By Utkan Şahin / info@eurohoops.net
Theodore was the leading scorer of the 2017 Turkish Cup winners, with 19 points. It was a tough battle for his team, yet they managed to prevail. “I take my hat off to Efes because it was a great game.”
This great achievement was a result of hard work and a little bit of confidence, as he explains: “We were working really hard and we have a really good team, coaches, management. Everybody in our staff is great. We knew we would win, we’ve had success against Euroleague teams all season and we knew that every team we would play against, we have beat already, except Besiktas. We felt like we owned them, coming to the tournament.”
He even commented on his tweet about Banvit’s success:
“We are 7-1 against Euroleague teams, I feel like confident. I feel like I’m the best point guard in Europe, but that’s just me being who I am.” Banvit has prevailed over Anadolu Efes and Darussafaka twice, while they have beat Galatasaray three times and only lost to Fenerbahce once.
Saso Filipovski’s team has taken the Turkish league by storm this season and with one goal achieved, they now set sights for the next ones: “We’re looking forward to the Champions League and finishing up strong in the Turkish League. Our first goal was to start off the league the right way and work hard. I think we started the season really good. We had a great position at the midpoint of it. Our next goal is to win Champions League.”
The 27-year-old American is rightfully considered to be one of the best guards in Europe at the moment: “I’m grateful for the opportunity [to play in Banvit]. I came to the season wanting to prove a lot and I wanted to show people that I’m one of the best point guards, if not the best, in Europe.” Still, he gives all credit to his teammates: “They have a lot of confidence in me and they allow me to do the things I’m able to do on the court, they support me totally. So, I got to thank my teammates for helping me, because without them, I’m nothing. I feel like me and my teammates can beat anybody.”
Theodore is quite familiar with Turkey, having played there two times in the past before Banvit (Antalya, Mersin) and he is even open to joining the National team, if he gets the proposal. “I would love to play with the Turkish National Team. I’m American, but I’m open to anybody who wants to have me as a national team player. It’s something I’ve talked to my agent about. So if they want to reach out to my agent and they want to discuss it with him, I’m definitely open to that. I love Turkey, I love being here, I love the people. It’s my second home.”