By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
It’s always pretty cool to see players mic’d up during games to feel and perceive their sensations and how they live the action on the court, isn’t it? That’s a secure yes, especially after listening to what Kyle Weems had to say during his last Basketball Champions League game against Igokea.
“Honestly, I like it. I think when it’s used in the right way, whenever things are respected, it’s really really cool”, he said talking to Eurohoops about such an initiative. “As a player, you’re kind of vulnerable, you’re out there. Maybe there was something that I got on a teammate about or something that I said, and the BCL people did a great job of putting the authentic pieces that needed to be in there, and maybe they helped protect me in some way”, he explained.
“I think that that’s a very important detail to have more cases of this and more opportunities for players other than myself to want to do something like this, to build trust with the players”, he pointed out. “I actually like it. I thought it was very cool. Honestly, I forgot that I even had the mic’d shirt on. Which was kind of cool too, because then it was really, really authentic. I liked everything that I was saying things that I would be saying even if I wasn’t wearing the mic. I thought for that reason it was cool especially for myself to kind of see you know for people to see how I interact with my teammates and how they accept me as a leader. I thought overall it was really cool”, he praised the concept.
Let’s talk about needed leadership for the European debut
It’s no surprise that he was actually selected for such an initiative, considering the experiences he brought to the table when signing for Derthona back in the summer. European rookie with Telekom Baskets Bonn after going out of Missouri University in 2012, he started a long and fruitful overseas career. Playing in the Basketball Champions League for the first two seasons in the competition’s history with Besiktas, he’s now back to embrace the role of the leader in a mixed locker room composed of veterans and new guys to the International landscape.
The team itself is new to these kinds of nights, and coach Marco Ramondino, on Derthona’s bench since 2018, is no exception. “I’ve been blessed with some really high-level basketball minds and also I think that the even better part is just really good people. They mean well for their players and they put them in the best position to be successful. So, I’ve been blessed. I have zero complaints about any of the coaches that I’ve had a chance to play for and I’ve been lucky”, Kyle Weems first commented on the head coaches he has had the opportunity to play for, including Sergio Scariolo and Sasha Djordjevic.
Moving on to his current head coach – with their relationship partly discovered during the Mic’d Up episode -, he has nothing but great words. “I think that the best thing about him is his honesty and his transparency with you. He’s done a good job balancing a lot of difficulties beginning of the season. And he’ll tell you: “Hey, you know five years ago we were in the second division. All of this is new for me”. I feel like I’ve tried to take the next step in understanding that this club is new to the European scene, and just showing them kind of how to work”, he led by example.
Kyle Weems already went through tons of years with these situations, knowing how to handle them. “When you’re playing twice a week, you know it’s literally it’s on to the next game. We don’t have time to sit and dwell on bad losses. As time goes on what are you going to do the next day to prepare? Showing up, and getting a good lift in even though no one else is really there yet: these are the small things that I like to show. It’s nothing that these guys can’t handle or anything like that, but they’re new to this so just any way I can kind of help with my past experiences no matter which competition, EuroCup, EuroLeague, Champions League when I was in Besiktas”, the forward explained.
As he said, he’s not new to the Basketball Champions League scene, having played there with another black-and-white team. It’s a totally different world now. “I believe back then it was groups of six teams instead of groups of four, so you played each team twice in the first round for a total of ten games. So you had a little bit more room for air. But at the same time, you were playing more games to kind of stay in a little bit better of a game rhythm. Now there’s less room for air. So I mean each game is even that much more important”, Kyle Weems analyzed.
Averaging 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game so far, he has contributed to Derthona’s unbeaten 3-0 start of the season. “Now you have to have that laser focus even more. Fortunately, we’ve been able to capitalize on our first three games, not losing and also kind of having a pretty good head-to-head difference. We’ve won by four [against UCAM Murcia], we’ve won by eight [against Tofas Bursa] and by seven [against Igokea], so this isn’t obviously huge double-digit wins, but it’s a good start”, he commented on his team’s start.
❗ That’s how you put an 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 on a big 𝐖, @DerthonaBasket❗
The whole sequence was just 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒖𝒕 🤩#BasketballCL | @Kjw3434 @dauminator24 @taethomas35 pic.twitter.com/649RxgbQnI
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) October 31, 2023
Touching on the opponents they have faced thus far, Kyle Weems spoke highly about their Spanish leaders. “I think first things first is just the strength of Murcia, the physicality that they play with. They’re well-coached by Sito Alonso. But when you think of a Spanish team, you think of an up-and-down transition offense. Share the ball, the ball flies, they can play fast, they can play slow. They have a guy like [Dylan] Ennis who can score from any level on the court. They have a couple of good post-up players, they have a couple of good ball handlers. They have good shooters”, the former Nanterre and Strasbourg player, who never spent time in the ACB, said about UCAM Murcia.
Overall, that’s an all-around opponent to have. “They’re a complete and balanced team. The more and more we go on in this competition, every victory is a step. I think that win for us was very, very important, not only for the club, obviously the first ever European win in the club’s history, but in this group stage where everything matters, that’s a tough team to face whether you’re playing on the road or at home. And I think that it shows from what they did after that loss: they’ve won some big games in the ACB, I know they just beat Barcelona”, he commented on their run in the domestic league.
In the BCL, moreover, Dylan Ennis and their teammates bounced back from the loss in Italy. “They had two pretty dominant wins there. Against Igokea, I think they only allow them 47 points and then win by double digits at home against Tofas. So they impressed me a lot because they have the type of balanced game that can travel on the road and they have a defense that can travel. Playing in front of their fans they can get going offensively as well. So they impressed me”, he added about Murcia.
Having spent the 2018-19 season in Bursa, Kyle Weems had a special night when facing the Turkish team on the road, getting the 88-80 win. “Obviously, having played for Tofas and coach Orhun [Ene], I know the type of teams that they typically build. A couple of good athletic big guys that can protect the rim and can finish lobs, and then from 1 to 4 they can all always shoot the ball. Luke Maye at the four has been good for them”, he commented on the former BAXI Manresa player.
Most of all, there has been one player who particularly caught the 34-year-old small forward’s attention. “[Caleb] Homesley really impressed me. I had heard a little bit about him last year. I didn’t get to watch him too much”, he talked about his time in Russia. “What I like about him is he doesn’t really get to speed up even though he’s not overly athletic or overly strong he’s still pretty athletic. He can still get to a spot so he can still shoot the three. He’s good in transition. He’s long, he’s a taller guard so he causes problems and I just like that his pace is definitely one of the better that I’ve seen”, he said.
Finishing on Tofas Bursa, he’s sure they will bounce back to compete until the very end, being now at a 1-2 record in their Group H, behind Derthona (3-0) and UCAM Murcia (2-1). “I also watched him a lot of Cassius Winston in college with Michigan State, playing for Tom Izzo all those years. He’s coming off of the EuroLeague, he’s well-coached, and a good team player. I know they’ve dealt with some injuries and some tough losses there in the Turkish league, but they’re going to be there right in the ticket things in our group until this stage is over”, Kyle Weems ended on his former team.
Despite being last in the standings with a 0-3 record, there’s some underdog mentality in Igokea as well. “They’re very physical. Whenever you play against the Balkan team, you know they’re going to be well-coached. They’re going to be disciplined and they’re going to fight, scratch, claw, run their sets. They usually have a couple of really good scores. And [Stefan] Moody has been great for them. They beat Beat Partizan at Stark Arena two or three days before we played them. That’s what I mean. For each team you have to make sure you give them respect because they’ve done a great job in their domestic leagues and you just really have to bring your A-game every night”, he summed it up.
Having won the EuroCup with Virtus back in 2022 to earn the ticket to return to the EuroLeague, Kyle Weems touched on the debate over the Basketball Champions League and its concurrency with other European leagues. “I think something changed with Turkish powerhouses joining the competition. I mean, Galatasaray and Darussafaka were playing in the EuroLeague, even making the playoffs. Those are ambitious teams that have a tradition, I think they are huge for the competition”, he said.
The former Besiktas player also commented on other teams who are making sure the European competition is recognizable at the highest level. “And now again teams like Hapoel Jerusalem, teams like Tenerife who has been there almost since day one, Unicaja Malaga who has been in the EuroLeague once or twice, but shown their strength at the Euro Cup level for many years and now you know the same in the Champions League”, he added.
At the end of the day, the goal is to stay successful within the same competition. “So I think there is probably a little bit more balanced, if not leaning towards maybe people could argue that the Champions League is just a little bit stronger than EuroCup. I mean, who knows? Yeah, I can’t be the one to say that. I think they’re both great competitions but I’ve been enjoying myself so far in this Champions League and hopefully, we can get three more wins and be able to secure that spot in the Top 16”, Weems hopes.
😍 @DerthonaBasket may be a new name in the BCL… but Kyle Weems isn’t. 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸, 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱! #BasketballCL x @Kjw3434 pic.twitter.com/jM8YcV94D7
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) October 18, 2023
Carrying that black-and-white love for Virtus Bologna
Derthona isn’t the first Italian team the Missouri State alumni plays for, having experienced deep emotions from 2019 to 2023 with Virtus Bologna and leaving the team following last year’s LBA Finals. This season, the black-and-white side has started the EuroLeague by surprising tons of people.
The new head coach of the team plays a huge part in this. “First off, I think Coach [Luca] Banchi deserves a lot of credit. I mean coming off a World Cup that took a lot of energy, time, and focus away from his family, being gone with friendly preparations all summer and also at the beginning of the year, jumping into a situation that was probably brought to him last minute: this is not an easy decision but the confidence that he had it himself it feels like he’s almost put that back into some of the guys”, he started.
Being sidelined alongside Iffe Lundberg at the end of last season, Kyle Weems’ departure from Bologna seemed to be followed by the Danish guard leaving the team as well. Instead, averaging 6.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in this year’s EuroLeague, he has been helping the Italian side.
His former teammate is happy to watch his progress. “For instance, a good friend of mine like Iffe Lundberg who was out of the rotation, the confidence that [Luca Banchi] instilled back in him and said “Hey, I’m going to give you a fair shot to earn your spot and prove that you can be a part of our system”, and look what Iffe he’s done two games ago against Milan, and in the LBA against Brescia”, he commented before praising the effort of another familiar face who has been dominating.
“I mean, Toko [Shengelia] is a great player, but this is probably the most free and loose and relaxed that I’ve seen Toko [Shengelia] play in in years. And that’s not to take anything away from his game when he was in CSKA or even last year, because he’s the ultimate pro. He is a brother of mine that I will keep in contact with forever. But he is just playing so free and so confident right now and I think that that has to come from [Luca] Banchi. You have to give him credit and that confidence”, he said about one of the candidates for the MVP of the season.
Kyle Weems went on to speak about Virtus Bologna players who are delivering. “I think it’s not just in those two guys. I mean it’s in [Awudu] Abass who has had limited opportunities in the EuroLeague and he stepped right in with that big game against Milan considering the whole difficult moment Achille Polonara is going through now: prayers to him and his family, I hope to see him back on the court soon. Jordan Mickey is back looking like his normal self. [Alessandro] Pajola is playing confidently, taking and making big shots, Daniel Hackett is doing his thing”, he added.
“They still have the same physicality from the outside looking in. They still have the athleticism. They still have the shot-making ability from my man Marco Belinelli. He’s been really competing on defense as well. I mean, even a few games ago, watching him battling the post with [Johannes] Voigtmann one-on-one. I mean again credit to [Luca] Banchi for giving trust to Marco [Belinelli] like “Hey, I want you to guard this guy one-on-one in the post. I don’t care if he’s two meters like that’s your job. Go ahead and do it and you know we’ll rebound the ball if he misses”, he pointed out about the captain.
“So my point is I think [Luca] Banchi deserves a lot of credit for being able to bring that fire, his own style, but also make sure that all guys are feeling apart and connected and confident. I don’t think that that’s so easy to do when maybe you didn’t get to pick the team; maybe there are a few guys that he would not choose. But he is doing a great job and honestly, I think everyone is kind of picking their turn when to bring something: big plays big actions in the game, and their start has been honestly incredible to watch”, he went on praising the Italian head coach.
At the moment, waiting to play against Fenerbahce in Round 10, his former team is up in the playoffs mix. “Obviously, they lost a tough one to Panathinaikos and Zalgiris at the beginning of the year. But I mean, I don’t know if you were to ask them, but if you were to ask me, would they be 6-3 to start the EuroLeague season I would tell you: “No, my man, don’t. Stop it”. So credit to all of them. They’ve been fun to watch, they’ve been flying around and they’re going to be tough at any level to beat”, he shared love to Virtus Bologna.
Coming back to his place in Segafredo Arena on December 3 with Derthona facing Luca Banchi’s team in the LBA, the black-and-white home fans will make sure to honor him just like they did back in June. Kyle Weems may have started a potentially successful new chapter in the Basketball Champions League, but people don’t forget about him.
❤️ Amazing sign of respect by Virtus Bologna’s fans for Kyle Weems (@Kjw3434), who is set to leave the team at the end of the year.
“Always a great warrior, Kyle forever black-and-white. You’ve always fought with us, you will never be forgotten by your people”. pic.twitter.com/0cvKNHzCPT
— Cesare Milanti (@cesaremilanti) June 21, 2023
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League