By Semih Tuna/ info@eurohoops.net
When Luigi Datome decided last summer to return to Europe, leaving the NBA despite proving that his shot could have been valuable to any team, many believed that he lost the chance to establish himself in the States.
However, the Italian forward just didn’t want to be a player who was sitting on the back of the bench. As he explained to Eurohoops before the Euroleague Final Four: “It was difficult to not being able to take a lot of responsibilities in the NBA. I tried to take as much responsibility as I could during my career. So to get used to this situation with Fenerbahcet, it was not difficult for me. Of course, my teammates and the technical staff were very helpful to me”.
The fact that Fenerbahce has Italian Maurizio Gherardini as a GM helped also Datome on his decision: “Definitely yes. He has a great reputation, he is a good and serious professional. There is truth to everything he says. Of course, Zeljko Obradovic‘s presence also played an important role in my decision. Fenerbahce is one of the most ambitious clubs in Europe. So it was easy to accept when they called me”.
And Fenerbahce can also count on its fans, who are expected to take over Berlin in a few days: “Of course I want to thank them for their presence againt Real Madrid, but they have been fantastic all season! A big part of our success belongs to them. I know they will be in Berlin. We constantly try to be with them”.
And also part of this success belongs to Obradovic: “Every practice is a learning day with Obradovic. He coaches the team but also he teachs basketball. If a player pay attention to what he says, he can only become better. He asks for the maximum everyday in practices and games. That’s what I was looking for, becoming a better player.”