By Bilal Baran Yardımcı/ info@eurohoops.net
Nigel Hayes-Davis talked to Eurohoops after producing 24 points and helping Fenerbahce Beko take down Anadolu Efes in Round 17 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season on Thursday.
The interview stretched to the ‘Bald GOAT’ Nick Calathes and the reunion with Lithuanian tactician Sarunas Jasikevicius.
Hayes-Davis, 29, chipped in 24 points behind 9/13 field goals built on a team-high performance index rating of 27 versus the Istanbul rival.
“The coach mentioned in practice on Wednesday that it was a good opportunity to pull ahead from the teams that are behind us. You want to create separation in the EuroLeague because of how close it is. One game can put you in 14th place and one game can put you in fifth place. Every win is important. It is the same thing every year,” he told Eurohoops, “Everyone knows how important it is to win. We just wanted to make sure we can win this one.”
The Bald GOAT
Clutch shots by Calathes boosted Fener down the stretch of the Istanbul derby. The 34-year-old guard ended up with 17 points and eight assists.
“The best point guard in the history of European basketball. How many assists does he have?,” he mentioned wondering if his teammate reached the milestone of 2,000 assists in Europe’s premier club continental competition and continued, “Come on, he is the GOAT! We call him the ‘Bald Eagle’ but it should be the ‘Bald GOAT’. He did a fantastic job, hit big-time shots when we needed them,”
“People say, ‘Nick is not a shooter’, but when it is time to make shots, Nick makes shots,” Hayes-Davis rejected outside projections about Calathes, “I am grateful he is on our team. Great to have him here. I love Nick. Nick is responsible for 50% of my points. Of course, I love Nick.”
From Itoudis to Jasikevicius
The former Wisconsin product played under Jasikevicius at Zalgiris and FC Barcelona, before the recent reunion at Fenerbahce.
“I have taken it upon myself to be in control of my life. Let things in the past be in the past and do my best to create the future,” he explained to Eurohoops, “With him here, trying to form and salvage a relationship, taking it to a new direction. I am older. He is older. We have changed. We are trying to take it in a new direction. I have complimented him numerous times, even when I was not playing for him, about his basketball acumen, just the way he is and the focus he has.”
“It is good we can win games and turn things around. Still, it is unfortunate what happened to Itoudis. Everyone knows he is my guy. He knows I love him,” Hayes-Davis referred to the previous head coach Dimitris Itoudis, “It is a business. I have no idea what is going to happen. Of course, I had no control over it. They did not ask me when they hired Itoudis and they are not going to ask me when they fired him. I am just a player, trying to do my job. I will do the best that I can and hopefully, I can use that and do the best for the team and we can win as much as we can.”
“Those are the Turkish fans I love”
The native of Ohio also talked about the supporters of Fenerbahce.
“I always say, I play for myself and my family. On the team I play for, I simply ask the fans when we play well to cheer for us and know that we are trying our best. I guess it is easy to cheer for a team that wins. Can not blame them. I appreciate the support of the fans that are there when we play a low-level game in the Turkish League game and there are 500 people there. Those are the Turkish fans I love, the die-hard ones. It is appreciated to have support and cheers, and hopefully we can keep winning so people can stay,” he said.