By M. Gioulenoglou, K. Paraskevopoulos/ info@eurohoops.net
Getting ready to compete in the Basketball Champions League Final Four powered by Sunel with AEK Betsson, RaiQuan Gray paused to talk with Eurohoops about the path to the championship-crowning tournament and stressed the goal to top the remaining contenders.
“Our coach kept us pretty level-headed all year, not thinking too far ahead, down the road. I figured, once I first arrived on the team, that we had a chance to make it this far, we just had to put the pieces together. We were playing well lately. We have been playing well all season. I think now is the time to play our best basketball,” mentioned the former Florida State standout.
“Our goal is to always win, whether that’s the GBL, the BCL, it doesn’t matter. I think our goal every time we are on the court is to win games. That’s our approach,” he added, “We want to get it done in front of our home fans. To win the BCL, that would be huge, in this arena, to make some history, hang some banners, also. I am looking forward to it, but I can’t guarantee for us to win a championship. I think, for us, we just take it game by game and round by round. It got us this far, so we are going to keep doing that.”
To reach the Final Four and eventually secure homecourt advantage in Sunel Arena, AEK went 4-2 in Group E of the Regular Season and 5-1 in Group I of the Round of 16, before knocking out Nanterre 92 in a best-of-three Quarterfinals series.
“It’s really realistic,” Gray said about the next possible step in becoming a BCL champion, “I think we have a great chance. We have a huge advantage, obviously, playing at home in Athens, in our home arena, in front of our fans. It’s going to be a good game, a fun game. It’s a very good chance that we can win it. Hopefully, we can go out and execute it, play hard, and get it done. But we have a good chance. I believe is us, for sure. I like our chances.”
On Friday, the opponent in the Semifinals is defending champion Unicaja. On the opposite side of the bracket, undefeated La Laguna Tenerife faces Galatasaray.
“We can play with anybody. I’m confident in my team, my guys. I’m confident in my game, also. We can win games, whether that is against an undefeated team or the worst team. I think our approach is to go out and win, whoever that is,” Gray told Eurohoops, “Playing here, it’s different. Coming into Greece, fans are crazy, they show a lot of love, and we will have an advantage with that.”
“You’ve got to imagine that moment. If you don’t, I think you’re not in the right mindset. My mindset is to hold the trophy up, in front of our fans,” he continued, setting his sights on a title with AEK, “This is my first year in Europe and I want to be a part of history, leave my mark. It would be great to put a banner up there and kind of show our work we have been putting in all year, also the great coaching staff that we have too.”
Following up, the 25-year-old forward center reflected on working with Gregg Popovich at the San Antonio Spurs during the 2023-24 journey and his similarities with the head coach of AEK, Dragan Sakota.
“They are both like chill guys, calm guys. Obviously, great basketball minds and really smart coaches,” he said, “They give players room to grow. Obviously, I came here at the beginning of the year, and Coach was really open with me and said it would be an adjustment curve for me and a process. He was always straightforward. I think Coach Popovich is the same way. He is the players’ coach. They give you that direct dialogue, kind of talk to you directly, not leaving you to wonder about things. And I appreciate that.”
Beyond the immediate challenge with the Queen, the interview stretched from becoming attached to basketball as a kid to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, the NBA and European expansion plans, and more.