QUOTE
AEK will host Union Olimpija Ljubljana on Thursday in Athens, Greece, in a game between two teams looking to escape the cellar in Group A and maybe still try to slip into the Top 16. It won't be easy with their 3-8 records, but with a victory and some luck elsewhere, one could find itself still competing for survival. Even after defeating Strasbourg last week, Union Olimpija has already begun revamping its roster for life after the Euroleague season by letting go of four players - Vasco Evtimov, Josko Poljak, Luka Zoric and Danko Delibasic - this week, while another, Vedran Morovic, has asked to leave and didn't travel to Athens. AEK has now dropped seven of its last eight games, but is 3-2 this season at home, and even has an outside chance at fifth place in the group if Bamberg cannot win again before they meet in the regular season finale. When these teams last met, Jimmy Oliver came off the bench for 22 points to lead Olimpija to an 81-72 home win against AEK. Olimpija is winless on the road so far, and to get a first victory will need consistency from both its reserves and its starters, something which has been hard to come by this season. Among the problems are leading scorer Yotam Halperin (13 ppg., 3.4 apg., 2.3 spg.), who has totaled just 12 points in his last two games, and Oliver (12.8 ppg., 40.5% 3FG), who has topped 20 points four times, but scored 7 or fewer five times. That pair is joined by Teemu Rannikko (12.5 ppg., 58.9 2FG, 3.2 apg.) and Manuchar Markoishvili (9 ppg.) in giving Olimpija a potentially scary backcourt. Few teams can match the depth and different styles that AEK has in its guard rotation. Lionel Chalmers (13.8 ppg.) is the top scorer, although he is also coming off a subpar performance with just 4 points last week in a home loss gainst Tau Ceramica. Slaven Rimac (8.3 ppg.), Ioannis Kalampokis (8.2 ppg.), Mikhalis Pelekanos (7.8 ppg.) and Dror Hagag round out the versatile guard corps, whose only real weakness is from beyond the arc. AEK is the worst three-point shooting team in the Euroleague, having made only 28.7 percent. The home team boasts a powerful one-two inside punch with Taylor Coppenrath (11 ppg.) and Yiannis Bouroussis (7.8 ppg., 7 rpg.), with Panteleimon Papaiokeim helping out where needed. Recent signing DeMarco Johnson (9.5 ppg, 7 rpg.) has anchored Olimpija's inside game lately, while 2.20-meter Remon Van der Hare has been given more minutes lately. Dragisa Drobnjak and Szymon Szewczyk (8.2 ppg., 60% 2FG) have shared time at power forward. The game will feature different styles as AEK will look to pound the ball inside and Olimpija will leave it with its guards on most plays. If the visiting big men can hold their own inside, AEK can look for its first road win, but if the paint is controlled by AEK, it could be another long night on the road for Olimpija.
Lefteris KAKIOUSIS
"We are obliged to give our best."
"The only way to stay alive in the Euroleague is to win all three games left and that is our goal starting with Union Olimpija on our home court. They have a good team and definitely we need to play hard defensively and concentrate on offense to dominate. For the first time after a long time we seem not to face injuries, so that is a positive omen and helps us work even harder. As I said many times, it is difficult to compete in two tough championships, but we are obliged to give our best and try to win all three games left in the regular season. I believe in my team and I am expecting a very good performance against Olimpija."
Zmago SAGADIN
"We have to keep working."
"Although you can't tell by its position in the group, AEK is a good team. The problem is they play with too many ups and downs. They can be brilliant and beat anybody one day, but lose the next with a worse team. Their players work that way, too: they can score 20 or 30 points, or nothing. It's hard to know what to expect because you don't know how they'll play. Our objective is clear: we need to play organized, tactically mature and giving our best. Although there is little optimism in our team, we have to keep working. We prepare game by game and hope that each one comes out the best way possible."
Lionel CHALMERS
Guard
"The purpose is to stay focused."
"Our recent wins in the Greek League have given us confidence and I believe that my teammates and I know exactly what we are capable of achieving if we continue with the same intensity and prepare a good game each time. Three games are left until the end of the regular season and we know that we can have mathematical possibilities to qualify if we win all of them. So the purpose is to stay focused in the game against Union Olimpija, the team that I faced in my debut on the first day of December. I think we are much different team now and we need to show that on Thursday night."
Dragisa DROBNJAK
Forward
"I see us having chances to win."
"We have good memories of the first game against AEK. That was our first win of the season and it gave us a big push forward. Unfortunately, we didn't keep going that way, and now both teams are practically without chances for the Top 16. But that doesn't mean we don't want to win in Athens. Compared with that first game, we are now better prepared to win, and for that reason I see us having chances to win."
Lefteris KAKIOUSIS
"We are obliged to give our best."
"The only way to stay alive in the Euroleague is to win all three games left and that is our goal starting with Union Olimpija on our home court. They have a good team and definitely we need to play hard defensively and concentrate on offense to dominate. For the first time after a long time we seem not to face injuries, so that is a positive omen and helps us work even harder. As I said many times, it is difficult to compete in two tough championships, but we are obliged to give our best and try to win all three games left in the regular season. I believe in my team and I am expecting a very good performance against Olimpija."
Zmago SAGADIN
"We have to keep working."
"Although you can't tell by its position in the group, AEK is a good team. The problem is they play with too many ups and downs. They can be brilliant and beat anybody one day, but lose the next with a worse team. Their players work that way, too: they can score 20 or 30 points, or nothing. It's hard to know what to expect because you don't know how they'll play. Our objective is clear: we need to play organized, tactically mature and giving our best. Although there is little optimism in our team, we have to keep working. We prepare game by game and hope that each one comes out the best way possible."
Lionel CHALMERS
Guard
"The purpose is to stay focused."
"Our recent wins in the Greek League have given us confidence and I believe that my teammates and I know exactly what we are capable of achieving if we continue with the same intensity and prepare a good game each time. Three games are left until the end of the regular season and we know that we can have mathematical possibilities to qualify if we win all of them. So the purpose is to stay focused in the game against Union Olimpija, the team that I faced in my debut on the first day of December. I think we are much different team now and we need to show that on Thursday night."
Dragisa DROBNJAK
Forward
"I see us having chances to win."
"We have good memories of the first game against AEK. That was our first win of the season and it gave us a big push forward. Unfortunately, we didn't keep going that way, and now both teams are practically without chances for the Top 16. But that doesn't mean we don't want to win in Athens. Compared with that first game, we are now better prepared to win, and for that reason I see us having chances to win."