Nikolic on his team's hot start, locker room chemistry and Luka Doncic’s support
Aleksej Nikolic, Cedevita Olimpija: 'Consistency is what brings results'
Interviews
9 Mins read
One of the driving forces behind Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana’s perfect start in Group A has been Aleksej Nikolic.
His team has racked up three straight wins ahead of a Round 4 showdown with fellow unbeaten side Bahcesehir College Istanbul. The game also serves as a rematch of last season’s BKT EuroCup quarterfinals. In his second season with Cedevita, Nikolic is averaging 18.0 points, shooting 47.1% from deep and 94.7% from the line, with 3.7 assists per game for a PIR of 18.3.
In this interview with Euroleague.net's Javier Gancedo, he discusses the team’s momentum, DJ Stewart’s impact, three generations of Daneus in the club, and a certain celebrity fan — Luka Doncic — who still keeps tabs on his former team.
Hello again, Aleksej. First, congratulations on a great start to the season. Let's talk about the game against Aris. What allowed you to play so well right away?
"Defense! We believe in our defense. Coach is emphasizing that defense as the base of our game plan. And from defense, offense kind of flows in or let's say opens up as a consequence of good defenses. And that's how we approach every game. That's our mentality. We finished the game against Aris with a 16-2 scoring run and that is the perfect example, the perfect picture of what we want to do. We always try to impose our energy on the court. We believe we have a young, energetic team. In a way, we are using our strengths and taking advantage of it."
Cedevita Olimpija has bounced back in the last couple of years. As a player who has been around for a while, what has Cedevita Olimpija changed to become competitive again?
"I believe consistency is what brings results. I think I was mentioning that even last year, and I really strongly believe in that. It helps that we kept the coach for sure. It helps that it's four of us, but at least four of us stayed and the rest of the team was changed. But let's say a good mix of newcomers, and having players that already have experience with the coach and his system is for sure helpful to keep working in the way the coach wants and keep growing one practice and one game at a time. Again, I am coming back to the word 'consistency'. And we have to keep doing that."
The club kept a core of local talents and foreign players who come and go. DJ Stewart is now the exception in his third year with Cedevita Olimpija. He is also playing really well. How important is DJ to this team?
"He is almost like a domestic player, like you said. But him as a foreigner, to stay at Olimpija for the third year now, is great because he can be that bridge between the newcomers, foreigners and the whole club. So he's showing how comfortable he is here, and leading by example. That helps the newcomers to feel more comfortable, too. You can tell that DJ is his third year and that he is also enjoying his time in Ljubljana, of course. If you stay three years, there must be something good going on, right? He is playing really well and I believe he still can show us even more."
"DJ is showing how comfortable he is here, and leading by example."
How cool is it that you had three generations of Daneus in the club? Ivo Daneu was the first Slovenian basketball superstar, his son Jaka Daneu played a EuroLeague Final Four with Olimpija and Jaka's son Ziga Daneu is now one of your teammates.
"I don't want to say it is normal, but you know, we are a basketball nation. We love this sport and I think these kinds of things are beautiful to see them happening. You can also tell that basketball is a real passion in our country and then you can see that through generations of players. And the same goes for brothers. We have a lot of brothers that played in the national team and probably also in Olimpija. Like I said, it's pretty cool to see that basketball is kind of passed on in the family."
Speaking of basketball families, yours is remarkable, too. Your Dad played basketball and your brother Mitja is still active after a long career. How competitive is everyone in your family?
"We usually joke about it. It was kind of my destiny to play basketball. My father was a player, then became a coach, my brother also plays and has a big passion for basketball. And throughout all these years from the beginning of my career until now, I felt great support from all of them. I learned something from each of my family members and it is what keeps me going. Of course, we were always competitive when we would play games or something. Everybody tried to beat everyone, but I think even those moments made me and made us the family that we are today."
Your brother is still playing and he is a bit older than you, too. Is it in the plans to play together at some point?
"He is in a different, let's say, time zone of his career. I'm in a different one now but if it happens, we would be very happy, obviously. But we are not really too worried about it. Both of us are just trying to enjoy what we do, what we love the most, and that is just playing basketball."
"It was kind of my destiny to play basketball."
I have to ask you about Luka Doncic. You have played with him on the Slovenian national team for many years and he started his career with Olimpija. Knowing that he is a basketball freak, do you think he pays attention to the EuroCup and what Cedevita Olimpija is doing?
"For sure, he follows. I won't say he's totally engaged, which is normal. He has his own rhythm, and it is different time zone. The NBA calendar is so packed that I think it's very difficult for him to be so engaged, but I believe he follows some of the games. And like you said, being a kid that played in Olimpija, I'm sure he is happy to see our good results."
Up next, it is a clash between undefeated teams, as Cedevita visits Bahcesehir. How much are you looking forward to this? This is arguably the best fame you can see in the EuroCup right now...
"Both teams are undefeated and want to extend their winning streak. It is also a rematch of last year's quarterfinals. We play in Istanbul, so the environment will be the same. But it's a new season, new beginnings for both clubs, in a way. But for sure, we are all looking forward to each game and won't treat it any different than others. We will prepare in the same way and be ready to play."
You are still young, but have a lot of experience in many different countries. How does all that translate on the court? Is this the best moment of your career?
"A lot of people ask me this question and I say 'yes, this is how I feel physically'. But I feel like most importantly, it's how I feel mentally. I try to really prepare for each game, to be focused each day, to try to improve and then consequently do that to help the team in any way possible. Most of all, I want to be really simple-minded. I'm really trying to enjoy every moment on the court. I love playing basketball, and everything that comes with the practices and the games, I let it all in and really take the best out of every situation that happens.
Ljubljana is a basketball city and fans are always there at Stozice Arena in big games. What will it take to have a great season and to go to the higher stages of the competition? What's going to be important from now on after starting so well?
"Well, I keep coming back to that word, but it's really something I truly believe in. It's consistency, to treat every day as an opportunity to get better, individually and as a team. We have players that are really hungry, really motivated to prove themselves and improve. We all have the same goal: if we make each other make, we make the team better. That's what we believe can help us grow a lot, and really to come each day ready to practice and then ready to play. If we do that, we will look at everything else as a consequence of this work. As far as fans, when they recognize that we fight, that we enjoy playing together on the court, that's when they love the team the most, no matter what's going on the court. And for that, let's say there's a kind of trade: we have the right approach to every game and fight. And in exchange, we know we will get their support."