By Kostas Paraskevopoulos / info@eurohoops.net
AEK is part of the Basketball Champions League lore, a former champion, and the way Prentiss Hubb presented himself in the first official game of the season, makes the fans of the club dream again.
The 25-year-old American point guard stole the show with 28 points on 7/12 threes, while also adding six assists, four rebounds, and three steals, as AEK beat Maccabi Ramat Gan (80-71) and got the season off in the right way.
It was a complete game from Hubb who proved that especially at home, AEK will be hard to be beaten.
After the game, Hubb talked to Eurohoops about his performance, his goals with the team, and his ambitions in the Basketball Champions League.
– You had a great performance and AEK won the match against Maccabi Ramat Gan in your first official game with your new team. Can it get any better?
“It was great. I think it was a great opportunity for us to get better. We managed to get an early lead and fought until the end to keep it. It was great to start the Basketball Champions League with a win, especially because we only have six games to play in the first round. So to start so well is ideal”.
-Although you are a point guard, in this match you played more like a shooting guard, making seven out of 12 three-pointers. Should we expect more games like this?
“I hope so. I just took from the game what was given to me. So on this night, it was all about the points. In the next match, it might be 10 assists or something like that. So I always want to play at a high level. In this game, I had more open space to shoot. I took the shots and scored more than most people expected.”
-Besides scoring, you also had six assists, four rebounds, and three steals. What more we can expect?
“To succeed in my first official game, to play so well, definitely can give me strength for the rest of the season, but I have to thank my teammates, my coaches, for allowing me to have this confidence to do this appearance. But the most important thing is for the team to win”.
-You also seem to be enjoying the AEK crowd in the stands during the game…
“Yes, I certainly enjoyed it. Especially the way the crowd energized us on the floor. This was very important for us. We need fans to support us all the time for the rest of the season.”