By Semih Tuna/ info@eurohoops.net
Reuniting with Galatasaray MCT Technic at 37, a decade after leading the Lions to a 7DAYS EuroCup championship as the Most Valuable Player of the 2015-16 season, Errick McCollum wants to add a Basketball Champions League title to a long list of achievements.
The experienced point guard, the captain of Galata, talked to Eurohoops about his goals for the next season.
“It speaks volumes of the coaching staff believing in me, in my leadership, but also in my teammates,” he went into the captaincy role, “Being a captain or a leader is important to know how to follow as well as lead. To be humble, mature, and to set a good example. So, I aim to do that and help the team any way I can.”
In the first spell with the storied club based in Istanbul, current head coach Yakup Sekizkok was an assistant under Ergin Ataman.
“Our style of play, up tempo, getting after it,” McCollum found more similarities, “Being aggressive, being an attacker, I think that’s something very similar, that type of mindset. Obviously, the expectation of winning, doing well, and that’s something that carries you with you throughout Galatasaray. No matter if it’s now or ten years ago, the fans, the organization, they expect winning, that’s something that I expect as well.”
“Obviously, my role,” he added, visiting differences, “I’m older, so I have to be more mature, focused on the team, making sure that everybody is doing what the coach needs, following the plan, and making sure I’m doing it as well. When you’re younger, you’re trying to find your fit, your field. You’re more focused on yourself as you get older. You already know what you can do, you already know how you fit in. So now your focus shifts to the team.”
“Whatever the team needs”
After leaving Karsiyaka and joining Fenerbahce Beko last January, he was among the key players in winning all available titles, including the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague in Abu Dhabi.
“Whatever the team needs,” McCollum previewed his contributions to Galatasaray in the BCL and domestic Turkish competitions, “Everywhere I go, you always see scoring, you always see that ability to score the basketball, creation, and you always see someone who’s gonna be consistent, who’s gonna be out there. I’m a guy who doesn’t really miss games. I’m a guy who comes out there, puts forth the best effort, and I’m a guy who you have to send two people. You don’t have to double, but you’ll have to bring help. One man cannot guard me even at 37.”
“That was evident last year,” he continued, “I’m in the Euroleague, I was the second-leading scorer on the championship team, and I think that’s something that you’ll continue to see here. Obviously, whether your minutes are high or low, you just do what the team needs and you’ll find me being efficient, shooting the percentages, and doing what the team needs in those moments.”
“Good fit for my family”
The native of Canton, Ohio, was offered a spot in the 2025-26 edition of EuroLeague, but accepted an offer from Galata.
“Yeah, I had some interested teams. They wanted me. But for me, I also wanted to stay in Turkiye. I knew it was a good fit for my family,” he told Eurohoops.
His family is now comfortable in the country, learning the language and even surpassing him as Turkish speakers.
“For sure,” he confirmed Turkiye as his second home, referring to his relatives as well, including NBA star CJ McCollum, “It’s a place that I’m comfortable with, My family loves to visit too, not just my wife and kids, but also like our parents, or my brother, my cousins, like everybody who’s come here, they really enjoyed Turkiye,”
Back in the Champions League, he meets 42-year-old Marcelinho Huertas on the board with La Laguna Tenerife.
“My wife would probably be mad if I played to 42,” he jokingly said about being likely to retire at a younger age.
“Success and legacy”
Coming out of Goshen, in NCAA DII, the initial projections were far from becoming a household name and among the best players to ever display their talents in Europe.
“I’ve always worked, I’ve always put the time in, and once you develop that mindset, it just becomes who you are. So it’s no longer doing extra work or doing extra shooting, it’s just part of your DNA, part of your character,” he described individual efforts over the last 15 years.
“I always like to have success on the court. I like to win and I like to play well, and I understand that the only way you can do that is if you put in extra time. So, winning motivates me and drives me to be a good player, helping the team win that motivates me,” he added on looking for a quick turnaround from a EuroLeague title to the BCL.
“It shifts, as when you’re younger, maybe you’re chasing money, maybe you’re chasing to get to the highest level. When you’ve done those things, the only thing that you’re chasing now is just success and legacy,” he added.
McCollum also discussed talking with younger players, including Brandon Boston Jr. recently moved to Fener, about pursuing overseas options.
“They were so close”
Last season, the team coached by Sekizkok reached the championship game of the Final Four Powered by SUNEL in Athens but fell short to Unicaja.
“My motivation is always to win a championship at this stage. That’s why I picked this team as well,” McCollum told Eurohoops, “They were so close, they went to the finals in Champions League, and I felt like they were right there, and I’m hoping that maybe I can help maybe lift the trophy again.”
In Group E of the new BCL Regular Season, Galatasaray is up 1-0 after starting a six-game schedule with a win against Igokea m:tel in Turkcell Basketball Development Center on Tuesday.
“I leave history to decide”
A former EuroLeague and EuroCup champion, the Galata star joined a list of 24 players with such success, including European standouts Rudy Fernandez, Ricky Rubio, Nando de Colo, and Milos Teodosic.
“For me, I think it’s harder for Americans. Sometimes they get overlooked because they switch teams more, and they don’t have as much stability. Sometimes, switching countries, where more European players are usually on the team for longer, it’s easier to create a legacy there. And then when you don’t have a passport, those types of things, sometimes it’s harder to climb the ranks,” said McCollum.
“When I first started playing basketball, my goal was just to get a free education. That got me a scholarship. And then once I realized that maybe there was potential for more, I wanted to play professionally. And once I got there, I just wanted to be able to provide for my family,” he continued, “I never went into it wanting to make history. I just wanted to be the best player I could be, and I wanted my family to never need or want for anything, and I knew basketball could help me do that. And so when I achieved that, I never felt pressure. I never felt stressed because my family had what they needed, and so it was easy for me to play freely. And then as you continue to play, your goals shift, you start to want more and more and more, and then once I realized I could become a champion, I could do certain things, I just felt like I was running the race for myself. I never try to compare or compete with anyone else.”
“I think I’ve done more with basketball than I ever imagined I would do, and had more success than I ever dreamed of,” he shared with Eurohoops, “Happiness was in defying my odds. Happiness was in achieving my goals, my dreams. So, I leave history to decide where they put me and how they think of me. I think it’s is it’s nothing but a compliment. Maybe I’m somebody’s favorite player, maybe I’m not, this is life, but I think they will always respect my character, how I approach the game, my professionalism, and my ability to win.”