By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
BELGRADE, Serbia – The day has arrived: against two-time champions Lenovo Tenerife, which took out Peristeri in the Semi-Finals, Unicaja Malaga will fight for its first-ever Basketball Champions League title after winning the Spanish derby with UCAM Murcia on Friday.
They’ll do so led by one of the members of this year’s Star-Lineup, Kendrick Perry. Talking to Eurohoops in the mixed zone moments after receiving the award, he expressed all of his gratitude. “It’s one of those moments when it comes full circle”, he proudly opened.
After last year’s loss against Telekom Baskets Bonn, he was inserted into the competition’s Star-Lineup Second Team. But he wasn’t fully satisfied. “When I was in this position last year, being fortunate enough to get Second Team, it came with a little bit of a sour taste just because we lost the night before”, he said.
Now, the sense of revenge is (almost) completed. “You look up pretty much a year later, now I’m honored enough to be part of the First Team, but also be able to fight for the ultimate prize. That’s a testament to not just my hard work individually, but the team’s success as well. I couldn’t have won this award if it wasn’t for them”, he started praising his teammates.
Averaging 11.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game this season in the Basketball Champions League, Montenegro’s playmaker wants to bring another trophy to the city of Malaga after the 2023 Copa del Rey. “I’m extremely grateful and humbled to be in a position to continue playing at a high level and compete for something that’s bigger than me”, Kendrick Perry also commented.
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— UnicajaCB (@unicajaCB) April 28, 2024
High praise for Ibon Navarro and Marcelinho Huertas
Nothing, however, would have been possible without Ibon Navarro, who decided to bet on him in the summer of 2022. “If I can speak frankly, I think he deserves Coach of the Year. Not to take anything away from the great [Vassilis] Spanoulis, but when you look at what coach Ibon [Navarro] has built in the last couple of years, the results speak for themselves”, Kendrick Perry dropped his take.
After traveling around the world and Europe since 2014, without staying for more than one season in the same club, things have completely changed for him since he joined Unicaja. “I’m truly honored to be a part of his project and his team. He’s changed my life as a basketball player and as a person”, he continued praising the 47-year-old head coach, who wants to add some gold to his cabinet.
It’s a bond that goes beyond the basketball court. “Throughout our conversations, [we talk about] his approach to the game, and his approach to life. It’s something I take very seriously in my relationship with Ibon [Navarro] This award as much it is of me and of my teammates, it’s part of him as well”, the number 55 also said about Unicaja Malaga’s leader on the bench.
Finally, with the golden prize on the line, it will once again be Kendrick Perry against Marcelinho Huertas. They already faced each other in the 2023 Copa del Rey in Badalona, and it’s another opportunity to take something. “Every time I try to take the court with him I see it as a real opportunity to learn, grow, and compete because, at the end of the day, that’s what we do. That’s what we’re in a position for”, Kendrick Perry said about Marcelinho Huertas.
“His resume speaks for himself. When you think about longevity, playing at an extremely high level, you think about an ultimate competitor. You have to give him his flowers. I tip my hat to Marce [Huertas], he’s a hell of a player, and he’s a great person as well, [for what I got] through the limited conversations we’ve had. It’s an honor to face off against someone with that pedigree, doing it for such a long long time”, Unicaja’s point guard finished on the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League MVP.
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League