FCBARCELONA.CAT

11.09.2008 14:00

Barrett: “We can become a really good team”

Carles Cascante

André Barrett is another of the newcomers to Barça 2008/09. Unknown by many, his notable university period and his performances in the NBDL have opened the doors to Europe for him. André thinks that Pascual’s men “could become a really good team”.

Every day his teammates get to know him better, they begin to understand how he moves on the parquet and know what decision he will end up making. Adapting to a new team is one of the key factors for a team to function well, and even more so if you are one of the playmakers. Barrett, despite the language barrier, is growing step by step in the “good group which is forming”, as he assures.

How are your first few days with your new team going?

“The truth is I’m having a great time. I’m only just getting to know people and using the opportunity to learn the Spanish language. It’s good fun. I know some words in Spanish, but I will keep learning more as I get to know my team-mates better and get used to it”.

Who is helping you most to integrate?

“To tell the truth everyone has helped me to fit in and adjust more easily, I wouldn’t say just one player. Everyone is really nice to me. They are all good team-mates”.

What do you think of the new players’ level?

“They are all good players; they will do well for our team. Obviously they signed for one reason, to take this team where it belongs, at the very top. I think they have all given depth to the team”.

What about the friendlies you’ve played so far?

“We played well in the friendlies, but we could have played better. We are a new team and are still getting to know each other, but having the opportunity to play these games together for the first time I think we’re doing well. Juan Carlos and David Andersen arrived in time to play the last friendly-iurbentia Bilbao- and the truth is that we played quite well against them. No one was selfish in attack and we played well in defence. But this team has to grow, we can always improve. I think the team could turn out very good”.

What should the team’s objectives be?

“We have to try for everything. To win the ACB means a lot and to win a Euroleague is very important, but we have to do so step by step and always study every game. If we do this we can become a really good team”.