By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
After starting the season with a performance index rating of 41 and the MVP award for Round 1 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season, Maurice Ndour knew that this season was going to be special. A former Real Madrid player, the big man from Senegal knows what it takes to win in Europe and that’s the goal with UNICS Kazan. Under Coach Dimitris Priftis, UNICS has emerged as a top EuroCup contender and for Ndour that means that they have to at least get to the semifinals.
“I think our goals this year are the same from last year, they haven’t changed,” Ndour told Eurohoops. “It’s to put out a team which is as competitive as any other team in the EuroCup and to give ourselves a chance to get at least to the semifinal. Last year we lost in the quarters, so we have an idea of what it’s going to take to make a push for the finals and having almost everybody back this year will definitely give us an edge.”
The experience from last season’s campaign is one of the big reasons that UNICS is so dangerous. So far, the club is off to a 3-1 start and shares the top spot in Group D with Unicaja Malaga and Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt. Things are clicking and for Ndour the most important thing on a personal level is that he has a defined role in a well-developed system.
“You know, since my rookie year, playing in the NBA, in the EuroLeague, I have been on great teams where I’ve won some championship, medals, etc… but I felt that I haven’t really contributed to the team’s success,” Ndour said. He explained that this has changed: “Being with UNICS since last year has definitely made me more comfortable, more confident when I am on the court. Now more than ever I see that I can be the X-factor on any team that I play on, but there wouldn’t be an achievement greater than winning a championship with UNICS whether it’s in the EuroCup or in the VTB league. I want to win a championship, I have been close to that goal, but I haven’t been able to make it happen just yet.”
UNICS can do it, but it won’t be easy. “The EuroCup has a very good level of competition, one where a player can develop and adjust to the European way of playing basketball,” said Ndour, who has a message for the referees: “I just wish that they will change the way the games are officiated and let it be a little bit more physical.”
Still, the point remains the same. UNICS aims for the top and Ndour is ready to do whatever it takes every week in order to make it happen.
“One thing I know is that the competition level is only getting better each year. Every game I have played so far has been a tough one, players and teams are always coming to prove something so you have to stay ready every night.”