MoraBanc Andorra playmaker Clevin Hannah was a driving force behind his team's second-place finish in Group A of the regular season. Before the Top 16 tips off, Andorra discussed his time in Andorra in this interview.
Clevin Hannah, Andorra: 'The EuroCup is high-level basketball'
Interviews
6 Mins read
MoraBanc Andorra playmaker Clevin Hannah was a driving force behind his team's second-place finish in Group A of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season and leads his team into the Top 16 with lofty goals. Hannah joined the team, which reached the semifinals last season, over the summer and with his play has Andorra aiming high once again. This season is Hannah's third EuroCup campaign after previous experiences with Bilbao Basket and Rytas Vilnius. After averaging team-highs of 11.9 points and 5.8 assists, including an impressive 52.5% (21 of 40) of his three-point shots, Hannah believes the club's approach to every game can help it go far, as he said in this EuroCupbasketball.com interview. "For us, having been with our coach Ibon Navarro, he tries to approach every game the same way," Hannah said. "Both competitions are really important and that is his approach, every day, every game is very important."
**How has the EuroCup season been so far? You finished the regular season with five consecutive wins. That must be a good sign? **
"We are happy until now, but have to continue to work."
"Everything is going good. We made it out of the first round, so that is always good, and we are in the Top 16 now. It is a better competition and a higher level of games - and it just keeps getting better and better as it goes. We are happy until now, but have to continue to work so that we can move forward."
There are three teams from the Spanish League in the same Top 16 group. Is that an advantage or a disadvantage?
"I would say it is a little bit of both. We played against Joventut and Unicaja in our league, so you will definitely have some advantages because you know those teams, but the disadvantage is that they know you just as good. I would say it is about even, 50-50. The good thing is that we don't have to travel so far and get to stay in Spain."
The other team in your group is Tofas Bursa, with a lot of experienced players. How important is it not to underestimate them?
"I played in Turkey one year, so I know that team pretty well. They are a highly-competitive team that always fights. You have to be focused when you go to play against them, even when they come to play against you. They are capable of beating any team. It is a really good team with a really good coach."
This is your third EuroCup season. How do you like the competition, in terms of competitiveness, format and playing level?
"It is really tough. I played the EuroCup with Bilbao and Rytas years ago, and the EuroLeague last season. Even compared to the EuroLeague, the EuroCup is high-level basketball. I would say it is maybe a step down, but still, there are many good players and really good teams. Every night, you have to be prepared and ready to play. Every team is pretty much even from the players' standpoint. You have to be prepared, have a good game plan, and be focused."
You went from Gran Canaria to Andorra. That is a big change. How does it feel to live in the Principality of Andorra?
"Andorra is really beautiful. It has a lot of sightseeing and mountains. Being in the mountains is a little bit different for me compared to last season, being on the beach in Gran Canaria. But Andorra is beautiful and the fans are really great. Coming here to play is really great for me. Teams have to come here and play against us, and with the travel and the fan support, it is a really difficult atmosphere. I really like it here."
Some of the players live in the same building as the club office, 100 meters away from the arena. How familiar is the atmosphere in the club?
"Everything is definitely like a family here."
"Like you said, it is definitely a family atmosphere. It is a small club in a small country, so everybody is in tune with each other, gets along well and works together well there. From the fans and the media's standpoint, everybody is around us all the time, close in the practices. Everything is definitely like a family here."
You played in Romania and Finland before arriving in Spain. Did starting from the bottom help you appreciate your current success even more?
"My experience in Romania and Finland really prepared me to grow as a person and be able to experience different cultures before coming to Spain, where everything is more professional and there is a higher level of basketball and lifestyle. I think it was great to have those experiences in Romania, Finland, France, Turkey and Lithuania; it made me realize about my opportunities and where I could play next."
How different is to play the same team in a 34-game domestic regular season from a six-game Top 16 phase?
"For us, having been with our coach Ibon Navarro, he tries to approach every game the same way. Every game is important, so I would say every game is just as important in the ACB and in the EuroCup. Both competitions are really important and that is his approach, every day, every game is very important."
You just played against Joventut recently. How different will it be to play against them in your Top 16 opener?
"It will definitely be different. They will play at home this time so it is going to be a totally different game. They have their home crowd and we have to travel to them. We have to go in, watch film, see what we did well against them and what we didn't do so well. We have to go in and try to stick to our game plan because it will be a very different game. We cannot think about the last game. Every game is different and it is hard to beat a team twice in less than 10 days."
Andorra made it to the EuroCup semifinals last season. What will it take to match that result or even improve it?
"It is going to be tough. It is definitely difficult to make it to the semifinals in European competitions, especially in the EuroCup. I would say we have to believe in our coaches, believe in each other, everybody trust everybody and buy into making it that far. Everybody has to do what they are supposed to do day in and day out, each day in practice, getting better."