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At the four-team Glory Cup tournament held in Turkey, where Kaunas “Žalgiris” also competes, you can meet many basketball players who wore green and white jerseys in the past. One of them is 2014-2015. An American who played in Kaunas this season James Anderson.
The player, who was proclaimed Euroleague champion for the first time in his career with Anadolu Efes club in Istanbul, kindly agreed to speak to Žalgiris TV in Turkey. J. Anderson recalled the times of “Žalgiris”, spoke about the championship season with the Istanbul team, the secret of the success of Anadolu Efes and discussed other things.
“I remember all the love you received from the fans. They always greeted us with great affection and being a part of everything was something special. It’s fun to be a part of such an extraordinary club whose fans are so amazing. The memories of that period are good ”, the American returned to the past in his thoughts during the conversation.
In May this year, the Anadolu Efes club won the Euroleague championship trophy for the first time. The Istanbul team’s leap to the top began in 2018-2019. season, when the team only landed in the CSKA Moscow final. The attempt to conquer Europe was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic next season, but on the third attempt in the final victory, not even Barcelona, coached by Šarūnas Jasikevičius, was ripped from the hands of Anadolu Efes. .
“It feels wonderful to know how long we have been on track for the title,” Anderson told Žalgiris TV. – In the first year we lost to CSKA in the final. In season two, we were deprived of the chance to win due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We all continued to focus on our goal and it was with that focus that we reached the final. It felt amazing and I think we all had a huge load on our shoulders when we reached our goal. “
The Anadolu Efes team with head coach Ergin Ataman, who has changed very little in the last three years, has stayed true to this philosophy in the offseason. Only the tall Sertač Šanli, who chose Barcelona’s offer, left the club, but a promising Serbian Filip Petrušev was invited to replace him.
According to Anderson, the Istanbul team, which maintains the core every year, does not need long to reestablish connections in the square after the summer break.
“We have a very well lived team, when we get back together, it doesn’t take long for us to feel the connection again. Everyone knows what to do. Nothing changes. Philip has already joined us, so we have to let him adapt. and everything is going well. We try to use the training grounds to get into sport faster and return to basketball with our thoughts. From a psychological point of view, we are a well-agreed group of men and the atmosphere in the team is incredible ” explained the basketball player.
While playing in Turkey, J. Anderson does not forget “Žalgiris” and follows the team’s work. The American assessed the composition of Žalgiris’ team and stated that the team can be competitive in the upcoming Euroleague season.
“You can never rule out the men of” Žalgiris “.” Žalgiris “is a team that will always try to play its best matches against you. I think the team will be competitive and Paulius Jankūnas will encourage others to fight with all their might and set an example. As I say, “Žalgiris” cannot be ruled out. The fans will give this team a huge boost. Hopefully all the fans will be able to visit the stadiums this season. They will definitely be a competitive team, “explained Anderson.
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