The Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse big man spoke to Javier Gancedo on the eve of the BKT EuroCup Finals.
Maksim Salash, Bourg: 'We know we can win'
Interviews
8 Mins read
In just three seasons, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse has gone from second-bottom in its regular season group to playing for the 2024 BKT EuroCup crown. Bourg finished atop its regular season group, beat Prometey Slobozhanske in the quarterfinals and survived a tough best-of-three series against Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul to reach the EuroCup Finals against Paris Basketball. Power forward Maksim Salash was one of Bourg's heroes in the semifinals as he shone in Game 3, leading Bourg to a no-doubt-about-it 89-63 victory with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 19 in over 18 minutes.
Salash played professionally in Spain, Poland, Estonia, Russia and his native Belarus before joining Bourg. He said he hopes his outstanding performance in Game 3 will be just the beginning of a new chapter in his career. "Obviously, getting games like this can give you a little boost, especially when my season has had some ups and downs so far," Salash told Javier Gancedo of EuroCupBasketball.com. "I hope playing games like this can help me maintain my best level. I guess the finals are going to be different."
Hello, Maks. Congratulations on making it to the final. Bourg missed the playoffs two years ago and now it's in the EuroCup Finals. How has the season been for you guys and what allowed you to get to this point?
"Thanks. It has been a great season from the start. From the first day of training in pre-season, we set our goals and knew what we wanted to achieve this season. I think we are on the way. The season is still not finished, there is still a long way to go, but I think we are on the right path, and now we are in the EuroCup Finals. It has been a long way, a long season with a lot of games, but we were on top of our group and are in the Finals, so it has been great."
"It's the EuroCup Finals, anything can happen there."
In Game 3 of the semifinals, you lost Bodian Massa early but you played well at the '5' position, probably having the best game of the season. What allowed you to play so well? Did you think it was your time to step up and make a difference?
"Unfortunately, Massa was ejected along with Delgado and I had to play the '5'. But I played the '5' during the season, especially in the beginning of this season, so I do this sometimes for the coach, for the team. I mean, it wasn't a big surprise because I can play at the '5'. And as far as the game, it was Game 3 of the playoffs, you have to give 100%, give your best, so I cannot say there was anything special happening. It was just us wanting to win this game so badly in front of an amazing home court. Everything happened like we wanted it to."
How important is it for you to have a game like this in terms of confidence, right before the EuroCup Finals?
"It's great. Obviously, getting games like this can give you a little boost, especially when my season has had some ups and downs so far. I hope playing games like these can help me maintain my best level. I guess the finals are going to be different. It's the EuroCup Finals, anything can happen."
A decade ago, you were one of the stars of the Adidas Next Generation Tournament and played in the finals in Milan in 2014. What do you remember about that experience?
"Only positive, good things. We won this tournament [ANGT Qualifier in Rome], which was obviously great. Yes, it was a great time, for sure, but it's just different now. I was a teenager back then, and it was not even a professional level. Being in the EuroCup Finals is different, I cannot compare these two experiences. It's just different."
The club, Baloncesto Sevilla, had a lot of foreign prospects like Kristaps Porzingis, Tomas Satoransky, Nikola Radicevic and Beqa Burjanadze, who all played in the EuroCup at some point. What happened in Sevilla during those years that allowed so many young talents to blossom and become professional players?
"The structure of the club there was absolutely great at that time. Everything was ready to prepare these young guys. Their academy and the way they handled things was great. And that's actually why I went there because I was 16 years old and had a few different offers from other teams. But I decided to go there because of how they handled things, how they prepared young guys and stuff. It was just the really good structure of the academy."
You are about to face Paris Basketball in the finals. They are breaking all sorts of scoring records. What do you think has allowed them to play so fast and effectively?
"First of all, as you said, they play fast. They play with a lot of energy, and that's probably one of the main reasons why they score so much. Obviously, there is a lot of talent there, and they're just having a great season. They are rolling and have a lot of confidence, I guess, so all that translates to the points they score."
You beat them in the French League. How important is that in terms of confidence, knowing that the job can be done?
"It's kind of funny. We just played them once this year and we won, so it's going to be very interesting. They are obviously in great shape, but we have to have some confidence. We know we can win, and it's the Finals. We just have to be ready, and we will see what happens in those games."
"Controlling the pace of the game is very important. You never want anybody to score 100 points on you, that's for sure."
How much of a key is controlling the pace and not allowing them to run the way they usually do?
"You can say that about French basketball, it is very fast and energetic. A lot of teams here play like this, and I think we are going to be ready for that. We like to control the pace ourselves, so maybe this is one of the reasons we can win the series. Controlling the pace of the game is very important. You never want anybody to score 100 points on you, that's for sure."
How is the atmosphere in Bourg? It's the club's first European final, after all.
"It's great. It's been great since the beginning of the season: the fans, the staff, everything that is going on. It's been crazy. I think it is going to be a big game for the club in general. Our fans and the atmosphere they create have been crazy, and it is only going to get even bigger in these days. Playing at home, in front of that atmosphere, gives us this additional boost. Throughout the season, a lot of games have been sold out. People really love basketball in Bourg."
You won the BCL in the past. What would it mean for you to go one step higher, win the Eurocup and maybe have the chance to play the EuroLeague?
"It still is unbelievable, because it is my first season ever playing in the EuroCup, and we went straight to the finals. It has been amazing, but we haven't won it yet, so I cannot compare it to the BCL I won with Burgos. Still, I know what we can achieve. It is hard to comprehend that we are going to play in the finals. That's crazy. I still can't believe that. And of course, everybody wants to go to the EuroLeague but right now, I try not to think about it. We have to go step by step and focus on these games. We will play these really important games and we will see what happens after that. Right now, we are focused on playing in the finals. That is all we will be thinking right now."