By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
As Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar prepares for its historic appearance in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four, perhaps its only major shortcoming is in experience. Only two players – Dontaye Draper and Evgeny Voronov –have previously appeared in the Final Four.
But Draper, who went to a second Final Four in which he did not play due to injury, sees similarities between his team’s current situation and another he experienced five years ago. Draper was a young star on Cedevita Zagreb’s 2010-11 squad, which played the role of Cinderella in reaching the Eurocup Finals with Draper earning Eurocup MVP honors in the process. Draper knows what it takes to be successful in Europe’s premier basketball event and is certain to share his knowledge with his Lokomotiv teammates. “Don’t get too crazy about this being the Final Four. Go out there and have fun and enjoy your moment,” Draper told Javier Gancedo of Euroleague.net. “The teams that play hard and tough in both games, they win it. You don’t have to have the best team all season. It’s one game and whoever plays the toughest wins.”
Hello, Dontaye. Congratulations on reaching the Final Four with Lokomotiv Kuban. How much of an accomplishment is it for you and the club?
“For me this is a big accomplishment and for the club. For me this is my third time going, but my second year I broke by arm, so I couldn’t play. And my first year I didn’t play so much. So this time reaching it with a team like Lokomotiv is amazing. This is my third time in my fourth Euroleague season, so it’s a great feeling. ”
Few people, if any, expected Lokomotiv to reach the Final Four. What allowed you to reach this far in the competition?
“I think coach did a really good job of scouting and putting together a group of players that are great guys. We don’t have not one person who messes the chemistry on and off the court. And I think we gel together on the court. We have a bunch of guys like me, Chris and Victor, who really play hard on both ends of the court. We play the game the right way. And then you add two superstars like Malcolm and Randolph who can take over a game with their offensive ability and their leadership. So I think coach did a really good job putting together the team.”
The team had a strong mentality, even after tough losses like against Barcelona in the playoffs. How much credit does Coach Georgios Bartzokas deserve for that mentality and the great season you are having?
“I think starting from training camp coach put together a system and everyone bought into the system. So if we are up or down, I think we just mentally dive into the system. I think everybody wanted to win. To have a chance of a lifetime to go to the Final Four, everybody just locked in and believed that we could win. “
Five years ago, you took Cedevita Zagreb to the Eurocup Final Four against all odds, too. How do you compare both runs and how did that experience help you this time around?
“I’m glad that you asked that because like Cedevita, no one expected us to make it. And we did. We had the same type of team. I think we have my leadership, being a part of it. I’m looking at Malcolm and it’s kind of similar to what I was in Cedevita, but he’s doing it on a Euroleague stage and I think that’s a big part. He’s our leader… I didn’t even think about it until you asked but it’s similar types of roles. Teams that nobody expected to do things and made a run. And Malcolm’s been killing all season.”
Only you and Evgeny Voronov have been to the Final Four before. Which is the biggest piece of advice you would give to your teammates before the big event in Berlin?
“My last year when I was injured I really got a chance to see other things and I wanted so bad to be a part of it. And I just want to tell all the guys, ‘it don’t matter if you’ve been here or not. Just adapt to the atmosphere and just give it everything you’ve got and leave it on the court.’ Because you never know when you’re coming back. Don’t get too crazy about this being the Final Four. Go out there and have fun and enjoy your moment… The teams that play hard and tough in both games, they win it. You don’t have to have the best team all season. It’s one game and whoever plays the toughest wins.”
Lokomotiv and CSKA have faced each other on regular basis throughout the years, even twice this season. Is there room for tactical surprises? How have you changed as a team since your last matchup in February?
“Everybody knows it, but CSKA has a strong team. We beat them on their home court and they beat us on our home court. Tactics have a little part, but I think we just gotta bring it. We have to fight hard and do our best to get the win, because we know each other pretty well… [Anthony Randolph] makes a big difference. We played them a couple of weeks ago here at their home gym and he was killing. He was the big difference in that game. I think he scored like 30 points or something. With Anthony playing like that, it’s tough to stop us. “
Few teams, if any, have been able to stop Nando De Colo and Milos Teodosic this season. As a great defensive player, what needs to be done to slow them down and how important will that be in the outcome of this game?
“This season it’s kind of strange because one-on-one I play really well, on the ball. But we switch a lot, so 80% of the game, I’m guarding a big man. So if you watch our games, more than half of the game I’m down low with the big man if they run pick-and-roll. I think there’s a team effort in guarding those two, [De Colo] and Teodosic, because there’s not so much one-on-one because we do a lot of switching. That gives a lot of teams difficulty, because we switch more than half of the game. Teams try to go one on one and those guys can guard the bigs. So it’s tricky. ”
Other than that, which are the biggest keys to the semifinal for Lokomotiv? What do you need to do well in order to beat CSKA?
“We need to defend and play as a team like we’ve been playing; Moving the ball, sharing the ball, playing as a team and defending. They have a great team with great players. We just gotta defend and run our stuff.”
What is your take on the other semifinal, Fenerbahce Istanbul vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria Gasteiz?
“I think it’s going to be a great game. I think Fenerbahce is a very strong team with a great coach. And Laboral, they got Ioannis Bourousis, who’s just killing everybody. And my national team coach, Perasovic, he’s got those guys playing well. I think it’s going to be a great game.”
Lokomotiv is just two wins away from winning the Euroleague title. What would it mean for you to go all the way and lift the trophy in Berlin?
“It would mean everything. Especially to win it with this team, when nobody expected it. It’s crazy that you say two games away; I didn’t even think about it like that, but it’s true. It’s a good mindset: just two wins away.”