Fenerbahce head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius pointed to defense as the foundation of his team’s EuroLeague Final Four run during Thursday’s opening press conference in Athens.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s semifinal matchup against Olympiacos, Jasikevicius explained how Fenerbahce adapted through roster changes and offensive inconsistency to secure another Final Four appearance.
“At the beginning of the season especially, I think we had to rely on defense a lot,” Jasikevicius said. “Especially when you cannot put the ball in the basket. Pretty much the only thing that is left is to defend.”
The comments reflected the identity Fenerbahce built throughout the 2025-26 EuroLeague season. The Turkish club finished fourth in the regular-season standings with a 24-14 record and advanced to Athens after defeating Zalgiris 3-1 in the playoffs.
Jasikevicius credited defensive discipline as the base of the program while also acknowledging the team’s offensive growth later in the season.
“I thought always it should be probably the base of a lot of things that you’re trying to build in your program,” Jasikevicius said. “At the same time, I thought that we improved offensively as the year went on signing some important people.”
Fenerbahce entered the Final Four with the league’s best defensive rating, a major reason the club remained competitive despite several roster adjustments during the year. The team also improved offensively late in the season, particularly in half-court execution and spacing around veteran guard Nando De Colo.
Jasikevicius kept the focus on execution rather than atmosphere when asked about returning to OAKA (currently Telekom Center), where he previously enjoyed success as both a player and coach.
“Sidelines are pretty much the same everywhere,” Jasikevicius said. “Like always, it’s a big pleasure to come to OAKA. It will feel a lot different from what I understand. But we’re here to focus on one game and to do the job and hopefully to have good 40 minutes.”
Fenerbahce now faces an Olympiacos team that finished first in the EuroLeague regular season at 26-12 and swept Monaco in the playoffs. The semifinal will take place in Athens, where Olympiacos is expected to have heavy crowd support.
