I have to say that so far this has been a very enjoyable Euroleague experience. For many of my teammates and the club, it is the first time they compete in the Euroleague, and for me as well, this is my first Top 16. Last season, when I was in Siena, we lost on a devastating buzzer-beater against Unicaja, and I figured out real fast how a season and a feeling can change. I feel it's always important in basketball, and in life, to never take anything for granted and to always take advantage of the time that you have.
These first four games in the Top 16 have been a roller coaster for us. We had a big win on the road against a great Milan team, followed by a huge loss at home to Fenerbahce. After that we had a great game in Vitoria, only to get outplayed in the last 3 minutes, giving away a game that we felt was ours. Finally, we came home and broke probably every record we could for our team against a very talented and strong club in Efes. At least for our fans, they are getting their money's worth!
Some might think that all of the ups and downs are due to our lack of experience, but at this level, all 16 teams have the capability to beat each other and have a great night. This is what makes the league so exciting to watch. Against Efes, we had a great game plan, and our coaching staff did a great job preparing us for this game. But it was also just one of those nights where a team got hot early, and we felt that we couldn't miss many shots. Earlier in the season we were on the receiving end of one of these games, as Zalgiris beat us easily in Lithuania, almost scoring 100 points.
In this competition, I feel that there is no easy night, and no teams that can be taken for granted. Most probably began this competition thinking that Nizhny might be one of those teams that would be easy to beat. It has been a lot of fun to prove to the people outside of this locker room what we have believed all year, which is that we can compete at a very high level.
We are about to take off on a two-week road trip including two games each in the Euroleague and the VTB, and then we have a very tough February schedule in both leagues as well. It is time for us to continue to learn from the past, and become a solid basketball team in those very important games coming up, the next one being against CSKA on Thursday. I wouldn't consider it a rivalry, since CSKA has won every meeting between us since I have been here, but it always adds a little extra motivation to compete in European competition against one of your domestic teams. I can't imagine how it must feel for Barcelona and Madrid to play each other with such a big history between their clubs. It doesn't help us that CSKA is such a great team, and in my opinion is playing the best basketball in Europe. But this is why you want to play in leagues like Euroleague and the VTB, to compete against the best.
I have been asked to talk about my personal success this year in a lot of interviews, and even in this blog. My answer is the same. Our big man Art Parakhouski just got player of the week and leads the league in blocked shots; Tarence Kinsey is a tough player who brings problems offensively and especially defensively to other teams; and I could go on and on about the rest of our players on this Nizhny team. On top of that, this coaching staff has done an amazing job, leading a club and a team with little experience in the Euroleague to a couple of Top 16 wins already. So my personal success comes from them, and the collective effort of this team, which has been maybe the most fun part about the whole process. So thank you to them. We still have a long way to go, but one thing I know is that this team from Nizhny will keep fighting, and pushing to make history for this club, competing against the top clubs in Europe.
Nizhny Novgorod landed Sean Denison
BC Nizhny Novgorod signed a one-year deal with Canadian bigman Sean Denison (211 cm, 111 kg, 32 y.o.). Last season he spent in Romanian CSM Oradea, participating in the national championship and Basketball Champions League. From 2011 till 2013 he played in Russian clubs Spartak-Primorye and Ataman.
Nizhny Novgorod terminated the contract with American forward Erik McCree who’d joined the team this august. The decision was made by mutual agreement. At the moment Nizhny is in search of a new player for the vacant place.
BC Nizhny Novgorod signed Erik McCree
BC NN signed a two-year contract with American forward Erik McCree (23 y.o., 203 cm, 102 kg). From 2013 to 2017 he was playing for Louisiana Tech in NCAA. Last season he showed his best statistics averaging 17,7 points, 8,9 rebounds, 1,3 assists in 33 games.
Sterling Gibbs joins BC Nizhny Novgorod
BC NN signed a two-year deal with American point guard Sterling Gibbs (188cm, 84kg, 24 y.o). In his college years he played for Seton Hall Pirates and Connecticut Huskies in NCAA. In 2016-2017 spent his first season overseas as he joined Hungarian team Kormend. He helped the team to semifinals in Hungarian Cup and Hungarian League averaging 14,4 points, 2,1 rebounds, 3,3 assists in 27 games.
