By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Speaking about the top European clubs competition, the US guard believes that things are really tough on mental level: “I think that the EuroLeague is tough, more so mentally than physically. I think that if you prepare and do what you have to do, all season, you can have the success you want. A lot of the season is grueling; sometimes you have double weeks and short rest periods between the domestic league and the EuroLeague, so you have be really strong mentally and take proper care of your body. We had a couple of injuries to some key players and that kind of changed the dynamics of the team. Fortunately, people have stepped up. But I enjoy the EuroLeague. You have a lot of games and you get to play in the best competition, against the best teams.”
McCollum also compared the league to the Chinese CBA: “I think that the biggest difference is the speed of the game and the amount of foreigners on the roster. In China, it is only two foreigners whereas in the EuroLeague, you might find teams with eight or nine foreigners. In China, the way you play depends on the foreigners. If you are a guard, you get more pick and rolls; if you are a big, you get more low-post set-ups. In the end, it is basketball and you have to put the ball in the hole. That doesn’t change. If you do that, I think you can play at any level and this is why I had some success.”
For more McCollum, click on the official EuroLeague website.