Thomas Walkup can't wait for the Final Four: 'It will be very special' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Olympiacos BC Credit Olympiacos BC

Thomas Walkup was one of the main warriors that earned Olympiacos Piraeus a win in front of thousands of crazy fans in Game 5 of the EuroLeague playoffs series against AS Monaco.

Thomas Walkup

Team:Olympiakos PiraeusPosition:SGAge:29Height:193 cmWeight:88 kgBirth place:Texas, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

It will be the first time for Walkup in the EuroLeague Final Four. The American guard came to Zalgiris Kaunas the next season after the team made it to the final four, beating Olympiacos, so he never got to experience the thrill of making it to the grand stage of European basketball.

"Before I came to Europe, I could not imagine how huge this achievement is, but this year, now five years into European basketball, I have realized that few basketball players manage to experience the atmosphere of a Final 4 at least once," Walkup told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We are not going to take this opportunity for granted."

Walkup is beloved by the Greek fans. "This year, as a team, I can say that we played a game that had no selfishness, both on defense and offense. The people recognized it and that is why they express their support so strongly," the guard explained.

"Even when we were down, I received messages like 'we believe in you, keep going!' and I know very well that these do not happen all the time and everywhere," he continued. "Coming to Olympiacos, I have appreciated many things and I really have fun."

Olympiacos will face Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the Final Four.

"They have great quality, great experience, and the same roster base in recent years," Walkup talked about the team's opponents. "We know very well what we will face, but I think that they also know that they have a difficult challenge ahead of them."

Olympiacos have confirmed that 7000 tickets, which amount to more than 40% of the arena's capacity, have been purchased by the club's fans to attend the Final Four in Belgrade.

"It will be something very special," Walkup said with awe. "The dedication and passion that the people of our team have are beyond the obvious. You look at the percentage of tickets for Final 4, which have been bought by Greeks and you do not need more."

"It fills me with pride that I play for Olympiacos and satisfaction that I go out on the floor to play for them," the American guard finished his thoughts.

The first semifinal of the Final Four between Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul is scheduled to take place on May 19th at 18:00 CET in Belgrade's Stark Arena.

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