By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
Celebrating a winning shot by shouting “checkmate” would be cold, but what if an actual chess player pulled that off? In this year’s BKT EuroCup, somebody could turn that hypothesis into reality and he was actually close to it in Round 1.
Debuting in international competition with a 32-point effort and shooting 11 for 11 from two-point range against the 2022-23 champion, Dolomiti Energia Trento guard Jordan Ford left quite an impression in Gran Canaria.
What’s even crazier is that the 26-year-old guard could have chosen a much different trajectory rather than spreading quickness and explosiveness on basketball courts. By second grade, he was already a two-time California State chess champion and ranked in the top 10 nationally for his age group.
“I played it so young, it taught me how to work hard at something, showed me what it took to take my skills seriously and try to be the best I could be. I tried to translate that to the basketball court,” Trento’s newest backcourt sensation opened to Eurohoops about his past with chess.
While also mentioning LeBron James and Steph Curry as potential “magnificent chess players”, he spoke of how chess mentally helped him transition to basketball.
“In chess, you have to try and see a few moves ahead, think of what your opponent is trying to do to counter your moves. So I do the same in basketball, trying to think the game as much as I can on the court,” Ford added.
Can Trento make the next step?
Chess isn’t a priority anymore for the 1998-born prodigy. But Trento is. In Round 1, the black-and-white Italian side did suffer a road loss, but showed it can turn a trend around.
Since 2015-16, Aquila Basket hasn’t been able to extend its run in the competition any longer than the Top 16, under the previous format. In Paolo Galbiati’s second consecutive season with the club, Trento will try to go further. Ford believes the system is perfect to make him shine, and therefore help the team improve its chances.
“I feel what Coach Paolo is doing fits my style, perfectly. We want to play fast, getting on balls, and he wants me to shoot and make plays. That’s what I’m good at. I should be able to thrive within this offense and hopefully make plays for my teammates as well,” he said.
The Eagle won’t only count on the “almost” Round 1 MVP – he had a competition-high PIR of 36 in defeat, but also on former Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Lamb, who’s coming off a dominant campaign in the NBL with the New Zealand Breakers.
“He’s a great guy off the court, super funny and energetic. He brings that same stuff to the court. He’s gonna have a great year this year, and I’m looking forward to just playing in action with him. He’s a super smart player, so just playing off with him”, Ford said of his teammate.
The combination of the two can make things work for Dolomiti Energia Trento this season. “[We want to] use my speed for back cuts, and find different combinations that would work for us. I’m looking forward to just keep building that connection throughout the season,” Ford continued.
First taste of the BKT EuroCup for Ford
After first tasting a bit of the EuroCup, Ford has already fallen in love with how European basketball is played. “I feel like the game is really thought out specifically. There’s a lot of talent, skill, and IQ basketball within the league. It’s a place where I can show what I can do with my IQ, and just make plays,” he said.
Gran Canaria stopped Trento’s early ambitions, but the 26-year-old scorer isn’t worried.
“It was a tough game on the road, playing in that environment. But as a group, we stayed together, we played well, and we were right there in it within the last couple of minutes. Gran Canaria has a lot of really good players, and they showed it in that first game,” he said.
Before heading to Europe after his two-year G-League experience with the Stockton Kings, Ford knew other smaller American guards were “killing it over here”, mentioning reigning EuroLeague MVP Mike James. But in a few weeks, he will go up against another backcourt star.
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv remains one of the main contenders for the EuroCup crown, in part thanks to the summer addition of Patrick Beverley. Ford is excited about the challenge in Round 5, where he will go up against the long-time defensive specialist.
“I did a training camp with Patrick Beverley with the [Los Angeles] Clippers. It will be a fun game, it will be great just seeing him and actually playing against him officially,” Ford said.
However, his first thought is about this week’s Round 2 matchup against Trefl Sopot, in Italy.
“I’m looking forward to that challenge [against Hapoel], but first to the next game: that’s the thing I’m most looking forward to,” he expressed before touching on how the team is dealing with helping younger guys emerge.
Receiving praise from great ones
Guys like the 2003-born playmaker Quinn Ellis and the 2004-born forward Saliou Niang are among the first options for Galbiati’s starting five, without even mentioning about 2007-born Patrick Hassan and 2006-born Denis Badalau.
“Trento does a great job with the young guys, making sure we also do a lot of skills work throughout the season,” Ford said. “That’s vastly important for all of us. It keeps getting better game by game throughout the season because it’s a long one. The young guys on our team have a ton of potential, and I feel like they will also thrive within this offense”, he said about his younger teammates, conscious of their impact.
Despite being a European rookie, he could help them with the experience he gained in his NBA and G-League days, where he also met some familiar faces in Europe.
“Chima [Moneke] reached out to me a couple of days ago, he saw my debut. And so did Sasha [Vezenkov]. We stay in touch. It was great playing with them, I know they’ve had a lot of success over here in Europe. I’ll be in communication with them throughout the season,” he said of his former teammates in Stockton and Sacramento.
Under the EuroCup’s appreciation post for Ford’s 32-point debut, NBA veteran Jamal Crawford wrote the following: “He’s even better than the numbers. Love his game!”
But where does this love come from? Ford said: “I’ve never actually met Jamal Crawford in person, but he was commentating on one of my NBA Summer League games, and after that, we connected on Instagram. It means a lot, just because he was such a great player in the NBA. “To have somebody like him recognize what I can do on the court is super cool. He’s not necessarily somebody I modeled my game after, but I definitely watched a bunch of his highlights and tried to steal some of his moves,” Ford concluded.
We will have to wait and see if he will bring some of those moves to the EuroCup, if he will continue to thrive alongside Lamb and help Trento make the next step, or see his career take off like Moneke and Vezenkov. In the meantime, let’s enjoy what Ford can bring to the chessboard. Checkmate is on the move.
PHOTO CREDIT: Aquila Basket Trento