“I had been useless”
After two failed outings against his former club Asvel, Elie Okobo shone (20 points, 8 rebounds) and carried Monaco on Sunday (72-63).
“You spent a long time greeting your former teammates and the Asvel staff after the final buzzer (Monaco victory, 72-63)…
These are people with whom I shared a great season, whom I respect a lot. Seeing them again is always a pleasure, it’s a way of showing them the respect and gratitude I have for them.
This Sunday, your stitches hurt them, conscious.
It was a physical match, where we struggled to move the ball, even if things were better in the last quarter. Their plan was to change across all screens, so there was a lot of one-on-one small-on-large to take advantage of. I managed to find a few baskets that were easy to penetrate. Behind, we provide a great defensive performance, we take a lot of rebounds and we control the end of the game.
Your first two games against Asvel since your departure from the club had not been brilliant (3 and 5 points)…
I had been useless, even (he bursts out laughing). Our assistant coach Mirko (Ocokoljic) reminded me of this (sunday) morning. He told me with a laugh to try to be good at least once. We had won these two matches, so I had not formalized myself, but performing well is always a pleasure.
I tried to be focused and to contribute when it was important. As on this 100% action between former Asvel where Matthew (Strazel) sting to the center and take the ball out, which I convert to 3 points to make the gap (54-48, 33rd). I had to end up putting a shot (he’s laughing).
You have beaten Asvel three times this season. Should we be wary of this stat?
We have to stay focused on what we have to do. We are first with two successes ahead of our pursuers in Betclic Elite, with big matches coming up in the Euroleague, the Leaders Cup… We are happy, but we must take these meetings as a stage, an opportunity to progress. »