Fenerbahce Beko’s coach hails his team's victory over Monaco

ANKARA

Fenerbahce Beko coach Sarunas Jasikevicius and Nigel Hayes-Davis, who was named the 2025 EuroLeague Final Four MVP, answered questions at a post-game press conference after the team defeated Monaco 81-70 in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague final to become champions Sunday.

Hayes-Davis said he wasn't sure how he would feel after the championship.

"I believed all year, especially last month, we had what it took to win. When you do it over and over, you get numb to it. So I've seen it so many times in my mind…It’s good to see my teammates happy, staff happy, everyone happy. I'm relishing the moment of the entire family being happy."

Asked about his thoughts on the lyrics "10% luck, 20% skill" in the song that played when he was announced as MVP, the US player said: "I disagree with the percentages. In games like this, it's 90% effort…The first thing that was mentioned (before the game) was if we don't match or exceed Monaco's physicality and effort, we won't have a chance…I feel we have the bigger team. We were able to bring guys off the bench and to play 1, 2, 5 minutes and give us something. At the end of 40 minutes, the winner is the champion."

Hayes-Davis played a joke on Jasikevicius, who teased him by saying "you were okay" as he saw him off from the press conference, by emptying his water bottle on the Lithuanian coach.

"That's the problem with the new generation. They don't know how to celebrate," Jasikevicius sarcastically commented on his player's celebration.

'Greatest feeling in the world'

Jasikevicius, who has been to the Final Four four times before in his career, spoke about the psychology of being a winner for the first time.

"I’d like to congratulate our fans, our players. This is exactly the way to win the championship -- knowing how to suffer, how to do everything. Got a big monkey on my shoulders after being so close for so many years and consistently being here (in the finals). To get over the hump was difficult at some moment," he said.

"It was unfair for me when people said ‘If Sarunas is gonna win, the question is when is he gonna win?’ The people kind of not understanding the difficulty of achieving this trophy. It's very difficult. The players matter the most. We coaches are the ones to take all the blame when players don't succeed, but the whole situation was always difficult for me and was not fair," he added.

"We’d like to dedicate the trophy to my family, especially to my wife. She is the rock of our family. She is the one who has been dealing with all my crazy friends over the years. Sometimes dinners with 30-40 people came to get me during the Final Four. It was miserable."

Noting that there is no difference in winning the title as a coach or a player, he said: "I can't win as a player anymore...(But) it's the same thing. It's the greatest feeling in the world to be a champion."

Commenting on Hayes-Davis, the veteran coach said: "I don't think his role changed. In general, no matter what you see on the court, I really make a big effort to have a good relationship with players. Nigel didn't come to the Final Four 100%. I really appreciated how he played in the semifinal. He was patient. He wasn’t forcing things. This is a sign of maturity. I'm happy with his work ethic."

Jasikevicius also noted that Marko Guduric's performance was decisive for the trophy.

"Marko is really solid. He understands what we want from him. He was really aggressive. His drive against Monaco, his shots sealed the championship for us."

Emphasizing that it is normal for the team to be nervous at the Final Four stage, Jasikevicius said: "I said it's OK to be nervous. Embrace it, head on. I played 12 Final Fours as a player. As a coach, I'm nervous as hell. Everybody is nervous. It's OK."

To a question about the final being played in Abu Dhabi, he said: "If this title comes on the moon, I'm OK with it. It feels like everything is the same.”

Explaining his thoughts on lifting the trophy as both a player and a coach, he said: "This is for you guys, not for me. I'm just here for the title, whatever comes with it, the media stats. I'm honored. There is no question, and I'm so grateful to be a part of Fenerbahce. I'm really honored to be working with the best general manager in European basketball," he added.