By Semih Tuna & Bilal Baran Yardimci/ info@eurohoops.net
Returning to Fenerbahce Beko, Tyler Dorsey gets more familiar faces, including former international teammate Giorgos Papagiannis.
Dorsey, 27, talked to Eurohoops about the importance of being part of the training camp ahead of the new season and Papagiannis, among other topics extending to representing Greece in the 2024 Olympic Games.
“Everything is going well. I am just happy to get a full camp instead of coming in midway through the season,” he referred to joining the Istanbul outfit as the 2022-23 season was approaching its conclusion, “That is better for me and the team.”
“Obviously, we added players,” he pointed out to Eurohoops discussing the 2023-24 roster, “The chemistry of the team and little things like that, it helps to start the season well.”
The explosive shooting guard landed in Europe before the 2019-20 season. From Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv and Olympiacos, plus a brief return to the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, he signed with Fener last March.
“Just adjusting to a new team, a new country, all the little things, but not the game. I knew the game well because I had been a couple of years before. But in my first year, for sure. I would say it was hard for me to adjust, after playing in America for most of my life,” he talked about his career in Europe, leading to his current team, “After that, the first two years of adjustment, you understand the game, you understand the culture, all the small details of how Europe is running.”
“A great addition, especially for the guards”
Prepared to play alongside Papagiannis in the next edition of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Dorsey is excited to build on the familiarity between him and the Greek center.
“It feels good. We have a good chemistry. I like him in the pick-and-roll. His shot has gotten better over the years, so he can pick and pop. Again, he is a threat at the rim. It makes it hard for the opponents. For me, as a guard, he opens it up better because the big always edging, they have to worry about him catching it at the rim,” he said, “I am happy to have him as an addition to the team. It is a great addition, especially for the guards. He is going to get us open, he is going to make our lives easier.”
Numerous EuroLeague teams seemed to improve during the offseason. The former Oregon standout reserved predictions on the stronger and weaker sides for later.
“Everybody wants to talk and be excited about the year, but it is just going to be the first game coming up. It is a very long season. Teams start well in the first half of the season and then are fighting just to get in the Playoffs. It is hard to tell,” he said, “But I think we have a good structure.”
“A lot of teams have a lot of good names on the paper, but I want to see how it all plays out,” he added to the preview of Europe’s premier club continental competition, “I am happy for EuroLeague though. A lot of guys are coming toward the EuroLeague, improving the game. It is going to be interesting.”
“I love my Greeks”
Besides the arrival of Papagiannis, head coach Dimitris Itoudis and floor general Nick Calathes are running it back along with Dorsey.
“I love my Greeks. Because I knew them before. We have the chemistry. We have talked outside of the court. It definitely makes it better. It is all about chemistry, who plays well together,” he explained referring to working with them while representing Greece in international competitions.
“I want to play in the Olympics. It is my dream. I want to be there, trying to fight to get us qualified,” he mentioned on returning to Greece’s senior national team in next summer’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments after missing the 2023 FIBA World Cup, “The next year, I will be there. The Olympics are a different game. I am excited. Hopefully, we can qualify.”
“I could have gone, if I wanted to. My choice was not to go,” he relayed his personal decision to skip international action this summer, “I was dealing with injury. And I wanted to spend time with my family. I knew I was doing the Olympics next year. I did not want to do three years in a row, where I had no summer. It is important. I wish seasons were in a little earlier so the players can get a little more of a break and enjoy the summer. It is not just me. Top players, they end their season and come back in the next two weeks. It is too much. Everybody needs a break. I wish they could change that. But everybody has different leagues. So, it is hard.”
Panathinaikos, plus clutch shots
Dorsey was linked to multiple teams during the summer, including Panathinaikos.
“It is just rumors. Personally, I don’t want to clear up any rumors. I am here. And I am happy to start a new season with this new team,” he stressed to Eurohoops, “That is in the past. Some things about me, I see online, and I am ‘oh no’ and I didn’t know about this. It is funny. I don’t really comment, don’t tweet a lot, don’t instagram a lot. I just see it and talk to my agent. Besides that, there is nothing else to yet. I am here so obviously that did not happen.”
Wrapping up the interview, he opened up about managing efforts in clutch situations of key contests.
“A lot of people don’t understand. Some of the same shots and same moves, I practice late at night before these games. That is why I feel so comfortable taking them and shooting,” he said, “I put time in practice and seen them going through a lot. I think that is what it is for me. I need to do extra shooting, and extra work all the time. That builds my confidence.”