AS Monaco forward Wilfried Yeguete checks in to share what he's thinking now that has club has made history by advancing to the 7DAYS EuroCup Finals.
Wilfried Yeguete, Monaco: 'Winning the EuroCup is our main focus'
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The team is so excited that we will be playing in the EuroCup Finals. The staff, the fans, everybody. It’s been a process, Monaco has only been in the French first division for five or six years. They were in the fourth division just nine years ago! They went through a long process, playing in the Basketball Champions League and reaching the final four and losing, And now in our third year in the EuroCup, we are in the finals. I think it's a huge accomplishment and it's been a process. We want to go all the way.
It will be a great opportunity to play in the EuroLeague next season, too, at the highest level in Europe. But mostly for the team and the organization, it's a big step. We've been competitive and we want to play with the best. I think the way we've achieved this has been a process. We haven’t had an easy road with a smaller roster and playing against some tough teams in the first round and the Top 16. Then being down a game against Buducnost in the quarterfinals after losing the first game at home. I think we’ve shown a lot of resilience and perseverance and this is a great way to be congratulated with access to the EuroLeague.
"When you win a trophy, that's with you forever."
We are really, really excited about qualifying for the EuroLeague, but we can't think about that right now. We have a chance to win the EuroCup! So I don't think we've really realized that we have accessed the EuroLeague for next season. We were excited when it happened or maybe the day after, when we realized that we advanced officially to the EuroLeague, but it’s a long, long way until the EuroLeague next season. Winning the EuroCup is our main focus. When you are a winner, when you win a trophy, that's with you forever. It would be a great way to finish up the EuroCup campaign.
I think we played solid in both semifinals games against Gran Canaria. In the first game, we started with a really strong first half. In the second half, they came back stronger, but we were able to adjust and finish off the game. The second game was kind of similar. We were also up by a little bit at halftime. We were able to stay up, but then they came back and made a run. Obviously, Rob hit a big shot, but before that, we were up by 3 with one of our best players on the free-throw line and we had a chance to end the game, but unfortunately, Dee missed. After that, Andrew Albicy made 3 free throws and we were able to win the game on Rob's shot.
I think it was a big game for us because going back home to Monaco for Game 3 would have been tough physically because we have a smaller roster. But we just found a way to win. Rob hadn't played that much in the fourth quarter, but he always stayed ready and he was ready. That just shows a lot about our team, everybody being ready at any time to help the team.
We are tough players. We love to compete. When you have a smaller roster and less guys who can play, we hold each other accountable. We are just fighters. I think throughout the EuroCup, we've figured out that we have the level to play against any team regardless of who they have on their roster. And we showed that by beating Badalona, by beating Malaga as well. We got some big wins, especially on the road, and we realized we can play with any team, regardless of the roster they have. We just play to our strengths. We are a good defensive team. We battle on every play. We are strong on rebounds and through our defense and fastbreak, we can stay in any game against other teams.
"We have the level to play against any team regardless of who they have on their roster."
Coach Mitrovic knows the city and he also knows the organization well. His system is pretty good for us. We are athletic players, we run a lot. He knows this level. He has a lot of experience from coaching in the EuroLeague with ASVEL and I think that can be seen this season with Monaco. I think that experience has really helped us.
Marcos Knight is one of our best rebounders. He's really a big guard, he's physical. I don't think there are a lot of guards as physical as he is at his position. He likes to battle out there. He likes to be in the paint. He doesn’t like to settle for being outside too much unless he has to. He posts up a lot and is always around the basket. I don't think there are a lot of guards who can box him out at his position. And not all guards enjoy going in the paint like he does. Plus, he has great timing, which makes him a great rebounder.
Rebounding is a battle and a lot of times, the big guys are fighting with other big guys and boxing out, so Marcos is able to get some rebounds because we box out the big guys from the other team. He has helped us a lot in rebounding. Especially when we are struggling to score, he is able to get in the paint and score some tough points because he is so physical.
Looking ahead, we know Game 1 against UNICS is going to be huge. It's important to start the series the right way. They just beat one of the best teams in the EuroCup after being down 0-1, so they know what it's like to have your back to the wall. I think they're gonna be ready. We have to come ready to play to our strengths and just battle. I think if we battle and play our game, we're going to be in a position to win the game. I think it's going to be a great battle between two great teams who had different paths to the finals.