Hear from Frutti Extra Bursaspor's star guard Andrew Andrews in this week's interview.
Andrew Andrews, Bursaspor: 'Everything we have done is history'
Interviews
8 Mins read
Frutti Extra Bursaspor has played the Cinderella role in the EuroCup playoffs close to perfection, upsetting two of the favorites to win the competition, Partizan NIS Belgrade and Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, on the road in front of sellout crowds. Andrew Andrews has been a major reason for his team's success. After a mid-season lineup shakeup, Andrews embraced a larger role and has averaged 23.3 points and a PIR of 23.9 over his last 10 games, in which he's led Bursaspor to seven wins. Andrews had 24 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists against Partizan in the eighthfinals and 12 points against Cedevita in the quarters. Full of confidence after becoming one of the biggest stars in the competition, Andrews gave credit to his teammates for Bursaspor's recent run. "I just try to find ways, trying to figure out what the team needs. And it's not only me; everyone on the team stepped up, and we all were more than capable," Andrews said. "The role had to be spread out through all of us. We were all ready for the challenge."
Hello, Andrew. Congratulations on a great win in Ljubljana. Both teams came into this game with great rhythm. What allowed you to have the chance to win it down the stretch?
"I just think the firepower of our team on both sides of the ball. I know our stats don't show that we are a good defensive team, but we are really good defensive players and we are able to get the stops when we need them. And also offensively, we just have a lot of guys in our team who can make plays and it's very hard to try and stop everything that we bring to the table as far as our offensive firepower. So I think that showed in the Cedevita game, knowing that they have won a lot in a row, but also we have played them twice. They were in our group and we beat them at home. And on the road, the second time we played them, we didn't have a full team, so we felt like we could beat them again."
"I really know how to play basketball and if I'm not scoring, I can pass the ball, I can rebound the ball, I can defend."
You played in front of two amazing atmospheres in Belgrade and Ljubljana, but also had great home crowds behind you. How much fun is that, after being without fans for a long time?
"It's amazing! It brings you back to college. I think most of our guys here played at pretty prominent colleges or at least had atmospheres in college where they have been in packed houses and got to experience the energy of an arena and definitely, Partizan and Cedevita brought that energy back and turned it into more of a performance than a basketball game. Because now, you get to showcase not only to Europe but to the fans watching the game what you are capable of doing."
How much are you enjoying the new EuroCup format, with so many do-or-die games?
"This is my first year in the EuroCup, so the format to me is the only format I'm kind of used to. I think it's good, it obviously gives teams with lower budgets or teams who aren't expected to win or get to the finals to have a shot because, in one game, anything can happen. But also, a lot of these teams have gone on the road and won. The only bad part is, I guess, you don't have a chance to redeem yourself if you have an off night. The whole rest of the season can be thrown away off one bad night."
Bursaspor had a couple of departures and an injured player when you stepped up to lead the team. What went through your mind in that process?
"I just try to find ways, try to figure out what the team needs. And it's not only me: everyone on the team stepped up, and we all were more than capable. I mean, from Derek [Needham] to Dave [Dudzinski] to Hayes to Onuralp [Bitim], everyone came in new once obviously Al [Allerik Freeman] left, one of the leading scorers in the EuroCup, and we lost our big man [Egemen Guven]. The role had to be spread out through all of us. We were all ready for the challenge and it kind of showed through the practices leading up to their departures what we are capable of. And that just kind of brought us closer together. We knew that we could do something special."
You have been rock-solid in the last three months, with great self-confidence. What's the secret?
"I think I just pride myself. I really know how to play basketball and if I'm not scoring, I can pass the ball, I can rebound the ball, I can defend. So I really try not to focus on scoring as much as just trying to make the right plays. And on the basketball floor, I take my shots when I see it fit and honestly, just putting in the work. I think me and my teammates come into the gym every day, work on some of the stuff that you guys see during the game and it has been paying off."
How much credit does Coach Alimpijevic deserve for the team's success and your individual performance?
"I think he deserves a lot of credit. Obviously, he made decisions and some of the guys departed. So he saw something in us as far as what we were capable of doing. Like I said, Allerik Freeman was great for us, Egemen was great for us, Anthony Brown was great for us. And to be able to see that as a coach and still allow those players, and still give us a chance to flourish was an amazing job on his behalf. And then just for me personally, just challenging me to be who I am. I remember we had a team meeting when we played Cedevita on the road. I would sit out of that game, but he challenged me to be who I am or who he's seen me be. And he has challenged everybody in that way as well. So he is just giving you confidence and he is going to allow you to make mistakes and figure it out on the court."
John Holland has been the missing piece in the puzzle. How has he helped you become an even better team?
"When we signed John, we collectively as a team knew that he was going to help get us to where we wanted to be. And we just knew that based off John's resume; we have all seen him play we know he's a big-time player. He stepped in and has done exactly that. And not only just his playing, just his energy. What he brings personality-wise to our team as well is something that we needed. He's just overall a really good player, a really good guy. He's going to help our team tremendously and he gave us more depth offensively and defensively. He has been tremendous for us."
"I don't think we feel any pressure as a team. We are fully confident in who we are as a team and who we are as players."
He went viral with that halftime interview in the game against Cedevita. How did the team react to it?
"Yeah, we couldn't believe it. But after seeing it, it's 100% who John is. And that's what I'm talking about as far as who he is as a person and what he brings to our team. The charisma, the desire... just his energy as a whole. It's just been incredible. We got to showcase that in that interview."
You will play against Andorra in the semifinals. Both teams have a unique chance to reach the final. Is that extra pressure a big factor in this game?
"I don't think so. I don't think we feel any pressure as a team. We are fully confident in who we are as a team and who we are as players. And we feel if we just go out there and try and play to the best of our capabilities, that's the best we can do. So there's no pressure when you're in that type of mindset. We have no expectations. We just know we need to go in there and play hard and let the results follow."
Bursaspor is a young club but also very ambitious, two steps away from winning a European title. Do you feel like you have a great opportunity to make history?
"Yeah, for sure. the club was in the Turkish second division two years ago. So everything we have done up to this point is history. So we don't really try and look too far ahead. Like I said, we know we have to play against Andorra. A lot of our motto has been just to try and take things step by step and just keep trying to find ways to stay consistent and keep getting better."