Ilias Papatheodorou commented on the game against Panionios as well as on the team's course after the end of the game for the 23rd day of the betshop Basket League.
"First of all, I would like to wish Stavros Schizas a speedy recovery and all the best with his surgery. We wish to thank him for all he has done for the team and his ethos.
We knew we would be playing against a team that has made some big wins lately. We knew it was going to be a tough game. We are not in the best condition possible. Panionios has confidence and is a considerable opponent. We built a safety net at the end and won. We have more games to play till the end of the regular season. We'll try to freshen up the team to have the season end the best way possible. We expect improvement in every level. The season is a long one and there are good and bad moments. We need to stand by our players, we are proud of all of them and of all they have succeeded. With work, they can all return to the required level".
On whether there is still motivation: «We all have ambition and motivation. Mine was to face off with an experienced coach like Vassilis Fragkias and the players' motive is to play well against players like Giorgos Printezis. When you cannot control some things, there are no answers. Apart from the problems we all know, we have lost two more players. We haven't made discounts on any of our goals. We'll fight and give all we have. Right now we can control the part of getting 3rd place in the regular season».
On whether the team is going to sign a player due to the loss of Schizas to injury: «There are not so many available players at this time. I don't think it's very probable that we do».
On the team's situation: «We are not in the best possible condition. However, if we take out Sunday's game against Panathinaikos, we are at least combative in every game. We really fought against AEK for the Basketball Champions League. But we are now faced with mental and physical fatigue. We are at a point that all we have developed in terms of cooperation is at its peak. We need however to
find the strength to go on. First of all, each one needs to enjoy what they do. Compared to the median Greek population, we live at a much better level. So, we need to find motivation to win organizations that are better than ours. We play a beautiful game and if you don't enjoy what you do, you cannot move ahead with your life. We play for PAOK. We need to remember where we are and to respect the team and the effort we have made. We cannot constantly duel with everyday problems. Our team is at the best possible position this season. We played the Greek Cup final and we were playing in Europe till March. The Club should be very proud to have these players».
