By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
BOLOGNA, Italy – Entering the 2023-24 first-ever Play-In Showdown with completely different moods, Anadolu Efes and Virtus Bologna were about to battle in an unpredictable clash.
The Turkish side, hosting the encounter, was heading to the appointment as the hottest team in Europe, winning six of their last seven games in the EuroLeague; on the other side, after surprising everybody in the first half of the season, Virtus dropped down later and lost all its previous seven games.
Anadolu Efes made sure the mood went into their hands from the very beginning, getting an early 11-point lead in the first quarter. The big protagonist turned up being Will Clyburn, who claimed only some days earlier to still be the “Best 3” in Europe.
Finally, Virtus Bologna emerged victorious, but the 2019 EuroLeague Final Four MVP stood by his words. In the first ten minutes of the game, he already had 17 points over 5/5 from deep.
Only a few months after that dominant start – in which he also overcame the 3000-point line in the EuroLeague -, he’s on the other side. This time, he wants to win in black-and-white. “Everybody has done a great job of welcoming me here and making me feel at home, ” he said to Eurohoops.
A new chapter, with the same people
Following his experiences in Turkey with Darussafaka and Anadolu Efes and his marvelous five-year Russian stint with CSKA Moscow, Will Clyburn has now entered a new stage of his career, in Italy.
And despite sharing the court with mostly new teammates and members of the coaching staff, he has also found some familiar faces. Tornike Shengelia, for example, made a decisive call to convince the 34-year-old experienced small forward to join Virtus Bologna.
Will Clyburn described it as a “no-brainer”, but what did Toko say specifically? “I had a call with the coach [Luca Banchi] at first. Not too far along after I had a call with Toko. I don’t think people realize that I and Toko have a relationship far beyond basketball. This is brothers”, he said.
“It wasn’t really about basketball, it was more like: “Hey man, do you wanna go for another round?”. I was just happy to be with him, with his family. Even [Daniel] Hackett. Obviously, we have a close-knit family with all of our wives. It was more than basketball, at that point”, he added.
Toko, Will, and Daniel Hackett previously shared the Russian chapter together, but the trio is opening a new one in Italy. “I played with Dani [Hackett] for two years, and we won the EuroLeague together. That’s a connection you can’t break. Even when I’m out here playing with him now, it’s natural. We’ve picked off right where we left off before”, he said about the Italian playmaker.
Ehi @Da_Thrill21 there is someone who wants to welcome you 😉 pic.twitter.com/zUFsUC8vjk
— Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) July 24, 2024
The same thing, obviously, with Toko Shengelia. “We know each other, each other’s reads, how each other wants to play, to put each other in better situations. I stole a couple of his moves in the post from just watching him over the years. Guarding him in every damn practice was one of those things where I sponged, picking it up, and where not”, he commented about stealing from the Georgian’s playbook.
So far, he has been chasing another experienced Italian guard in practice. “Obviously, he’s a great shooter. In practice, for sure it’s one of those things where you can’t fall asleep at all, you can’t take your eyes off him, because he moves so much without the ball”, he first said about Marco Belinelli.
“I don’t think people realize how hard it is to guard someone who’s consistently moving without the ball. At the same time, trying to watch the actual play whoever has the ball. It makes it tough for you. It makes it tough”, Will Clyburn followed about Virtus Bologna’s captain.
During his presentation to media, he also spoke about Luca Banchi’s approach for his team: he likes everybody to be on the same page with Plan A, B, C, and D. So what’s Will Clyburn’s “Plan A”? “Just being a vocal leader. I’m one of the older guys, one of the most experienced guys. [I’m] just trying to bring that type of experience and leadership to the team. That’s probably the main thing”, he answered.
“Everything else will fall in place. Basketball is something I’ve been doing my whole life. Scoring, rebounding, and defense are something I was brought up on. I think that will come naturally. But other things are more important: me helping the younger guys out, the new guys in the EuroLeague. Being a vocal leader is probably the most important right now. That’s Plan A for me”, Will Clyburn added.
His first years in Ulm and Darussafaka
Returning to reuniting with former teammates, next to Tornike Shengelia in the black-and-white first-unit frontcourt, Ante Zizic will be there too. “Me and Ante [Zizic], we’ve played on… is this our third team together?”, he ironically asked. “We share a bond more than basketball in that aspect”, the American forward said about the Croatian center.
Other than Anadolu Efes, another team where they were teammates was Darussafaka, still in Istanbul but a long time ago. In the 2016-17 season, they both debuted in the EuroLeague with the green-and-black Turkish side. It could have been the beginning of a new era, with David Blatt on board.
“When I first got there it was a weird situation. One of their players left the team and went to the NBA [Mindaugas Kuzminskas], opening the spot for me. I was a last-minute signing. When I got there, I was thinking “I wasn’t supposed to be here, they just brought me in”, he reflected on his Dacka days.
“But then he [David Blatt] approached me, saying: “Hey, listen. I brought you here because I really think you could be a part of this team”. And he showed me that: he gave me minutes and opportunities, and let me play my game. He gave me confidence”, Will Clyburn said about David Blatt.
There, he played with a future NBA role-player. “Brad [Wanamaker] was always gifted. He was a strong guard, a Philly bull. You could see he had the potential to even get to that point. He knew the game, he was a smart player, a great competitor. And it’s hard to stop all those tolls when you can play the game and you’re a great competitor at the same time”, he said about the former Boston Celtics‘ guard.
And the Turkish side was also Scottie Wilbekin’s first page of his EuroLeague books. “Scottie [Wilbekin] has had a great path in the EuroLeague. Obviously, he stayed a year after me and played EuroCup, winning the MVP and the championship. You’ve seen what he has done in his career, so congrats to him”, he commented about the current Fenerbahce playmaker.
Prior to the EuroLeague debut with Darussafaka, he ended up being one of those ratiopharm Ulm’s hidden gems who eventually manage to climb up the European ladders. It already happened in the past, and it has happened this season too, with Trevion Williams moving up to ALBA Berlin.
“When I went to Ulm, it was different than how it is now. I guess the rule changes, with the travel calling, because I used to struggle a lot back then. But I think in general I had great vets to teach me the game: Per Gunther, Maarten Leunen, and Adam Hess. A lot of these guys were older and had been around for longer. They helped me a lot”, he recalled his EuroCup and Bundesliga moments with the German team.
Saluting the “cap” Kyle Hines
When Will Clyburn was approaching the EuroLeague, Kyle Hines had already won three EuroLeague titles (two with Olympiacos, in 20, and one with CSKA Moscow, in 2015-16). Together, they went on to win the 2018-19 EuroLeague with the former as Final Four MVP in Vitoria.
After 14 seasons distributed among Brose Bamberg, the Russian powerhouse, and Milan, we won’t be seen as the defensive beast anymore on EuroLeague courts. “Probably, [it’s] more important the person. People who have played with Kyle Hines understand who he is, and how much of a competitor he is. But it’s just a better person. He leads by example”, Will Clyburn said about the legend.
“I always call him “Cap”. He’s still my “Cap” up to this day. That’s the relationship we have. Obviously, he has done and accomplished some great things over here: more than any American probably has, or probably will over here. Congrats to him, I hope he has a great retirement. He’s a better person than a basketball player”, his former teammate added on the retiring Kyle Hines.
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Another former CSKA Moscow teammate of his is the reigning EuroLeague MVP Mike James, while he has played in the last two seasons with another superstar like Shane Larkin. What would Will Clyburn steal from them? “They’re very similar, so it’s tough to say. Both of them can score the ball at a high level. I’m gonna take for sure Shane [Larkin]’s speed and Mike [James]’s explosiveness”, he answered.
Talking about American guards who make their presence felt in Europe, Patrick Beverley made a surprising return this summer, signing with Hapoel Tel Aviv in the EuroCup. “I watch a lot of basketball. I’m probably one of the guys who watch a lot of EuroCup games and a lot of EuroLeague games. I don’t really have any input on it: I’m gonna watch if they’re on, but I really don’t have any feeling about it”, Will Clyburn silently said when asked about what to expect from them.
The 2024-25 EuroLeague will be the season of long-awaited returns to Europe of NBA superstars, and the 34-year-old forward clearly stands behind those who decide to do their best for their careers. “I can’t speak for anyone, but you want to be somewhere you’re wanted. You want to be somewhere you’re appreciated”, he said before listing examples.
“I give guys like Sasha [Vezenkov] and Vasa [Micic] their opportunity: they wanted to go trying, they wanted to play in the NBA. And they can always come back. For Sasha, he went there, he tried it, he figured it out and he was like “Okay, I want to be home”. He considers Olympiacos his home, so it’s one of those things where you rather do what’s best for you and your mental, what makes you feel better. That’s how it goes with that one”, Will Clyburn added.
If there’s another certainty for him, it’s that he doesn’t want to be involved in any recruitment from Team USA ahead of International appointments. “For me, I don’t want any part of it. This season is long enough, and I would like to enjoy my summer time with my family. I don’t want any part of it”, he commented about Nigel Hayes-Davis making it to the Olympics American Select Team.
“But it would be pretty cool for them to probably add two or three guys to the roster, each year. Whenever they have some tournament, like the Olympics. If you look at the years, they have selected G-League guys. It would be better if you just select some American over here that knows the game, the system, and how has been played. I’m not saying everybody is more talented here rather than there. But just knowing the game and the spacing is probably an advantage for the guys who have been over here a little bit longer”, he still said about the idea of involving more EuroLeague players.
Finally, since he mentioned he hadn’t come to Virtus Bologna to be Michael Jordan, he was naturally asked who was the MJ of European basketball. “Of European basketball?”, he surprisingly asked back. “Nobody. You won’t get that one out of me. I don’t see anybody being “Wow”, I don’t have that one”, frankly speaking, he concluded. Will Clyburn’s show is now painted in black and white.
Year 12🏀🏀🏀 pic.twitter.com/C73uhvyfID
— Will Clyburn (@Da_Thrill21) September 19, 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: Virtus Segafredo Bologna