By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
The last thing you would like to do when forced into bed by flu should be going on a basketball court. And deliver as always, providing consistency to the table each and every time you come out and play. Jamar Smith’s week belongs to such a description, as proven against WKS Slask Wroclaw.
Only three days after domestically beating one of the hottest teams in the Basketball Champions League, the still unbeaten Bertram Derthona Tortona, with 16 points on his usual valuable shooting night, he caught fire in the fourth quarter over the Polish side to put up 10 straight decisive points.
What’s curious, however, is the beforemath of such an exploit. “At the beginning of the game, I was super tired. I couldn’t really breathe that well. I was coughing a bit, but coach [Dimitris Priftis] rested me in the first half. At halftime, he told me: “Alright, be ready”. I knew what that meant. I knew he wanted me to try and finish the game”, he told Eurohoops. Nothing to be concerned about with No.15 out there.
“Towards the end of the game, I still felt tired, but it’s just one of those things – if you’re out there playing, you have to give it everything you have. That’s just part of it. Even though I felt bad, I was in a good headspace, so that’s the most important thing“, Jamar Smith added about his health issues.
Let me just quickly add:
– 72hrs ago, Reggio beats Tortona (undefeated in BCL Group G), Jamar scores 16 on 6/8fg;
– 70 to 24hrs ago, Jamar is bedridden with extremely bad flu symptoms, can barely move a foot;
– 14hrs ago, Jamar scores 10 straight in the 4th.
FLU GAME 🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/YYhBCyUmaQ pic.twitter.com/yryVus0Jxe
— Elia Medioli (@EliaMedioli) November 13, 2024
Leadership coming off the bench
This is Jamar Smith’s second year with Reggio Emilia, the first one back in the Basketball Champions League after already suiting up in the competition with Bahcesehir. He previously acceded to it after winning the 2022 FIBA Europe Cup by beating… Reggio Emilia.
However, thankfully enough for the red-and-white Italian side, the killing sharpshooter is now established on their roster. “I definitely feel like one of the leaders of this team. I’ve been more vocal this year in the leadership role than I normally have. Usually, I don’t really talk much. I’m one of those guys who like to lead by example”, he opened on his attitude in the locker room.
“I’m not going to say “Work hard”. I’m not going to say “Be a professional. I’m not going to say “Study the game”. Guys are going to see me doing that. But this year I’ve been trying to be a lot more vocal and share some of my past experiences with the guys. I think it’s been helping us as a team”, Smith added.
Thus far, Reggio Emilia only found an obstacle on his path in Group F, losing on the road in Hungary to Falco-Vulcano Szombathely. Rather than that, they captured three wins: two at home and away against Slask Wroclaw, and one at home against Rytas Vilnius.
Jamar Smith was crucial in those, powering up from midrange and out the arc coming off the bench. “Coming in I knew I wasn’t going to play heavy minutes. That’s something that me and coach talked about at the end of last year. I knew we were going to have a lot of young guys, a lot of talent”, he said.
The games in @PallacReggiana are divided into four periods: Q1, Q2, Q3 and 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 – 10pts in the final stanza! 🥶 #BasketballCL pic.twitter.com/OwCDEKyZJw
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) November 12, 2024
“I also know coach. This is my sixth year with him and I know what he expects from me. I don’t get time to warm up because I play such short minutes. So right when I come in I’m playing aggressively in the minutes that I have. That’s what he wants me to do, that’s my role on this team. I try to take advantage of the minutes I have, the touches I have. Just trying to be productive for the team”, Smith followed.
With 13.3 points per game over four appearances this season in the Basketball Champions League, the Peoria native is still going it at with 37 candles on his birthday cake. Six of his overseas years have passed next to Dimitris Priftis on the bench, who first stayed with him in UNICS Kazan from 2017 to 2021.
When the Greek head coach moved to Reggio Emilia, he knew who to call. “I think he unlocked all of my scoring ability. In my first years overseas, I was more just a catch-and-shoot shooter. I didn’t really put the ball on the ground much. I didn’t really play pick and rolls, high-lows. I was really just an off-screen guy and catch-and-shoot guy”, Jamar Smith recalled of his European beginnings.
Everything changed when they met each other. “When I got to Kazan and started working with Coach [Dimitris] Priftis, I feel like he gave me so much confidence. Everything else that I had as a player, he saw it in me in practice and I felt like he kind of helped me unlock the player that I became to be”, he added. “[I’m now] a guy that doesn’t mind taking or missing the big shots in the end”, he shared.
“[I’m now] a guy that that can play one-on-one. A lot of that came from the freedom that he gave me. I love playing with coach [Dimitris] Priftis, man. That’s my guy”, the 1987-born American guard also commented about the impact that the Greek tactician has had on his game.
Cassius Winston’s growth and Momo Faye’s upside
While sharing the backcourt with an NBA veteran like Langston Galloway last season, this year Reggio Emilia brought in a Basketball Champions League expert in Cassius Winston. After adjusting to find the right rhythm and way to control the team’s tempo, he delivered 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists to help the red-and-white side beat WKS Slask Wroclaw this week.
“Cash [Cassius Winston] has been great. He’s another guy that will benefit from playing with [Dimitris] Priftis, with the freedom and the confidence that he gives you. We have a really good relationship. There have been moments in multiple games where I tell him at the end: “Look, if you don’t get the ball, pass it to me. It’s either me or you right now”. He likes that moment. He likes those times”, he said.
“[Cassius Winston] is a super good player to play with. I feel like everybody saw that he does so much for the team. He gets assists, steals, rebounds. He can really control and impact the game in a lot of different ways. I think he’ll just continue to keep playing better and better”, Smith continued on Winston.
Another guy who’s capturing a lot of attention from this Basketball Champions League campaign is the 2005-born center Mouhamed Faye – everybody calls him Momo. “I think Momo’s upside is so high that I feel like nobody really knows how good Momo can be. He hasn’t been playing basketball that many years. I think this is his fifth year or sixth year playing and already he’s a rising star”, Smith said of him.
“He will probably be drafted, possibly going to the NBA. Last year we had the advantage of having Tariq Black on our team, a center who has a lot of EuroLeague and NBA experience. Everything that Tariq [Black] would tell him to work on, things to expect, and how to you know handle different types of centers, Momo adapted very well. He picked up the information fast and he put it to use”, he added.
“That’s a super good trait to have for a young player. A lot of young guys have a learning curve that’s much longer than Momo’s. I mean if he has played six years and he’s dominating right now, that just shows how fast he can absorb information and absorb skills, making them his own. I’m super excited to see what the future holds for Momo. He’ll have an amazing career wherever he goes”, Smith concluded.
First player ever in the league to come off the bench in his first game and block 5 shots! The Mouhamed Faye hype is real! 👀#BasketballCL I @PallacReggiana pic.twitter.com/t6ofz752Nx
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) October 2, 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League