Unlikely MVP story: how Sasha Vezenkov almost left Olympiacos before his rise / News - Basketnews.com
A Basketball Champions League team actively pursued Sasha Vezenkov to leave Olympiacos during a challenging moment of his tenure in Piraeus.
Credit: IMAGO/ANE Edition - Scanpix Credit IMAGO/ANE Edition - ScanpixNot too long ago, he mostly watched the best basketball players from the sidelines in the biggest EuroLeague arenas, trying to solve the puzzle of his career. But after three years, he is greeted by a Euroleague legend, the league's top players, and all the spotlight is on him.
Aleksandr Vezenkov
MIN:28.71PTS:17.24 (60.29%)REB:6.79As:1.79ST:0.97BL:0.21TO:1.08GM:38ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023Sasha Vezenkov never played to be the center of attention. On the contrary, his playing style facilitated the game for his teammates, putting them in the best situation to blossom.
But the moment came when his tremendous work paid off, and all of Europe recognized his unique set of skills.
BasketNews tells the unlikely MVP story of Sasha Vezenkov.
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Few remember that Sasha Vezenkov endured one of the most challenging periods in his career three years ago.
This Olympiacos roster now sounds impressive. Kevin Punter, Wade Baldwin, and Vassilis Spanoulis in the backcourt. Nikola Milutinov, Georgios Printezis, Augustine Rubit, and Sasha Vezenkov in the frontcourt.
But in 2019, most were introducing themselves to the biggest Euroleague stage.
But it wasn't just that. They clashed with each other so fiercely that teammates frequently got into heated arguments and even fights during practices.
In the first 15 EuroLeague regular season games, Olympiacos struggled with six wins and nine losses. The club management in Piraeus was already preparing to hire their third head coach in five months.
The current EuroLeague MVP, on the verge of joining the Sacramento Kings, only had an average playing time of 9 minutes and scored 3.7 points per game.
It was the first season when Olympiacos withdrew from the top Greek league, so players only played one game per week in the EuroLeague.
Such a pace was a real torture for bench players. Players like Sasha.
"It was tough, to be honest," Sasha Vezenkov admitted to BasketNews. "It was a tough moment for the team. For two-three years, we weren't in the Top 8. My last six months weren't good as well. I tried to find a team where I could play and show what I could. But the first year and a half weren't successful either, so I was trying to explore what I would do. Whether to stay in the team or to leave to go to a lower level to play."
3-pointers this season
37%9,7Points made:9,7Accuracy:37,1%Place in standings:5Record max:19Record min:3Most made 3FGs:Aleksandr VezenkovTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule"In the end, I needed minutes and confidence. I wasn't positive, to be honest with you. I wasn't positive about myself," he revealed.
Credit EuroLeague Basketball via GettyImagesThe problem was not just Sasha himself.
The starting lineup had a power forward position occupied by the highly productive Georgios Printezis. In the 2018-19 season, his backup was the energetic Zach LeDay, and a year later, Augustine Rubit took on the role.
"Sasha had started getting mentally tired because he was working hard non-stop and was past 24," his agent Tim Lotsos recalled to BasketNews. "Even though great things had happened earlier in his career, like being the youngest Greek league MVP or being drafted, there wasn't much progress in the following two and a half years."
When Georgios Bartzokas returned to Piraeus in January 2020 and became the third head coach of Olympiacos that year, following David Blatt and Kestutis Kemzura, he knew that Vezenkov might depart from the team.
"He was ready to move on to another team just to find playing time to express his potential. He was considering it," Bartzokas confirmed to BasketNews. "Even some members of our club were also thinking that maybe for Sasha, it was better to go somewhere to play."
There was one team that was very eager to bring Vezenkov on board.
It was a borderline Spanish league playoff team and the vice-champion of the Basketball Champions League.
Tenerife.
"Tenerife's GM, Aniano Cabrera, was calling Nick [founder of Lotsos agency] and pressuring a lot," Tim Lotsos revealed to Basketnews. "For a moment, Sasha acted like he was ready to go."
Those were intense days in Vezenkov's life.
His agent, Tim Lotsos, a co-founder of Lotsos agency, sought advice from his father, Nick, on what he should advise Sasha to do.
"You know what? I read somewhere a few days ago that 'The darkest time of the night is just before dawn.' I think he should be a little more patient and stay!" Nick Lotsos, the founder and CEO of Lotsos, told his son.
"I really liked what Nick said, and I told him he should say this to Sasha," Tim Lotsos recalled.
But Nick had a different response.
"No, I would rather give him some room. Sasha is very mature and has a big personality despite being young. I believe he will make the right decision. If I see that he will not, then I will talk to him," Nick Lotsos responded.
"There was no need for that because Sasha, as always, made his own correct decision to stay. And as you can imagine, he doesn't regret it," Tim Lotsos concluded.
The first change came with Bartzokas' arrival.
"The biggest thing was coaching," former Olympiacos center Augustine Rubit told BasketNews.
"From the first day the coach arrived at Olympiacos, his main focus was ball movement. Quick passes and closeouts. Shot fake and closeout. That alone fits Sasha's game so well. It took away all the hero ball and made it more about the team," Rubit shared about Bartzokas' philosophy.
"Sasha fits a lot into my basketball philosophy,"Olympiacos coach Bartzokas affirmed to BasketNews. "He doesn't overdribble on creating his shot. He can play together. He excels in a team that passes the ball, where everyone is moving. I think this philosophy perfectly suits his game. It helped him find confidence."
"I've actually enjoyed playing with Sasha," Rubit continued. "The way he moves off the ball and makes it easier for you. He will make those extra passes. Seeing what he was doing out there, I definitely didn't know he would be MVP or play as well as he did last year. But I definitely saw that he had something in his game. The way Bartzokas coaches and practices brings out the best in him."
"My best games were the ones when Bartzokas took over. I would have loved to be back there to have the opportunity. Because I know he puts you in great situations," Rubit praised Bartzokas.
"On paper, we could have been amazing. But coaching and putting the pieces together mattered the most. You can see it now with Sasha, as he's very unstoppable. He may seem easy to guard, but he's not. It's well deserved from his end," Rubit praised his former teammate.
Credit Anatolij Medved/BSR Agency/Getty ImagesBut the change was also inspired by Sasha himself.
"The only thing I could do was never give up but try to work it out," Vezenkov recalled his darkest moment.
During that time, he worked individually on a daily basis with Olympiacos coach Michalis Kalavros.
"But I will never forget it. We won the game in Valencia, and the next day coach Bartzokas came in. And I said, 'Okay, maybe that's the opportunity I was trying to find.'"
Vezenkov continued to work hard in the gym, and Bartzokas started granting him more minutes.
Scoring 14 points against FC Barcelona, 19 against Valencia, and 20 against Bayern, including five 3-pointers, pushed Vezenkov into the starting lineup.
In the last 13 games of the season, before COVID interrupted it, Vezenkov's playing time increased to 18 minutes, his efficiency rose to 10.4 points (64.4% 2FG, 41.7% 3FG), and 2.8 rebounds per game.
"I think the changing point was the confidence Bartzokas gave me and the work I put in during the summer because, for two summers, we worked a lot. That's how the results came on," Vezenkov explained.
When the whole world came to a halt due to COVID-19, Vezenkov closed himself for four months in a small basketball gym in a town in Bulgaria.
He remains grateful to the mayor of that town for granting him the privilege to work indoors. Local coaches and his father, former basketball player Sasho Vezenkov, assisted him there.
Vezenkov dedicated himself to improving his weaknesses and sharpening his strengths from May to August.
Grueling track and field workouts complemented basketball training.
"It was a period of self-improvement for four months where I worked really hard on myself. Without all those pieces, everything could have turned out differently," reflects Vezenkov.
"Credits to Sasha and his unbelievable work on and off the court preparing his body, diet, resting, everything. He did everything he had to do to become a EuroLeague MVP," Bartzokas was proud of his player on the eve of the EuroLeague Final Four. "But he still has potential. His basketball IQ is his best quality."
"When we signed Sasha, we were certain he would only go one way. And that way was to become one of the top players in the EuroLeague," the Olympiacos GM Nikos Lepeniotis said to BasketNews.
He had just witnessed his player receiving the MVP award. Vezenkov became only the third player in Olympiacos' history to win the EuroLeague MVP, following in the footsteps of Vassilis Spanoulis and Milos Teodosic.
"We didn't anticipate him being the MVP this year," Lepeniotis remembered the beginning of Vezenkov's journey in Olympiacos in 2018. "But he was one of the first to arrive at practices and one of the last to leave. He would come to practice even when the team wasn't practicing. His mentality, focus, and game..."
"He comes from a basketball family, so he has been engaged in this atmosphere since a young age. We were certain that he would become one of the top players in the EuroLeague," Lepeniotis shared.
"Right now, Sasha has a lot more to offer. He is still young. He is very grounded, focused, and he loves his team. We love him. I believe he has more to give. But we are extremely proud of him," the GM concluded.
Credit EuroLeague Basketball via GettyImagesPerhaps Vezenkov doesn't appear as the most flashy EuroLeague MVP.
His one-on-one game doesn't compare to the brightest ISO basketball stars like Mike James or Kevin Punter.
He doesn't soar above the rim like gravity-defying forces Donta Hall or Josh Nebo.
He doesn't make headlines with his statements.
However, his game has become an excellent ambassador for hard work, making the right decisions, executing the right plays, and dedicating himself to a team's well-being.
It was also rewarded with a new long-term contract with Olympiacos and the attention of the Sacramento Kings, which will most likely turn into an NBA deal.
Olympiacos didn't become one of the biggest forces in the EuroLeague by chance. It wasn't millions in the club's budget that made it happen, but rather the right choices and the right people.
Olympiacos wouldn't be the same without Sasha. Sasha wouldn't be the same without Olympiacos. And they are the MVPs of this season.
Interview with Sasha Vezenkov:
Final Four vlog:
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