Hamburg Towers, the only debutant in the 7DAYS EuroCup, has made it to the playoffs and its biggest star has been Caleb Homesley. The left-handed swingman ranks fourth in scoring in the EuroCup this season with 17.6 points per game in addition to 3.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Hamburg is the first European stop in his professional career and he's been making the most of it. As he and his team prepare for the knock-out stage, Homesley knows the pressure should be on other squads, as he said in this EuroCupBasketball.com interview. "Going into the EuroCup, we really had nothing to lose. People didn't expect us to do anything, so it's the same exact thing. We will probably end up going to play on the road somewhere and they won't expect us to win," Homesley said. "And we will play with a little chip on our shoulder like we do every game."
Caleb Homesley, Hamburg: 'I came here to win and help Pedro win'
Hello Caleb, congratulations on a great season. It is your first season in Europe, how are you enjoying the experience of playing on this side of the Atlantic and in the EuroCup in particular?
"Thank you. I am enjoying it a lot. I knew taking this job would be different for me, just coming over here, different style of basketball and what I was accustomed to or used to. But I think Pedro [Calles] did a really good job trying to implement little things and kind of show me the right way to play over here. And I think that just kind of propelled me this season to help me have a good season and help the team have a good season. The travel is great. Obviously, it is my first time in Europe, but just being able to travel to different types of countries, coming from where I'm from... I live on the East Coast and it's hard to get to the West Coast of the States. It's a long flight. So being able to take a short flight somewhere here in Germany and end up in Paris or end up in Spain, any of these places that we go to play basketball is really neat."
You proposed to your girlfriend in Hamburg, at Alster Lake. Now she is your fiancee. How was that moment?
"I knew a timeline, when I was going to do it. It just happened that I ended up taking this job and I was over here. She came over here to visit me for three months, so I decided, 'why not do it here?' It's something that's memorable and we will both remember it forever. It is something that not a lot of people get to do, going to go to another country to propose and get engaged. So I thought it was perfect timing."
"Pedro [Calles] is not into wins and losses per se, but more about the process, and I think that's why we are winning."
Hamburg started 1-6 in the EuroCup and is 6-3 since. You were the most inexperienced team in the EuroCup before it started. How much did you need that period of adjustment?
"Yeah. We just had to figure it out. I think we got more confident as the games went on. I think that going into it, we were kind of skeptical. We were using those games to get better for our domestic games. And it just so happened that by getting better in those games, we ended up winning some games. And once you start winning some games, guys on the team get confident and you just kind of keep it rolling. And I think that's what we did. I think we just go into every game just thinking, let's get better, let's focus on ourselves. I think when we do that, we have a good shot."
Pedro Calles is one of the best young coaches in Europe. How is it to work for him?
"It's great. Pedro understands the game of basketball, and most importantly, he understands you as a person as well. He knows that there's life outside of basketball, but once you step inside the court, he wants everything from you and I think that's a huge deal. I think that's the reason why we are having success. He's always telling us, just focus on ourselves, don't really focus on the other team, who the other team may have, or that the other team might have more talent than us. We just have to focus on ourselves, go out there and play. He is not into wins and losses per se, but more about the process, and I think that's why we are winning."
Hamburg has a different basketball brand, playing physical, taking a lot of threes, putting pressure on the ball and powering the offensive rebounds. How fun is it to play for this team, considering all that?
"You just got to play hard. Once you play hard, with this system, good things happen. I think he has put us in perfect positions to beat big clubs, like when we go up against Andorra. It's just an unconventional way of playing at times, but it works for us because we might not be the most talented, but we are going to go out there and like he says all the time, we are going to go out there and be the most aggressive team on the court."
The EuroCup playoffs are around the corner. It's like a 16-team NCAA tournament, but with professional players, something unprecedented in European basketball. How much are you looking forward to EuroCup Spring Madness?
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. It is win-or-go-home. Those games are always fun. It puts a little bit more tension into the games. On any given night, anybody can be hot, anybody can play their best basketball. So it's not more of a five-game series. It's just one and done, so I'm looking forward to it."
We were told that you are logging your basketball experience and thinking of writing an autobiography down the road. Is that true?
"Yes, yes, down the line. I think that I'm going to start just about my basketball experience in general. And I think I just thought whenever I got out here, just knowing that I have been to different countries and I can talk about my experience there, how I played, what the atmosphere was like and just different things like that. Just memories, man. It's one of those things you see basketball players do it all the time. Whether it's about that, whether it's about a motivational book... For me, I just want to talk about my experiences and how to overcome different things and different obstacles."
"We might not be the most talented, but we are going to go out there and... be the most aggressive team on the court."
Hamburg plays two games this week, and one of them is agaisnt Turk Telekom Ankara. Earlier this season, you had 29 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists against Turk Telekom. What do you remember about that game?
"It was a fast-paced game. I also know that they were down some players when we played them the first time. So it's going to be a totally different game and it's always a different game when you play on the road as well. I think, for us, we just got to keep doing what we are doing and focus on ourselves. And I think that good things will happen."
You are building a basketball culture in Hamburg, with a young coach, ambitious players and good scouting. How does it feel to be part of this culture, to put Hamburg on the European basketball map?
"I think it's important. I came here to win and help Pedro win. I think that he knows my goal and I think I know his goal. And I think that the way he communicates to the team is 'let's go out there, let's play our basketball'. And any time you can give us the confidence to go out there and play the right way, and we know that he has our back, I think that's a good culture building."
Hamburg is the only EuroCup newcomer. In the elimination rounds, all the other teams should have more pressure. Could that work in your favor?
"We have nothing to lose, man. I think going into the EuroCup, we really had nothing to lose. People didn't expect us to do anything, so it's the same exact thing. We will probably end up going to play on the road somewhere and they won't expect us to win. And we will play with a little chip on our shoulder like we do every game."