By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce Istanbul has been rock-solid all season, finishing first in both its regular season and Top 16 groups before sweeping last year’s Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion Real Madrid in the playoffs. Despite losing star big man Jan Vesely late in the Top 16, Fenerbahce kept rolling behind an outstanding performance by big man Ekpe Udoh, who was chosen as the Euroleague MVP for April.
His average performance index rating of 23.7 was not only the highest in the playoffs this season, but the highest average playoff index over the last four years. Udoh posted 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds – of which 2.7 came on the offensive glass, 2 blocks, 1.3 assists and 1 steal per night in playoffs action, allowing Fenerbahce to return to the Final Four and get another shot at becoming the first-ever Turkish team to win the Euroleague title. Udoh has also broken the single-season Euroleague record for blocks with 53… and counting. Udoh now hopes to get two more wins in this Euroleague season, starting with the semifinals showdown against Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz. “We started out slow, but found our identity midway, coming into the Top 16. It has been a special experience for me individually,” Udoh told Javier Gancedo of Euroleague.net. “To come here and be on a great team with a great coach and be able to enjoy the success we are having is amazing.”
Ekpe, congratulations on a great season. How much fun are you having and how do you like playing in the Euroleague?
“Well, thank you. It’s been a great season thus far. We started out slow, but found our identity midway, coming into the Top 16. It’s been a special experience for me individually. Coming in, the last few years I’ve had injuries or not getting to play. To come here and be on a great team with a great coach and be able to enjoy the success we’re having is amazing.”
You and your team have enjoyed a lot of success so far. How has the experience been for you of joining a new group of people on the other side of the world and doing so well together?
“It’s been interesting. Kudos to [general manager] Maurizio [Gherardini] and Coach O [Obradovic] for putting this group of guys together. At the end of the day we’re all here for basketball, so we all need to connect for that love that we have and we’ve done a really good job of it this year.”
Can you understand by playing for him why Zeljko Obradovic is the most successful coach in Europe ever? How has helped you become a better player?
“You know, he’s crazy like they say. But it’s a love-and-hate relationship with Coach O. We hate all the work we put in, how hard it is, but you love the success, you love the freedom that he gives you. He just wants me to be aggressive, to play the game, follow the game plan. We’re having success. I’ve learned that he’s had years like this prior. That’s why he’s one of the greatest coaches to ever coach the game of basketball.”
Your numbers improved from the regular season to the Top 16 to the playoffs. What explains your improvement as the season progressed?
“Just moving forward, man. More focus. Starting to get comfortable. I’m still not comfortable with the travel calls yet, but I think just getting comfortable with the whole process and accepting and appreciating that I’m here in Europe and not looking to the past or to the future.”
You broke the single-season Euroleague record for blocks. How does it feel to have accomplished that in your first season here?
“I had no clue about the blocks or the stats. It feels great cementing what I do as a player on the defensive end. It’s been great. I know a lot of people will be coming for it next year, so we’ll how long it stands.”
Fenerbahce hasn’t played Laboral Kutxa yet this season. What do you want to know about an opponent before playing a do-or-die game like the semifinal against them?
“Everybody here at the Final four deserves to be here. Everybody is going to play hard. Of course we’re going to go through scouting and go through the game pan, but this time of year you just gotta be comfortable in what we do. Focus on what we do and how to get better, new plays, new adjustments and go from there. We’ve had this whole season to get to this point; it hasn’t been focusing only on the opponents. It’s about focusing on ourselves as well and becoming better every day we have a chance to… We know they are tough. We are going to watch our film. We are going to go through their plays. Off the top of my head I know Darius Adams and he’s been really good for them this year. I know they have a big man, [Bourousis] and a shooter. So it’s a scrappy team. I don’t think anybody had them picked to be here at the beginning of the year. So we have our hands full and we’ll be ready to compete.”
How much have you seen, or talked to teammates about, Ioannis Bourousis, who you’ll have to face in Berlin – just as he’ll have to face you?
“I’ve watched a couple of games. He’s talented on the low blocks and he’s hit a few threes this year; he’s actually shooting 48% or something like that. So he’s doing real well. At the end of the day I am going to come out and compete and we’ll see what happens.”
What are your teammates – a few of whom have won it – telling you about their Final Four experiences?
“Just to appreciate it. It’s gonna be an amazing environment being in Berlin with our fans there. So just appreciate the moment and give it all you’ve got.”
How much do your book club members follow you over hear and have you made Euroleague fans out of them?
“I have definitely made fans out of them with all the updates I put on Twitter or Facebook. But I wasn’t able to bring it with me because of the time change. And you know with the Fenerbahce fans, they’re always on Twitter, so it would have been hard to have that discussion at 1 or 2 a.m. They want you to get your sleep and be resting. It’s something I look forward to starting when I get back to the states in June sometime. I am looking forward to that… I think I am going to do either a blog or a vlog. Take my thoughts and write it down somewhere and post it. Because this has been a whirlwind of an experience. I’ve been blessed.”
The Euroleague title wasn’t something you grew up dreaming about, like some of your teammates, but now that you know what it’s about, how much would winning it mean to you?
“It would mean a lot. It’s the second-best trophy outside the NBA. Not only that, it would be the first trophy here at Fenerbahce and the first for Turkey, I believe. So Turkey is on our back. It’s bigger than us at this moment. With everything that’s gone on in Turkey, this would be a really good chance to put smiles on faces and just show them that there is hope and that if we work together we can achieve any goal out there.”