By Bilal Baran Yardimci / info@eurohoops.net
Nigel Hayes-Davis grew up to be one of the most important pieces in Fenerbahce Beko. Last season he averaged a PIR of 13.4 in EuroLeague and played more than 35 minutes in all of the playoff matches against Olympiacos.
He’s finding his rhythm in the new season, and after achieving his personal best PIR since the beginning of the competitive year against Olympiacos, playing the entire 40 minutes in Round 6 of the top continental competition, he spoke with Eurohoops, starting with a discussion about his performances thus far.
He’s still to find his scoring touch, shooting 6/34 from beyond the arc and averaging 8.3 points, and believes he’s not doing a good job of walking on the boundaries of selfishness. But once the threes start falling…
“I don’t think I’m doing it well enough, that’s probably the problem. I always tell myself, when I pass up the good shot, the next time I shoot something, it’s a bad shot. I had a closeout, and I should’ve shot a floater, which I work on all the time, and I kicked it out. It was a good pass, but I should’ve shot it. Next possession, I shoot the three and it didn’t go in. Basketball Gods never reward you for being passive. They reward hard work, being gritty and bold. So I need to just do that more and on a higher level, and they’ll start falling. ‘Cause once the threes start falling, huh, it’s going to be good luck. But staying the course, staying in the gym, stay working, it will all come.”
Nick Calathes almost didn’t stay in the club, but everything changed with Raul Neto’s injury, and the experienced Greek playmaker is once again an important player for the Istanbul team.
“I love Nick. Glad that, whatever was going on at the beginning of the year, it’s been taken care of. Unfortunate with Neto, but I’m glad to have Nick, he’s a great teammate, a person off the court, great guy on the court. He was responsible for 50 to 60 percent of my points last year, so for sure I want him on the court with me. Being able to play defense, seeing the court he does, veteran, EuroLeague champ, all the accolades, I always tell him he’s the greatest point guard in history in Europe. So it’s a no-brainer having him out there, doing what he does best.”
Fenerbahce hired big man Georgios Papagiannis last summer, and so far it proved to be a great move, with the Greek center playing a big role at the start of the season, leading Fenerbahce to a win over Olympiacos with 15 points and a PIR of 19.
“Georgios did a great job. It’s good to have a five that can stretch the floor. We played against two dinosaurs, they are a huge presence inside and for Georgios to be able to take them out towards the perimeter, which creates driving lanes for us and easy opportunities to get to the rim. Him being able to stretch the floor is huge. He puts a lot of pressure on teams, they have to switch, creates mismatches for us. Whatever he is doing, all the souvlaki he is eating, Greek dinner he’s making, keep doing it, he’s doing a fantastic job.”
Lastly, Hayes-Davis touched on a sensitive and very important topic in basketball and the world of sports – mental health.
“It’s very important. Whether it’s our job, or whether it’s someone that works in an office, a bank or a fast food restaurant, it’s always good to have a level and clear head, and be emotionally and spiritually well. It’s very important to take care of that. Be conscious of it, especially in sports because we are more in a fishbowl. Everybody goes through things, but for us athletes, we are going through something, and when we go on the court it’s like, ‘Why aren’t you doing what you are supposed to be doing? I paid money to come watch you.’ Whereas when another person is going through something there’s not 10,000 fans and everybody watching you on TV and wondering what’s going on. The excess we have with social media, which is crazy, but everything has a good and bad, but fans from around the world can say you suck, you’re this and that, you are not good. That can get to you and be tough, so it’s good to have people around you that you can talk to, people that are big into therapy. I’m big into my friend groups, making sure everybody’s mental is good, everybody feels good. Surround yourself with the people that care more about you than you do, and you’ll be good. It’s more important than X’s and O’s,” the 29-year-old US forward elaborated.”