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If we talk about consistency, take DeWayne Russell into consideration

19/Dec/23 11:45
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EWE Baskets Oldenburg’s playmaker is leading the Basketball Champions League in points scored per game

By Cesare Milanti /ย info@eurohoops.net

Going into the decisive clashes between Filou Oostende and Pinar Karsiyaka, and SIG Strasbourg and EWE Baskets Oldenburg, everything can basically happen in Group E as this year’s Basketball Champions League Regular season comes to an end.

With a four-way tie at 3-3 potentially on the line – that would happen with both the Germans and the Belgians winning their games -, this will come out as one of the most balanced groups in the whole competition. This makes way more sense if we take a look at the first three games played by Oldenburg:

  • 85-83 home defeat against SIG Strasbourg;
  • 85-83 away defeat against Pinar Karsiyaka;
  • 88-83 away defeat against Filou Oostende;

0-3 to start the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League. Even more frustrating considering that the first one came in overtime, while against the Turkish and Belgian teams, the black-and-yellow side had the games in its hands, respectively leading by 10 and 15 points.

However, they have managed to bounce back, heading into Round 6 knowing there is still a chance to make it through this stage, getting the ticket for the Play-Ins or even the Round of 16. This wouldn’t have been possible without DeWayne Russell, who’s taking the whole competition by storm.

Playing two years in two years, consistently

Let’s talk about numbers first. In only his second-ever European campaign, the 29-year-old guard is leading the entire Basketball Champions League in points scored per game (19.0), while being third in assists per game (8.0) only behind legends of the competition like Marcelinho Huertas (8.6) and Joe Ragland (8.2), separating himself with a wide margin from the fourth, Quinton Hooker (6.6).

Moreover, among the ones who have played all the games thus far this season, he’s 10th in ViziBall’s Player Impact Estimate – it shows the contribution of a player in a season as a percentage – with 10.62. He’s one of the five players in this category who spend at least thirty minutes per game (31.4) on the court. Once more according to ViziBall, he’s 3rd in clutchness, only behind Matt Lewis and Chasson Randle.

Numbers don’t always tell everything. But most of the time they say at least something. In this case, the fact that DeWayne Russell has fully adjusted to the European game. “The last two-three years the game has been slowing down for me. I’ve been playing in Europe for a while now, so I understand what to look for and what I need to do as a playmaker. My game has just grown, I never stopped working”, he said in an interview with Eurohoops from Strasbourg, where their fate will be decided.

Facing all these teams at least once, he analyzed them specifically. “Strasbourg plays a bunch of different defenses and they switch a lot of things up, so it’s always hard to catch the rhythm against them. They also have Phil Booth, who is one of the guys in the league who’s at the top. With [Errick] McCollum and Vernon Carey, Pinar Karsiyaka is probably the most balanced team: they’ve got outside and inside presence. Oostende surprises you: we went there thinking it could have been an easy win, but they played really good basketball as a clicked unit. You can’t fall asleep on anybody”, he shared.

Talking about other teams in contention, he named several Final Four contenders. “Hapoel Jerusalem has a lot of great guards: Speedy [Smith] is over there, Khadeen [Carrington], you’ve got Brynton [Lemar]. When you have a lot of good guards, normally that’s the formula to be a really good team. Obviously, you never can go away from Tenerife: they’re always gonna be right there. AEK has just lost Ben McLemore, but they’ve been playing really good basketball. It seems like they’re coached really well”, he said.

When things were going to a different topic during the interview, he realized he counted out somebody else, going back at it. “And Unicaja Malaga, of course. How could I forget about them?”, he laughed. “They’re my favorite to win the whole thing. I’m really close with Kendrick Perry, knowing who he is and how his goals are, I’m sure they will try to win it all”, he finally said, praising the team who has been the more consistent so far, uniquely.

DeWayne Russell has been unique in something else. “I’ve been coached by really good coaches, staying with them for at least two years. Most Americans hop around, they go one year here and the following there. I didn’t do that. I’ve been with Tuomas [Iisalo], with Max [Menetti], with Pedro [Calles], and I’ve been able to develop and understand the game. That ultimately helped me grow as a player and helped me grow my mind. Now I when and where to use my talent”, he commented on his growth.

Playing for the second straight season with EWE Baskets Oldenburg, as he said this is the third team he has been playing for at least two consecutive years. After his first overseas career in the French second division with Nancy in 2017-18, in fact, he did that with the Crailsheim Merlins (2018-20) in Germany and with Treviso (2020-22) in Italy, before coming back to the Bundesliga.

However, everything started with another pretty important coach, who made the switch to the bench after a pretty successful NBA career. Spending his NCAA career with the GCU Antelopes from 2014 to 2017, in fact, DeWayne Russell was the starting playmaker of Dan Majerle’s team.

Asked what it meant to coach the upcoming guard from Philadelphia, the former Phoenix Suns forward made it simple and clear. “Itโ€™s always good to have players who have the same mentality as you do, and DeWayne [Russell] has the same mentality as I do”, he said. Therefore, it makes sense that the current EWE Baskets Oldenburg guard would say that being coached by Dan Majerle “was perfect”.

Going deeper into the lessons he got from him, Weezy has nothing but high words. “I was able to pick his brain and he kept on telling me where I would be successful on the next level. He would always tell me “As soon as you think you’re good, the game will always bring you back to reality”. If I had a good game, it was never time to sit down and relax. I still look at that to this day”, the 29-year-old said.

From his time collegial time in Arizona, he also shared the locker room with a current EuroLeague player. “When I played with Boubacar [Toure], he was dealing with a lot of injuries at the time. It was tough for him. And to see him stick with it, not quit, it’s amazing. He’s somebody I watched going through difficult moments. Seeing him make it to the EuroLeague, I’m super proud. I hope he continues to grow because it’s all love”, he commented on the current Valencia backup center.

The MVP similarities with TJ Shorts

Right after making his presence felt in France, in 2018 he was called byย the Crailsheim Merlins, which had just been promoted to the first division. There, he found Tuomas Iisalo, who’s currently making magic in the BKT EuroCup with Paris Basketball. “I think that he was one of the coaches that really helped me understand the European style of play. He introduced me to it and taught me”, DeWayne Russell first commented about the Finnish head coach.

As the reality of things has been showing for quite some time, the 41-year-old head coach is one of a kind. “The thing I appreciated about him was that he was always brutally honest with me. He was staying after practice to help me develop my game: he would be there. A lot of coaches try to tell you what to do, but he was actually getting on the court to do those things with you. He’s a great developer, he can help you take your game to the next level”, he added.

At the end of the day, the players who emerged under his wise eyes talk by themselves. “All the guards he’s had just tells you: he’s been able to coach me, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Trae Bell-Hayner, Nadir Hifi, TJ Shorts of course. All the guards he’s had are small but have managed to find a way to be successful. That screams of the high he is as a developer, and who he is as a coach. A lot of guys enjoy playing for him. He’s a very special coach”, the current Oldenburg leader followed.

Tuomas Iisalo left his first team in Germany, where he stayed for five years, in 2021 to start a new chapter with Telekom Baskets Bonn. He went on to make a memorable run with the black-and-pink representative: 2nd in the 2021-22 Bundesliga, he made history the following season, ending on top of the domestic league regular season, losing only in the final against ratiopharm Ulm, and winning the Basketball Champions League, the first-ever trophy since the club was born in 1992.

He brought straight from the beginning both Javontae Hawkins and Jeremy Morgan, who both were in Crailsheim, and he would have done the same thing with Sebastian Herrera the next summer. Before Parker Jackson-Cartwright could dominate in Germany, DeWayne Russell himself had the opportunity to continue playing under Tuomas Iisalo.

One of those sliding doors that could have changed the whole scenario, possibly. “There were talks about it. We were in Crailsheim together during the Covid year. After that, there was the opportunity for me to go to Bonn before Parker Jackson-Cartwright joined them, but I ultimately decided to stay in Treviso. I thought we had something special going on there, and I just wanted to stay where I was at. We had a great connection, so there was a chance. We talked about putting the team that was in Cralsheim back together in Bonn, and it didn’t work out completely”, he commented on this chance.

After dropping the second double-double (21 points and 11 assists vs Filou Oostende, 22 points and 10 assists vs Pinar Karsiyaka) of his Basketball Champions League season, the competition’s social media team wrote the following: “A German team point guard with regular double-doubles, where have we seen that before, huh?”.ย The hint is directed to last year’s Regular Season and Final Four MVP, who’s now under the Eiffel Tower with the Finnish.

Talking about TJ Shorts, DeWayne Russell recognizes the talent.ย “We’ve had some of the same teammates [Jeremy Morgan, Jevontae Hawkins, Sebastian Herrera]. I respect his game, and I think that we share some similarities. He’s a really good player. He had an amazing year last year and he’s been playing well this year. I cheer for those guys, and I’ll always cheer for Tuomas [Iisalo]”, he last said about them.

Just like the current Paris Basketball player, he has been one of the most interesting figures in German basketball. Being named last year’s Best Offensive Player of the Bundesliga, he knows how to deal with the domestic league in the country, underlining not many people are talking enough about it. “The level is very underrated. People don’t realize how good the German players are. They continue to grow and get better. That’s making the league stronger”, he commented.

Trying to make some names out, he started with his own teammates. “Norris Agbakoko and Len Schoormann: those areย guys that are maybe going a little bit under the radar, but both really talented”, he first said. “The Tinchsler twins, Nicholas and Brandon: they’re big and long defenders, really good and interesting. One name that comes to my mind is Joshua Obiesie, who played in Frankfurt last year. He’s a very interesting prospect, he’s young and he’s gonna be good”, he stated.

Finally, he commented on the place where talent is more appreciated. “And then all the guys who are playing in Berlin, they’re always developing. ALBA is the best in developing young players. German basketball is growing, the level is very high”, he said. Moreover, they just picked up Chaundee Brown Jr. to reinforce the squad. “We’ve been struggling a little bit, we’ve been injured. We’ve been able to pick somebody else up. He’s definitely gonna help us”, DeWayne Russell said.

Learning from the experts to share lessons

Throughout his six-year professional career in Europe, DeWayne Russell has been praised by some veteran figures who could follow him in everyday life. One name in particular stood up. “Out of everybody since I’ve been in Europe, David [Logan] has been the biggest role model for me. The year I got to spend with him was amazing for me. To watch the way he took care of his business every day, the way he worked, and how he took care of his body, very professional at all times”, he commented on the current Scafati player, who’s gonna turn 41 in a matter of days.

Plating alongside him in Treviso, he learned most of the things he knows from such a leader. “We’re really close. That’s somebody I look up to. If I could have half the career David [Logan] has had it’d be okay”, he laughed. “I tried to get as much as I could from him, take everything I could to add it to my game. And every time I’m about to sign a contract, or go to another team, or do something, I always call him first. “Should I do this or that?”. He’s one of the first phone calls I make”, he confessed. “It took me almost a month to realize that when I was playing with him, how old he was. “You running around like you’re 20-25, and you’re almost 40″. That’s crazy. That’s ridiculous”, DeWayne Russell finally said.

Taking the best he could from people like David Logan, he shared the knowledge to his brother Daron “Fatts”, who came to Europe in the summer of 2022 to make an instant impact with Mornar Bar, before heading to the Basketball Champions League Galatasaray and then signing with Manisa, still in Turkey. “Growing up he was always like my little brother, so he’s always looked up to me and then able to work on our game together. It’s a bunch of 1-on-1, and you don’t realize at the time you’re actually getting better. You only want to be your little brother, to compete against him. But we were continuing to grow our game”, he commented on the first challenges that came out.

The dream of sharing the same stage is there. “We both played in the Basketball Champions League, you never know what the future may hold. We might be able to play each other”, DeWayne Russell said before touching on what preceded his brother’s rookie season. “When he started, before he went to Mornar Bar, we were working the entire summer, and I was telling him certain reads of how the European style of play was. Making quick and good decisions”, he revealed.

The result was an unstoppable combo guard, able to capitalize on the opponents’ mistakes to put up 40-point performances week in and week out. “It was cool to see him grow, he went to Mornar Bar and got right to it: he was so far ahead, while usually, it takes more time for most rookies to be effective. He came in more ready because I was able to give him the knowledge I had, being over for four years. To see his growth, and where he’s gonna be… Europe hasn’t seen the best of him yet. Within the next year or two, he will make a big jump. He’s a really good player. I’m happy for him, and his time is coming soon”, he finally said about his younger brother.

The mentality talks about a guy who’s conscious of himself, as a player, as a person, as his little daughter’s dad, or Snacks’ dad, as he likes to call her. One who switched jersey’s number from 0 to 4, honoring his late friend Oscar Frayer, who passed away in 2021. Aware of his role as a brother, and as a leader of a team. The numbers and what he brings to the table come next, but they don’t appear from nowhere. There’s consistency at the base. DeWayne Russell has built on that.

PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League

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