Intervista esclusiva di Backdoor Podcast a Derek Willis, ex alfiere di Brindisi, attualmente avversario di Trento nel girone A di Eurocup con la maglia della Joventut Badalona. I ricordi dell’esperienza italiana, i traguardi da raggiungere in maglia neroverde, gli anni agli ordini di coach Calipari coi Wildcats. Qui la versione originale in inglese e, nella pagina successiva, la traduzione italiana.
Summit meeting of Group A. Joventut Badalona – Partizan Belgrade, remembrance of great clashes of Nineties. Mathias Lessort’s 20+8 and 19 points of Kevin Punter are cancelled by a great performance of a 26-year-old man from Kentucky. 19 points, 7 boards and a dominant night all around the court. Pau Ribas? Ante Tomic? No: MVP of the night is Derek Willis. Here’s what he said us earlier!
Last year in Brindisi you played in Champions League. Arriving in Badalona, you return playing in Eurocup as you did in your Ulm year, your second one in Europe after performing in Gottinga. How big is the difference between these tournaments?
Eurocup is a little stronger European competition but I think, at the end of the day, you have to be prepared against teams from different countries. Certainly, expectations are different for the team, but the goals are the same: going to the finals and have the potential to lift Eurocup or BCL’s trophy!
When you were at Kentucky, what did you know about European basketball? Was that an opportunity for your future or were you looking only for an NBA career?
I had no clue of it! European competitions, different leagues: I would say my take-on of European basketball was totally not at the same level of what I knew about overseas basketball. You know: we played in America! I had huge respect for the Game and how it’s played here: it’s just really fun to play, you share the ball with your teammates a lot more. You really come together as a team to come out with a victory!
When you go into a college, the goal is to go in NBA and have the opportunity to do training camps. I did it with Detroit, I played there in G League: I really opened my eyes to all the world. The time I’ve spent playing in that league, coming in Europe and having that experience, helped me through adapting in living and playing in different countries and teams in Europe. Now my goal is go to Euroleague and continue to win with every team I’ll play for!
Harrison-Thompson-Bell-Willis-Perkins: that sounds as a nursery rhyme in Apulia… Do you think you could win something big with Happy Casa if only Covid hadn’t crushed all?
I think we accomplished a lot last season in Brindisi. We had a team I had realized the potential we had during training camp. “Ok, we can be really really good”! I think having the on-court mentality we shown during practices made the difference: we’re always competing, every day was a fight. But that paid off throughout all year, it helped us finish 2nd in LBA. COVID is difficult for every team: you can say “We could win two more games” but it’s all the same plane for everybody!
You and Darius Thompson will face each other at Eurocup level. Why can’t Italian basketball afford to maintain his main talents in Italy? Is it only an economic matter or is there some other reasons?
I’m curious how Darius would answer this question: he just had a great opportunity with Kuban and decided to take it. I don’t know it’s a salary matter or whatever. He also married an Italian woman: Italy will probably be my home in some future…
On top of the table of Eurocup Group A. 4th place in the ipercompetitive Liga Endesa. How high are ambitions and goals of Joventut Badalona? How important is the role of Ante Tomic and Pau Ribas to guide younger players as you to climb obstacles?
Right now, we’re just taking it game by game! I think we’re playing really well, we’re really happy. We just keep maintaining defensive energy and making these wins: we can go as far as we want. For me, coming in, the goal is to win Eurocup with the team and be a top-4 team in ACB. If we’ll finish at that high at the end of the year, I can define the season as a success.
They’ve been playing in Euroleague all careers, they’ve a lot of experience at the highest level in European basketball. We definitely look at those guys for what their ideas and thought are on and off the court. We talk about how we can improve in certain areas: having young players coming up from different teams and helping them walking through, competing every day erases team’s ambitions.
