Donatas Motiejunas remains at Monaco for the next two seasons. It was announced by the Monaco club. The centre had been close to Olimpia Milano in recent days.
The words of Donatas Motiejunas
On his extension: ‘First of all, my adventure with Monaco began three years ago, when the team joined the EuroLeague. It was a risky decision for both sides. The team that had never played in the EuroLeague took me even though I had not played in the EuroLeague for 10 years. It was a risky decision on their part. Even for me, going to a brand new team was risky. Obviously the first year paid off. We play incredible basketball. We have always been one of the best teams in Europe. As I said, for the last three years our goal has been to win the EuroLeague. I am extremely happy to stay in Munich to try to achieve this goal, to try to realise this dream. You know how hard I worked on the pitch last year, how I live every day, I love our fans. I love Monaco. I am very happy here. For me, Monaco is my second home. I would even say it is already my home, because I spend most of my time there. Monaco is my real home and I’m really happy that we managed to find a way to put this agreement into practice. I feel nothing but love. I would like to thank Oleksiy and our president for the trust they have shown in me, for seeing me as a future member of the team. They know me as a person and as a player. There is nothing more rewarding than getting another extension after three years. It means I am doing something good and I am really proud of that.
On the team that Monaco is building with the arrivals: “I think they are very good signings. From day one of the end of the season, the Monaco directors told me that they were trying to keep the main players, but also to improve the team. I think that is what they have done. The arrival of Calathes will be different because he is a real playmaker, whereas we didn’t have a player who took important minutes and played as a playmaker. I think it’s a huge improvement for our team, for our creativity, for our ball movement and for our basketball. I think we will become more versatile. Papagiannis is also a great guy, an extraordinary player, a very good shooter, he has long arms. I think he will be very useful for us, both defensively and offensively. Brown, another shooter. I think we had a couple of very good shooters that were talked about and that we were missing. I think it will be an interesting season.
On his important role on the court and in the locker room because of his experience: “It’s a very important element, having the right mentality, having the right veterans to guide the younger players. That’s the role I’ve played since I arrived. I’ve tried to help the guys. I’ve tried to push some of the guys if necessary. I am really proud of what we are doing. I think the team must be respected, the organisation must be respected. I think our team culture has to be excellent. If we want to achieve certain goals, we have to respect others and the organisation. For my part, this is certainly one of the things I will try to impose and continue to do: to help the players understand each other. Why we are at Monaco and what the management’s expectations are of the team and the players.
His expectations for staying at AS Monaco: “My objectives are always the same. From the start of pre-season, to win all the trophies and all the matches. Sometimes it can be impossible. Maybe it is not easy, maybe I am tired, maybe things like that. But my goal will never change. I will never look at it differently.
His determination to win everything here, having been the first player to believe in this project three years ago. I was the first to sign the contract with Monaco. I will be very honest with you: my objectives for the season are still the same: to win everything. This is the message I will convey to the players. In recent years we have lost trophies that we shouldn’t have lost. I was not happy about that at all. I was very angry. For next year, with all the guys coming in, this will be the message to accept: we are here for one reason and one reason only, to win everything.
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