Armani Olimpia Milano Loses to PAOK: Coach Poeta Knows What’s Still Not Working

In the preseason game against PAOK, a team built to win the EuroCup, Armani Olimpia Milano was defeated 89-77. There are still many issues to iron out. The offense didn’t run as smoothly as it could have (only three three-pointers made), and on defense, something was always missing.

Coach Poeta experimented with the lineup during the game. With Devon Hall resting (and Ousmane Diop also sitting out to recover from a minor injury), he started Marko Guduric in the starting five, then brought in Darius Thompson instead of RJ Cole at point guard.

“Objectively speaking, we didn’t play a good game. We have reasons for not being at our best, because we’ve only practiced together a couple of times: we had players out and others away for EuroLeague commitments, so yesterday we pushed hard out of necessity, and today many players had playing-time restrictions. But that’s not the problem: we need to have a greater sense of urgency in getting on the same page,” said Coach Poeta.

“Rather than talking about problems on defense or offense, that’s what we need to do: get on the same page. PAOK is way ahead of us, and they proved it. We now have a week of preparation ahead of us to be better prepared for the Super Cup,” he added. In short, we need to turn the page and immediately focus on the Italian Super Cup, scheduled for Tortona on the weekend of September 19–20.