Leo Westermann talked about his decision to join Fenerbahce, while he also praised the head coach of the Turkish team, Zeljko Obradovic.
Here is what the French guard told the official TV channel of Fenerbahce:
On signing with Fenerbahce: “It is not too difficult to decide when Fenerbahce Beko makes an offer to you. Everyone knows the history of Fenerbahce Beko
A team with a very good coach and team, always playing for the championship. I didn’t have to think a second time when I got the offer. For me, Fenerbahce Beko is the best team in Europe to win trophies.”
On his former head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius: “In Zalgiris, they talk about basketball as a huge commitment, and that’s what I felt there. Last year we made a six-game winning streak and entered the playoffs. There was great enthusiasm at that time.
All the places in the city were filled with our games, even when we played away we knew that the whole city was rooting for us. It was so nice to be part of this atmosphere.
I had the opportunity to work with Sarunas Jasikevicius twice. He has the same DNA as Zeljko Obradovic. Of course there are differences. But I enjoyed playing for him.
As a child, I enjoyed watching him playing basketball on the court. I had the chance to play against him. It was great that I had the chance to also be coached by him.”
On Zeljko Obradovic: “Of course you’d always want to play in a team like Fenerbahce Beko. There can be a limited number of teams in Europe for which you can say something similar.
But for someone like me who has loved basketball since childhood, I always dreamt of Zeljko Obradovic coaching me.”
On how competitive the 2019/20 EuroLeague will be: “EuroLeague gets stronger every season, which is good for fans. There are many teams that can fight for the championship, which makes the league more exciting.
The teams that finished the regular season first in the EuroLeague did not reach a happy ending in the last few seasons. Fenerbahce was fifth in the ranking when they became the EuroLeague champion.
We should create team chemistry and be able to establish a different structure according to the opponents.
In the last few seasons, In the Final Four, we have seen that the team with the happy ending is not always the strongest looking team on paper. Therefore, there are many variables and points to consider.”
