by Bilal Baran Yardimci / [email protected]
Anadolu Efes, our representative in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, has experienced significant changes in the team this summer and is in the process of getting used to the new order before the 2023/24 season.
Elijah Bryant, who is entering his third year at Anadolu Efes, talked about this change process and more. Speaking at the media day, the 28-year-old basketball player touched on his decision to stay in the team and last year’s failure.
Question: Your contract was expiring this summer, but you made the decision to stay at Efes quite quickly. You chose to stay directly in Ephesus. Generally, players wait a little longer and negotiate with other teams. What was your main motivation for extending your contract so quickly?
Answer: The main thing for me was to be in a place where I could contribute to myself on and off the field. Basketball is basketball, but here I can develop mentally, physically and spiritually and advance my life. Basketball or not, wherever I am, wherever I play, I seek to continue to improve in every aspect of my life.
Q: I want to ask a quick question about the past year. After winning the championship two years in a row, you missed the playoffs last year, which was a big thing. What was the reason for the team’s failure last year? Lack of motivation or inability to get together?
A: I don’t believe in failure, I think you just learn from your mistakes, nothing is ever a failure. If you don’t learn, then there will be failure. Other teams were better than us. We are playing basketball and we need to score more points than the opposing team. If we boil it down to simple terms, we did not manage to score more points than our opponents. When you look at it from this perspective, you can put your emotions aside and focus on the facts. As Giannis said, ‘You can’t be champion every year’. I’ve had the chance to have a lot of success in my career, and if I can learn from a season where I didn’t make the playoffs, I think that’s a positive thing.
Q: So does missing the playoffs last year give you extra motivation for this season?
A: I don’t believe there is anything that can motivate me more than myself. What motivates me every day is myself; Not the coaches, the team, the trophies or the money I earn. I’m more focused on ‘How good can Elijah Bryant be?’ I approach each day as if it were my last time playing basketball. I never forget the value of being able to make basketball my job. I don’t need any extra motivation to play this game.
Q: There have been changes in both the team and the coaching staff. You haven’t spent much time together yet, but how do you evaluate the new atmosphere in Ephesus right now?
A: There is a different environment in the team. As you said, there are a lot of new names, a new coach. It takes time to build a new culture, a new system, new habits, but if we can all put our egos and pride aside and come together, we can achieve great things.
Q: Your role will be bigger next season with Micic’s departure. You will be one of the main players of the team in offense and defense. How do you feel about this?
A: I will be ready whenever the opportunity comes. I will be ready for whatever the team needs, both offensively and defensively. Now that I have such an opportunity in front of me, I am 100% sure that I will take advantage of it. Like I said, there is nothing that motivates me more than myself to get better every year. I think I’ll be fine.
Q: Micic and Larkin are both guards with high scoring volume. New transfer Darius Thompson is more of a passer playmaker. How do you think this change will affect the team and you?
A: Yes, it will be a different style of game. More players will have the chance to play with the ball. I will have more responsibility in scoring, but that doesn’t mean I won’t pass the ball. I think when we win, everyone should get praise and be at the highest level. As long as we win, it doesn’t matter whether I score 20 points or not.
Q: I saw your TikTok account. You evaluate both your own positions and the team’s positions in detail. I think it’s great to have the actors interact this way. How did you come up with the idea to do this?
A: I am both my own biggest critic and my biggest supporter. I was already doing this and sending it to my brother who plays basketball. He could see the benefit of it, and I thought others could too. Many people do not know what to pay attention to when it comes to video analysis. I think it is an opportunity to help young players and make them understand what they need to pay attention to while playing basketball.
Q: You worked with Coach Ataman for a year and a half and achieved great success by winning the EuroLeague championship. Now he has embarked on a different adventure. What do you expect from him at Panathinaikos?
A: I think they have built a good team like us. Things like who is the number one player and on-field placements will take time. I think they will have a good season. It all depends on the chemistry within the team. Basketball is a team sport. Although the new coach and new players are an important element, I think they will do a good job.
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2023-10-04 07:29:41
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