The national coach of the Women's National Team, Giorgos Palalas, spoke to the Press Office of the Cyprus Basketball Federation ahead of the two home games of the qualifying phase of the European Championship.
What elements do you want the team to display in order to start on the right foot?“We want to show that Cypriot basketball is changing. We want to be competitive in all games. We prepared as best we could in the days we had, to claim the best possible and to show that women also have the right to dream and have the same opportunities."
How is the team handling the pressure of the premiership and two games in a few days?“When you are not the favorite you have less pressure and that helps us. The pressure of the organization is transferred to the opponent and we can play with a clear mind".
What do you expect from Romania and Slovakia and what points should the team respond to? "We have to come in focused from the first minute, be aggressive and physical. Through the game we want to create doubts in the opponent and get a good result".
How important is the presence of people at "Spyros Kyprianou" and what is your message? "We want to invite the people of Limassol and all of Cyprus to come and watch high-level basketball. People should support the female players. We play for all the girls involved in basketball and beyond."
