The American guard discussed his rookie season so far and also looked ahead to the eighthfinals matchup with Turk Telekom
Matt Morgan, London Lions: ‘We have a special group of guys’
Interviews
10 Mins read
The BKT EuroCup often acts as a platform for players and clubs to take a big step forward, and that has certainly been the case for London Lions guard Matt Morgan.
Playing in his rookie EuroCup campaign, the 26-year-old has proved himself to be one of the best scorers on the continent, with his ability to put the ball in the cup being a key factor in London going 12-6 and wrapping up third spot in Group A.
On Wednesday night, Morgan and London host Turk Telekom Ankara in the EuroCup Eighthfinals, a single-elimination game to see which team advances to the quarterfinals. It will be the Lions’ first playoff game at Copper Box Arena, having lost in the eighthfinals at Joventut Badalona last season in its debut year in the competition.
As Morgan explained to Euroleague.net’s Geoff Gillingham, London feels optimistic about its chances of doing something special this season – and the first-year guard will have a key part in just how far the Lions can go.
You finished the regular season as the fourth-leading scorer in the EuroCup at 17.3 points per game. How do you reflect on your first season in the EuroCup so far?
“I think it’s been an up-and-down season. Obviously individually I’ve played really well, but just getting used to the different speeds, different playing styles. I’ve really just got to give a lot of credit to my coaching staff because they helped me through a lot of stuff. And then my teammates who have done this before, like Sam [Dekker], Jordan [Taylor], Tarik [Phillip], Luke [Nelson] – guys who I can talk to. Especially after my first game against [Umana Reyer] Venice where I didn’t play as well, they just kept telling me it’s a long season and we’ve got a lot of games, so a lot of credit goes to those guys for letting me be me and helping me get to where I am individually and as a team.”
You didn’t take long to establish yourself as one of London’s leaders, scoring 20 or more points in four consecutive games – and double digits in nine straight – after a 9-point outing in Round 1 against Reyer. Did you like that sense of responsibility on the court?
“I think I did because everyone knew what I was capable of, I just didn’t play well in that game. I got into some early foul trouble. I give a lot of that to [Reyer guard] Rayjon Tucker; I’ve been playing against him since we were little kids, so he definitely knows a lot of my moves. Just after that, I got comfortable with what the EuroCup is, the playing style, and I got comfortable being with my teammates. That was my first EuroCup game with them, so I was just trying to find myself in the offense, where I can attack and all that different stuff. It all came back to understanding who I was and understanding who we are as a team, and I just got rolling from there.”
Is there a particular game that stood out for you during the regular season?
“Man, there were a couple. I think individually, I would say the Cedevita [Olimpia Ljubljana] game in Slovenia. I think that was a big moment for me because I was able to impact the game in different ways without dominating the ball. I ended up taking one dribble to score 26 points or something like that, but also create a lot of offense by moving with and without the ball and putting people in good positions. As a team, I think our biggest game was the Besiktas [Emlakjet Istanbul] game at home. That was the one game all season where we just dominated from start to finish. Everyone contributed and did what we set out to do. I think that was by far our best game in the regular season.”
When I was doing the breakdown for London vs. Turk Telekom, I put that your battle with Tyrone Wallace will be one of the keys to the game. Do you agree, and what do you remember about facing him in France last year? (Morgan was playing for Le Mans, Wallace for Paris Basketball.)
“I just remember he had such a great team around him and he was a threat from all areas of the court. I don’t think he was there yet the first time we played them in Paris, but the second time he had been on a roll for a minute. I just remember him being able to score when he wanted to but also distribute the ball really well. It was a good game from me just because we had a good game plan to figure out their triangle and the two offense, but I also just made a lot of tough shots to be honest… and we were at home, so that helped. Obviously [Turk Telekom] got off to a slow start this season, but he’s turned it on and jumped to another level to get them to where they are. It’s definitely going to be difficult to try to stop him, but I think we’ve got a good game plan and a good group of guys around so I think we’ll be able to throw some different matchups at him and hopefully slow him down.”
What needs to go right for London to advance to the quarterfinals?
“We’ve just got to play defense for 40 minutes – we’ve got to lock in on that side – and get out in transition. I think we’re one of the best transition teams in the EuroCup and I think that’s where we really thrive. Obviously slowing down Ty [Wallace] and James Palmer is definitely going to be a big thing for us. And then using the same energy that we have on the road, using that to our advantage at home and protecting home court. We’re going to have our fans out there. It’s a one-and-done game; if we win we move on, if we lose the EuroCup season is over for us. Being able to stay locked in for 40 minutes on both ends, everyone doing their jobs, don’t try to do too much and see what happens.”
London is still a young franchise, but it has made really impressive progress in a short time. Is there optimism about what you guys could achieve this season?
“From the beginning of the season, we realized we had a special group of guys. Obviously we had a really tough schedule with our British League schedule and our EuroCup schedule being combined at the beginning of the season, but we made it through a lot of injuries, a lot of guys resting due to a lot of games being played, so I think we’re in a good place now where we’re getting healthy at the right time. I think we haven’t played our best basketball yet, so hopefully the FIBA break gave us time to rest and recover. We went into our game [against the Leicester Riders in the British League on] Sunday and used that as a step in the right direction of how we want to play on Wednesday. Now we’ll go out on Wednesday and do what we do to hopefully make it to the second round and keep our season alive.”
Sam Dekker featured for London on Sunday. Do you think he will be ready to play against Turk Telekom?
“I hope he’ll be back. If I’m a betting man, I’m going to say Sam’s not going to miss that game. We had a good training camp in Portugal where he got some live action, some good reps. We know he’s the reigning MVP in our league here and a really good player in the EuroCup last year, so that’s a really big piece we’re getting back – especially his creativity on offense and his ability to score. If we get somebody like him back… Mo Soluade, another huge piece – defender, knock-down shooter. If we can get those guys back and have a full rotation of 12, 13 guys, it’s going to be a headache for people to have to scout that.”
What have you made of Turk Telekom from afar? They were 1-8 in the first half of the season, then went 7-2 in the second half of the campaign.
“They had a great turnaround. They made some changes early in the season. My guys Markus McDuffie, who I played against last year, and Jalen Adams, who I’ve known for a while, didn’t end up finishing the season with them, but James Palmer and Ty Wallace ended up stepping up big time. They changed their season around, starting at the bottom and then finishing where they did. They’re on a roll right now. I think they have a good sense of who they are as a team and their roles on the team, so we’ve just got to understand that and lock in to the scouting report. We know that James and Ty are the guys on the team, so we’re going to have to throw different things at them to slow them down. Credit to them for not giving up on the season because a lot of teams might have just packed it in when they were 1-8.
Which Lions players do you expect to make the biggest impact in this game?
“Sam coming back will make a big impact. He hasn’t played in a while and I think his size and his skillset will definitely be a big adjustment for us having him back, but also for other people having to deal with that type of player. I think Gabe Olaseni should be one of the frontrunners for the MVP this season – how dominant he is in the paint and how he’s able to control the glass, I think that’s going to be a big thing for us. You could say a lot of guys: Donte [Grantham], Conor [Morgan], Luke [Nelson], JT [Jordan Taylor]. There’s definitely going to be someone who is coming off the bench or starting who isn’t one of the main guys per se that’s going to make a huge impact, whether that’s scoring, rebounding, defense. One of those guys is definitely to have a big game and I’m excited to see which one of them it will be – hopefully all four of them, hopefully everybody – but we’ll see what happens. I think those guys are going to make a huge impact on the game. I’m going to do what I’m supposed to do, but hopefully outside of me we get a lot of contributions from other people.”
The game against Turk Telekom will be London’s first-ever home playoff game in the EuroCup. What sort of atmosphere do you expect the fans to provide at Copper Box Arena?
“Man, I’m expecting the same atmosphere we had when we played against Paris at home, the same atmosphere when we played Besiktas at home. Hopefully a sold-out crowd, if not close to it. I want our fans to be excited and recognize the moment that this is: first home playoff game. It’s going to be loud, hopefully it’ll be more our fans than their fans, but I expect it to be loud, noisy, and a very exciting atmosphere. Hopefully we step up to the challenge and give them a reason to celebrate after.”