Final Four – George Bartzokas: “Wookup is ready for the cup”

With one more player in the rotation, Olympiakos will compete in the Greek Cup Final Four as Thomas Wokap has recovered from the injury problem of the previous days.

On the eve of the semifinals with AEK, George Bartzokas spoke about the veteran guard’s readiness but also the need for credibility and meritocracy to achieve shine and brilliance in the competitions.

Details on what the Red and White coach said:

“I would also like to welcome the holding of the Final Four, the first since 2004. It is a good opportunity for all of us to enjoy. Of course, the tournament is either a wedding or a funeral, as only one rejoices and celebrates while the other three get back to their everyday lives. There has to be a sense of responsibility for everyone, both the players and coaches, but also the people and those taking part in the event. I think we all do “tests” to see if Greece can organize tournaments like this. Due to the difficult situation, we all have a greater responsibility to make the games in the best possible atmosphere. We will show respect to all our opponents, with priority over AEK, the opponent in the semifinals”.

Of course, when you’re at Olympiakos, even two titles aren’t enough. European prestige always matters. Of course we want to get all the trophies we win this year. I think a lot of things have to be done for a title to matter. Greek basketball needs to develop to a level of organization and performance, I think we are on the right track in that regard. All the factors involved in each event I have credited to the judges to be on their level. Greece is a basketball country. We all have a responsibility to increase the importance of national titles. It’s important to have credibility and meritocracy to be sure the game is judged on the field“.

Finally when asked about Thomas Woookup and his availability, he said: “Woookup is here with us training with the team. He will definitely take part in the Final Four“.

For his part, o George Printez he said: “I wish and hope that in the future the Final Four will become a Final Eight so everyone can keep a close eye on their favorite teams to see games like this. People have shown that they love the sport. It’s very important for us that we’re back to claiming a goal. We can’t look any further than tomorrow’s game. I think we’re in good shape to win this trophy, which we really want. We’re not worried about the title of favorite at all. We have been working towards this goal since the beginning of the year“.