Ioannis Kastritis warned his OJM squad that mental approach and sustained hunger will dictate their season ahead of Saturday’s road trip to Reggio Emilia.
The stark warning arrived as OJM prepared for an intense turnaround following a Wednesday fixture in Athens, Prealpina reported. The team landed back from Greece late Thursday before departing for Emilia-Romagna on Friday afternoon ahead of the eighth-round tip-off.
OJM will face Reggio Emilia without Amedeo Della Valle. Nate Renfro also misses the contest after sustaining a severe blow to the head during OJM’s recent Basketball Champions League fixture.
The American center must observe a mandatory seven-day rest period governed by a protocol mirroring the NFL’s concussion management guidelines. That absence robs Kastritis of a vital interior presence.
“We must learn the lesson from Wednesday in Athens: we must always be hungry in every game, but also in every minute within the game,” Kastritis told Prealpina. “The reaction when our backs were to the wall was appreciable, but it is not what I want: the approach and hunger must be there from the tip-off, otherwise it becomes difficult.”
| Player | Status | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Amedeo Della Valle | Out | Squad omission / Injury |
| Nate Renfro | Out | Head trauma / Concussion protocol |
The Greek coach emphasized that tactical issues, such as defensive breakdowns and alternating zones, stem directly from psychological lapses rather than physical fatigue. He argued that the team must sever the tie between emotional stability and immediate match outcomes.
“Mentality and approach are the key determinants for our season,” Kastritis told Prealpina. “If we are always hungry, we will go far; otherwise we will struggle. Potential is produced by the head; even in Greece the alternating defense, with positive moments and flashes of great inconsistency, is a detail analyzed which depends however mainly on the mental data.”
“The factor is not physical but mental, clearly conditioned by the results,” Kastritis told Prealpina.
“But the priority would be to stop tying our psychological state to the results: after the defeat with Trento we felt like a bad team with a bad coach. Then three wins in a row arrived, and now two defeats. But we are always the same, working in the same way. It changes how we face matches and every single possession: we must control ourselves to find a balance regardless of the results.”
The team travels to Reggio Emilia for the opening match of the eighth round.
Disclaimer: The fantasy and market insights provided are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute financial or betting advice.
