trophy, PBC Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar of Russia and Uxue Bilbao Basket of Spain. This year's title game tips off on Saturday night at the RTL Spiroudome at 21:00 CET and will be broadcast live in Europe and beyond by Eurosport 2. The Eurocup Final marks its return to Charleroi, where the trophy was awarded in a single championship game during four previous seasons between 2004 to 2007. Now in its 11th year, the Eurocup began the season with 32 teams from 19 countries. Now it all comes down to two, vying for the trophy and passage to the 2013-14 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season, in the final on Saturday.
Press conference comments:
Benoit Cuisinier, Belgacom Spirou Charleroi CEO
"Thank you, everyone for coming. I'd like to wish a warm welcome to all of you. We are proud that Jordi Bertomeu and the Eurocup are trusting in us to organize this final in Charleroi. It will be quite a final for us. We have Axel Hervelle, who is THE Belgian player, playing in this game, which makes us proud. We really hope it will be a big success. Our whole Spiroudome team has been working with Euroleague Basketball to make this a great event. We've done our utmost to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. We know the teams are top-notch. So we expect a brilliant final in the Spiroudome on Saturday."
Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO
"Good afternoon. Thank you, Benoit, and thanks to Belgacom Spirou for their cooperation, for being always available to help us, for their hospitality and being good partners for us for many years, and of course, for having the opportunity to cooperate again together in this Eurocup Final. After some years trying other models and cities, we are back to our original model, a single game in Charleroi, so we have to recognize that it has been our most successful format to decide the champion of the Eurocup. We are proud that Charleroi will be hosting us again and we expect a great final tomorrow. I have to say that both teams, Uxue Bilbao Basket and Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, certainly deserve to be here with us and congratulate both for their excellent performance during this season. Especially, I want to congratulate Fotis Katsikaris of Bilbao, the Eurocup Coach of the Year, and Nick Calathes of Lokomotiv Kuban, the MVP of the competition. But this is a team sport, so congratulations are due to everyone on both teams for getting this opportunity to win the Eurocup title tomorrow.
"It is also time to express our gratitude to a partner who has been with us for many years, Eurosport 2. I want to thank Arnaud Larroque and Eurosport for being a great partner with a commitment to the Eurocup since 2005. I cannot say enough in words for what Eurosport 2 has done to promote basketball and the Eurocup with us since 2005, and not only in final games like tomorrow's, but in many, many games each season. Tomorrow, Eurosport 2 shows that commitment again with another outstanding production planned for the Eurocup Final. They will broadcast the game to 62 million households in 51 countries and in 18 different languages, which shows just how great their commitment is.
"I also have to thank our sponsors: Turkish Airlines, Spalding, Nikopharm and Russian Railways, for their commitment. We need sponsors to make this possible, and thanks to all of them for their help. Thank you to the media for joining us today. We are sure that you will enjoy a great final tomorrow and we will have a winner that deserves to be part of the Euroleague next season. It will be a great day and a great event for basketball here in Charleroi."
Arnaud Larroque, Eurosport 2 Excecutive Producer
"Hello, it's great to be here. We have had a great experience since 2005 working with Euroleague Basketball. This year, we have planned very special coverage, and are happy again to have the chance to work on our broadcast with Sasha Djordjevic, one of the biggest names in European basketball, who will be here giving his expertise and interviewing the coaches and players. It's important to have a guy like Sasha who has played in all finals possible, up to winning the World Championships, and knows what is happening on the basketball court. We are fortunate to have an expert like him for this broadcast. We have also had the chance to dedicate one camera to each team, travelling with them from the airport to the bus to the training sessions and their rooms at the hotel. So I want to thank the coaches for that. It's intrusive, we know, but for us it's very important to create a connection between the Eurosport 2 audience and you, the coaches and players. Now, with the addition of Twitter and Facebook and other social media, it makes for a great product that is important for Eurosport 2. So I thank the two teams and I am sure that they will put on a masterpiece tomorrow. Eurosport 2 is also playing a final and we will try to make it the best one possible for our viewers."
Axel Hervelle, Uxue Bilbao Basket forward
"Playing here at home in Belgium, I guess the player with the most motivation should be me. There is a lot of emotion in being here that I can think about, but the motivation is also there. I have to make sure to use the emotion on the good side, not the wrong way, not put unnecessary pressure on myself and enjoy this moment. For me, playing 10 months a year outside of my country, I don't see my family and friends in the stands. For them to be here watching tomorrow makes this very special. I also think about winning this trophy in 2007 with my teammates Raul Lopez and Alex Mumbru, so there are many things going through my head now. But I have to put them aside and enjoy the game."
Fotis Katsikaris, Uxue Bilbao Basket head coach
"This season, after we started the Last 16 with an 0-2 record, we had to make a step forward, and we did. Anyone who knows my team knows that it has a lot of character and personality. One of our goals was to come this far in this competition. And when we have moments that looked difficult, even impossible for us, that's when this team works best. Our reaction in the Last 16 in our next two games against Valencia was great, and winning then gave us the confidence that we can go far in this competition."
Evgeny Pashutin, PBC Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar head coach
"First, I'd like to say that the Eurocup is the highest level of competition and for us it has been a joy to participate in this season. Our guys did a great job, especially on defense and playing strong team basketball. We have experienced guys like Nick Calathes, Aleks Maric and Derrick Brown. They know how to play in a final from having participated and played big games like this in the Euroleague. We have guys who know how to stay under control when the pressure is on, how to win finals. It's my experience and theirs together in knowing how to play a final. I think this game will be a great show, offensively and defensively, and a great event for everyone: players, management and fans. It's like the cherry on the top, this final, and we are going to enjoy the moment."
Nick Calathes, PBC Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar guard
"Like in the Euroleague, once you get to the Final Four, this is one game, winner take all. In 2011 with Panathinaikos, we had to win two games like that, so this is just a little different. I think that after playing a lot of minutes for Panathinaikos and Zeljko Obradovic then, I know what to expect here. Like I said, it's one game, winner take all, and you have to bring your best. Hopefully, tomorrow, we will come prepared and I am sure we will bring our best. It will be an exciting game against another great team, and I am sure the fans are going to enjoy it."
Press conference comments:
Benoit Cuisinier, Belgacom Spirou Charleroi CEO
"Thank you, everyone for coming. I'd like to wish a warm welcome to all of you. We are proud that Jordi Bertomeu and the Eurocup are trusting in us to organize this final in Charleroi. It will be quite a final for us. We have Axel Hervelle, who is THE Belgian player, playing in this game, which makes us proud. We really hope it will be a big success. Our whole Spiroudome team has been working with Euroleague Basketball to make this a great event. We've done our utmost to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. We know the teams are top-notch. So we expect a brilliant final in the Spiroudome on Saturday."
Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO
"Good afternoon. Thank you, Benoit, and thanks to Belgacom Spirou for their cooperation, for being always available to help us, for their hospitality and being good partners for us for many years, and of course, for having the opportunity to cooperate again together in this Eurocup Final. After some years trying other models and cities, we are back to our original model, a single game in Charleroi, so we have to recognize that it has been our most successful format to decide the champion of the Eurocup. We are proud that Charleroi will be hosting us again and we expect a great final tomorrow. I have to say that both teams, Uxue Bilbao Basket and Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, certainly deserve to be here with us and congratulate both for their excellent performance during this season. Especially, I want to congratulate Fotis Katsikaris of Bilbao, the Eurocup Coach of the Year, and Nick Calathes of Lokomotiv Kuban, the MVP of the competition. But this is a team sport, so congratulations are due to everyone on both teams for getting this opportunity to win the Eurocup title tomorrow.
"It is also time to express our gratitude to a partner who has been with us for many years, Eurosport 2. I want to thank Arnaud Larroque and Eurosport for being a great partner with a commitment to the Eurocup since 2005. I cannot say enough in words for what Eurosport 2 has done to promote basketball and the Eurocup with us since 2005, and not only in final games like tomorrow's, but in many, many games each season. Tomorrow, Eurosport 2 shows that commitment again with another outstanding production planned for the Eurocup Final. They will broadcast the game to 62 million households in 51 countries and in 18 different languages, which shows just how great their commitment is.
"I also have to thank our sponsors: Turkish Airlines, Spalding, Nikopharm and Russian Railways, for their commitment. We need sponsors to make this possible, and thanks to all of them for their help. Thank you to the media for joining us today. We are sure that you will enjoy a great final tomorrow and we will have a winner that deserves to be part of the Euroleague next season. It will be a great day and a great event for basketball here in Charleroi."
Arnaud Larroque, Eurosport 2 Excecutive Producer
"Hello, it's great to be here. We have had a great experience since 2005 working with Euroleague Basketball. This year, we have planned very special coverage, and are happy again to have the chance to work on our broadcast with Sasha Djordjevic, one of the biggest names in European basketball, who will be here giving his expertise and interviewing the coaches and players. It's important to have a guy like Sasha who has played in all finals possible, up to winning the World Championships, and knows what is happening on the basketball court. We are fortunate to have an expert like him for this broadcast. We have also had the chance to dedicate one camera to each team, travelling with them from the airport to the bus to the training sessions and their rooms at the hotel. So I want to thank the coaches for that. It's intrusive, we know, but for us it's very important to create a connection between the Eurosport 2 audience and you, the coaches and players. Now, with the addition of Twitter and Facebook and other social media, it makes for a great product that is important for Eurosport 2. So I thank the two teams and I am sure that they will put on a masterpiece tomorrow. Eurosport 2 is also playing a final and we will try to make it the best one possible for our viewers."
Axel Hervelle, Uxue Bilbao Basket forward
"Playing here at home in Belgium, I guess the player with the most motivation should be me. There is a lot of emotion in being here that I can think about, but the motivation is also there. I have to make sure to use the emotion on the good side, not the wrong way, not put unnecessary pressure on myself and enjoy this moment. For me, playing 10 months a year outside of my country, I don't see my family and friends in the stands. For them to be here watching tomorrow makes this very special. I also think about winning this trophy in 2007 with my teammates Raul Lopez and Alex Mumbru, so there are many things going through my head now. But I have to put them aside and enjoy the game."
Fotis Katsikaris, Uxue Bilbao Basket head coach
"This season, after we started the Last 16 with an 0-2 record, we had to make a step forward, and we did. Anyone who knows my team knows that it has a lot of character and personality. One of our goals was to come this far in this competition. And when we have moments that looked difficult, even impossible for us, that's when this team works best. Our reaction in the Last 16 in our next two games against Valencia was great, and winning then gave us the confidence that we can go far in this competition."
Evgeny Pashutin, PBC Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar head coach
"First, I'd like to say that the Eurocup is the highest level of competition and for us it has been a joy to participate in this season. Our guys did a great job, especially on defense and playing strong team basketball. We have experienced guys like Nick Calathes, Aleks Maric and Derrick Brown. They know how to play in a final from having participated and played big games like this in the Euroleague. We have guys who know how to stay under control when the pressure is on, how to win finals. It's my experience and theirs together in knowing how to play a final. I think this game will be a great show, offensively and defensively, and a great event for everyone: players, management and fans. It's like the cherry on the top, this final, and we are going to enjoy the moment."
Nick Calathes, PBC Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar guard
"Like in the Euroleague, once you get to the Final Four, this is one game, winner take all. In 2011 with Panathinaikos, we had to win two games like that, so this is just a little different. I think that after playing a lot of minutes for Panathinaikos and Zeljko Obradovic then, I know what to expect here. Like I said, it's one game, winner take all, and you have to bring your best. Hopefully, tomorrow, we will come prepared and I am sure we will bring our best. It will be an exciting game against another great team, and I am sure the fans are going to enjoy it."
E. Carchia
@Sportando
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