7DAYS EuroCup newcomer Amar Alibegovic, a member of a big basketball family, has been a key part of Virtus Segafredo Bologna being among just three teams to reach a 4-0 record so far in the competition.
Amar Alibegovic, Virtus: 'This is just the beginning'
Interviews
9 Mins read
Virtus Segafredo Bologna is one of the three teams that remains undefeated in the 2020-21 7DAYS EuroCup, along with Dolimiti Energia Trento and Joventut Badalona. In Round 4, Virtus downed previously undefeated AS Monaco 94-85 to claim first place in Group C. The Italian powerhouse has managed to keep a core of players that did really well last season. One of its new players is a member of a big basketball family, forward Amar Alibegovic. His father, Teo Alibegovic, played professional basketball in Europe for over a decade, leading ALBA Berlin to the Korac Cup title in 1995 by scoring 34 points against Olimpia Milan in the second leg of the finals. His brothers Mirza and Denis also play basketball and so does his cousin, Luka Garza, one of the best players in the NCAA right now. Amar is averaging 10.0 points on excellent shooting percentages (62.5% 2FG, 50.0% 3FG) and 4.3 rebounds in under 18 minutes per night. Alibegovic has been surrounded by talent throughout his short, promising career and plans to keep his feet on the ground. "I have a lot to learn and am very lucky to have all these people around me that I can learn from," he told EuroCupBasketball.com. "So I'm just like a sponge and I'm just trying to take in everything I can get from all of my teammates."
Hello, Amar. Congratulations on beating Monaco. What allowed you to make that final push down the stretch?
"I think that throughout the whole game, we were able to do what our coach told us. And our main thing was to change our energy as a team, to go out and share the ball, because that's the type of team we are. And I think from beginning to the finish, we were able to keep that same mindset and that consistency where maybe towards the end of the game, where you can get tired and start making some bad decisions, instead we were able to keep going with our goals and with what we had established before the game. So I think keeping our head in the game and keeping our head on the game plan was the key of the win."
What has allowed you to adjust so well to your first EuroCup season?
"I started from the Italian second division, you know, and I struggled over there because it was my first year here. And then I worked my way up to the first division last year. And then once again, I made this other step, which is the EuroCup, my first European cup at all, you know? Maybe the first game, I had to adjust a little, but at the end of the day, it is just the game, it's always basketball, so you just have to stick to what you know. And I think one of my best things I do is bring energy whenever I come in. Playing these games away with no fans, I think energy is a really, really big part of all of these games that are being played. So, I just come in and give 100 percent, but I still know that this is just the beginning. And then I'm trying to learn from Teo [Milos Teodosic] and from all these guys that already have European experience. And hopefully it can only go up from here."
"I just come in and give 100 percent."
Virtus is working on a 4-0 start. How important has it been to show this team's strength from the very beginning?
"It was important because we wanted to come out strong and play as a team. So it was very important for us to be able to bring home these games that were tough, as well. Especially Monaco and Loko were really, really close games and it felt really good to be able to pull them out at the end. Every game we play, we play to win, so I don't see why we wouldn't put 100 percent in any game we play."
You are part of a distinguished basketball family. How does it feel to be part of a family to which basketball means so much?
"It's been great. Maybe when I was when I was little, if I needed some extra motivation, I had someone to look after, having my dad always close to me and him practically playing the same position I do, it really helped me a lot. He taught me a lot of things that I know now, and I definitely wouldn't be here with without his teaching. Also having my older brother, who I could look up to. And then when he started playing professional, I would always watch his games and it would motivate me even more to practice and work more. And then when I went overseas, I got a lot closer to my cousin Luka again, and we worked out together. I'm very happy for the success he's having. I think for him, really, the sky's the limit because he really works as hard as anyone. For my younger brother, you know, I try and set a good example, just like my father and my brother did. And hopefully, after him signing his first real professional contract this year, he will keep going up from there, and we will see him at this level soon!"
Your father was also a coach. Does he talk to you a lot about basketball and how to improve?
"He always tries to mentor me and, of course, he doesn't put any pressure on me. He always keeps it real: if I didn't play good, he tells me. But if I did, he also tells me. He is always able to look at the situation like he was a third party. He has helped me adjust very well in this period. This is the first time I have ever played two times a week since I started playing professional basketball. After a bad game, you have to bounce back right away because you play three days later. So, all these little things were unique for me, and he definitely has had a big hand in helping me adjust to this new situation."
You played at St. John's University, coached by legendary shooter Chris Mullin. How was that experience?
"The whole experience in New York was amazing since I got there, since I first visited and they showed me Madison Square Garden. I was really thrilled to go over there. And when I got there, with my first coach, Steve Lavin, who actually recruited me, things are going smoothly. We went to the NCAA tournament and actually there are a bunch of players from that team who are playing here overseas. But after Coach Mullin came, things were so good. Coach was amazing, coaching me and showing me some individual things that maybe I didn't know because I was still younger. And Coach Mitch Richmond actually was there, too. That duo was incredible just to learn from and try and take in everything I could get in that short amount of time. Those three years definitely were a little hard for me, you know, because I didn't maybe get as much playing time, but it was a great experience and I have learned a lot from it. It has taught me to be a lot more hungry and coming to Italy, I kept that hunger and stayed humble. I think that's why I have been making steps forward. New York is, of course, an amazing city, and the life experience over was unreal from start to finish, and I feel very lucky that I was able to go there."
"I am here and willing to work."
Back to the present and the EuroCup, what do you like the most about this competition?
"The thing I like the most about it is that it is very physical, very intense, and I think I can adjust very well as a player to the level of physicality and intensity. The more physical and the more intense it is, the more charged up I get. And then from there, I think I can only keep doing better. The hardest thing maybe was that the talent level just keeps going up. And also me being in my first year there, you know, sometimes maybe I get outplayed. But I am here and willing to work. So it will definitely get better. And I will just keep learning from my mistakes and hopefully not make the same ones again."
What is it like being coached by Sasha Djordjevic and working with Milos Teodosic and Stefan Markovic, three of the top European point guards ever?
"It is amazing because we had a tough time at the beginning of the season in our [Italian League] games, and having people of that caliber that are leading this team definitely has helped us. Whenever there's a dark moment, the first one to step up is, of course, Sasha as a coach. But I have to say that Teo is our biggest leader on the court, a leader in everything from start to finish. He is definitely someone that I look up to and he is an amazing talent, both as a person and as a player. I have a lot to learn and am very lucky to have all these people around me that I can learn from. So I'm just like a sponge and I'm just trying to take in everything I can get from all of my teammates."