The coaching debut in the Euroleague was successful - Monaco defeated Panathinaikos 91:88 last night in Athens, and the legendary Vasilis Spanulis registered the first victory in his coaching career in this competition.
Spanulis recently came to Monaco, where he succeeded Saša Obradović. The current head coach of Greece also managed Peristeri in his coaching career, and last season he was chosen as the coach of the season in the FIBA Champions League.
"We only had two days to prepare. We played a very good game, we had 26 assists, which shows that we played as a team tonight. When I came to Monaco, I said that we have to play together, to win as a team and I'm very happy about that. We had a problem with the jump," Spanulis said after the match.
Mike James had ten of Monaco's 26 assists.
"It is not easy to find such a player in the Euroleague. He plays very maturely. He had only six points, but he recorded as many as 10 assists. He is one of the best players in the Euroleague. He is the best scorer of the competition, but also one of the best assists. I am happy for him," Spanulis said.
Monaco broke the game 32 seconds before the end, when Jordan Lloyd hit a three-pointer for 88:86.
"A legend has come to the club. Unbelievable. I have worked with many great coaches during my career, and now I will work with Spanulis as well. I will try to learn from him as much as possible," Lloyd said.
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