By Stathis Trapezanlidis/ info@eurohoops.net
Even Sasa Obradovic might not expected the evolution and influence of Alex Renfroe in the game of Alba Berlin, when the German team signed him in September with a 4-month contract. That was the period Jonathan Tabu, who missed the regular season of the Euroleague, was out after his serious injury.
Renfroe replaced him and turned out to be the leader of the German team in the Top-16 having on average 9.5 points (46.8% 2n, 3n 46.7%, 90% b) , 5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 2.8 turnovers and a 14.2 ranking in 26 minutes.
The American point guard admits to Eurohoops the importance of the game against Panathinaikos, he is talking about the great season of Alba Berlin until now and also has no problem to talk about what happened between him and Sasa Obradovic during the game with EWE Baskets Oldenburg and the influence the incident had to the team.
Moreover, he reveals how everyone discouraged him when he was young to play basketball and why he smiles even in difficult moments on the court.
Renfore about basketball and life
– Alex, you have a status on your twitter profile. “They always told me I was too small & I wasn’t good enough”.
“This is basketball and this is life. You know basketball, I have a long story about it. When I was younger – before I become a professional – I was always the guy that was not so good for basketball. I was’t good enough, I wasn’t big enough, I didn’t shot well enough. That ’s what I heard in high school. Even now this is something I always hear! There are always reasons that people say you are not good enough. You are not good for some reasons. This was always my reason. I was too small. People always try to find something”.
– Is this something that we could also say about Alba Berlin this season in the Euroleague?
“Yes. This is reality. Sometimes we may not be as skilled as experienced or get paid as much as other teams and other players but this is something you have to do with the basketball. We know that there are better teams than us, more experienced but you can’t complain. You need to play every game and at the end of the day you see what happened”.
– The rest of the status is “Now I get paid to do what I love”. How is this feeling?
“This is a great feeling. It makes life easier for sure. My passion for basketball is what drives me everyday. What drives me to do what I do and keeps me wanting to come every day to the gym”.
– Is this the reason that you always smile on the court even during some difficult moments?
“I am just more comfortable. Being in a place I feel happy, this is more effective το me. Some people are more serious. I like to be calm. This is the way I have good balance for me between aggressive and calm. Of course it is different for everyone. I am just myself, I feel comfortable. If you see that I smile a lot, then probably this is my best game. When I am not smiling, I am usually like this because of a reason. That means that things are not going well for me, I lost confidence of myself. I like to be happy and smile, I know that life is a blessing and I try to enjoy it. I am happy that I do what I love”.
– So, there was a period that you had no confidence…
“Yeah, Yeah. For me sometimes is game by game. I may smile this week and next week I don’t. It depends on how I feel”.
Renfroe about his contract and his game
– Were you under pressure the first months because you should prove that you deserve to stay until the end of the season?
“I really din’t think about that. I think my game is ok. I mean my basketball game is ok. So I feel like if they don’t like my performance I will go to play somewhere else. There are a lot of different situations all over the place”.
– You didn’t take it as your last chance for being in the highest level of the Euroleague?
“Νο, absoluty no. I had Euroleague opportunities that were not the best for me. I don’t take it seriously. I try to put myself in the best situation. Ι put my eggs in one basket”.
– Why did you extended your contract just until the end of the season? Was it your or Berlin’s decision?
“Ι believe it was both. I don’t like to look at the future. I like to go step by step. It makes things easier for me. I think it makes things easier for both. It was a common decision”.
– Tabu is back. Although you did not lose your minutes on the court, do you feel more pressure?
“No, Tabu is back and this is good! You have the depth as a team. Ιn this level this is important. Also the intensity can go up. It is always good to have good teammates. Now I know that my intensity can be higher. If I am tired the coach can change me because there is someone who can also do well the job. It is good to have full capacity as a team”.
– Your are the second rebounder of the team… seriously, could you play as center?
“No. no I think I am too small (laughs). It’s just to be in the right place at the right time. I think it is an ability”.
– Is it an ability or you care a lot for the teamwork as a player?
“I think it is both, but mainly it is an ability. I had this ability also when I was younger. You need to read the game and of course to be always ready”.
Renfroe about the incident between him and Obradovic
– I would like a comment about what happened with Sasa Obradovic during the game against Oldenburg. What was the influence on the team? Sometimes something like this can make things better…
“I don’t know. I think it can go good and it can go bad. Honestly. You never know. Every situation is different. For a second we were really down as a team. This is basketball. You need to find a way to go forward. No matter what the conditions are, no matter what is going wrong. Although the conditions were not good, we came closer to each other”.
– I think that you didn’t like your punishment (one game suspension) from BEKO BBL.
“Me personally I have my opinion about it but I don’t want to give a continue right now. It is over. For sure I have my opinion on that but I leave it like that. People who know me they know how I feel about it. It is not important any more”.
– However, the fans of Alba Berlin supported you and Sasa Obradovic.
“They did. They really did. I really appreciate it. It was something I really needed. They helped me a little”.
Renfroe about Brose Basket and the “match of the season”
– You have played for Brose Baskets in the past. Are there differences between the two teams?
“When I was there they had won 4-5 championships in a row. So that was a difference, they had championship experience. And I think that this is the only difference. It can be the same for Berlin in the future but first we need to win our first championship since 2008”.
– A lot of people say that there are not “pure” point guards in Europe any more after Sarunas, Diamantidis in his prime, Papaloukas except 1-2 cases like Teodosic, Heurtel etc…
“It was because basketball changed a little bit but I think now “pure” point guards start slowly to come back. My opinion is that there are more scoring point guards right now. I think all the teams are looking for “pure” points guards”.
– What do you like more? Scoring or dishing?
“I was always a passer first. As a kid also, I was like this. I can do whatever I need to do. There are games I need to score, games I need to pass. Sometimes I need only to organize. There were also seasons I was the defense-guy of the team”.
– As I was watching the team last weeks I had the feeling that you have marked the game against Panathinaikos in Athens. Is this the match of the season?
“Of course every game that comes is very important but I could say that this game could be the make it or break it game of that season in the Euroleague for us. If we lose there, I am pretty sure we have no chance, but if we win our chances will be much higher. Ι think that this win in Athens can give us the ticket for the next round but still we have to take care of our games in Berlin (Maccabi), something that really matters”.