Combo guard Andres "Toto" Forray, who has just started is 10th consecutive season with Dolomiti Energia Trento, blogs about the team's strong 3-0 start.
Toto Forray, Trento: 'You need to earn everything'
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Combo guard Andres "Toto" Forray has just started is 10th consecutive season with Dolomiti Energia Trento, a claim that few players anywhere get to make. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Forray moved to Italy in 2003, then slowly but steadily worked his way up in domestic competitions before joining Trento in 2011. Forray and Trento reached the semifinals in their first 7DAYS EuroCup season, 2015-16, and are now starting their fifth together. Follow Toto's blog all season long to know everything about Trento and what is going on in the competition!
We've had a great start to the EuroCup, three consecutive wins. Maybe it is to compensate for the bad performances we are having in the Italian League. We are playing much better in the EuroCup, bouncing back from the mistakes we made in the Italian League, playing with a lot of more confidence. Let's say we are angrier before a EuroCup game, and maybe this is what we are doing so well. I hope we can be consistent in both competitions soon. I believe playing the Italian Supercup in preseason helped us, too. We started the EuroCup season with a good rhythm.
Although, I must add that didn't start well in the EuroCup right away. We went to Bursa in Round 1 and were losing by 10 at the end of the first quarter. Still, we rallied in the second half and won the game. It was tough early in that game because a lot of our guys were playing in the EuroCup for the first time. They were a bit anxious early in that game but shook that anxiety off in the second half. We played a good second half, like a team, and that comeback helped us understand how we need to play in the EuroCup, especially on the road.
"The club tries to keep a core of players, which is good"
After so many years in Trento, I am the go-to guy when it comes to newcomers asking stuff: what to do, where to go, where to eat and all that. Fortunately, I am not the only one, since Davide Pascolo, Andrea Mezzanote and Luca Lechthaler have been in Trento for a while. The club tries to keep a core of players, which is good. I get asked a lot, since I am the oldest player on the team... and if they want to do other kinds of things, they can ask the younger players. I am out of some things at my age!
I guess you already noticed that JaCorey Williams is one of the most interesting players in the EuroCup this season, and we are lucky to have him. I did an interview with local media in Trento before the start of the season and they asked me which new player surprised me the most, and I named him. He is really strong and fast, and you can tell by the way he is playing. He is taking advantage of the fact that he is an unknown player at this level, having spent most of his career in South Korea and China. Still, he knows what he is doing and has been practicing hard since the day he arrived in Trento. It is not a surprise that he is doing so well; he has been doing that in every practice. He is a good rebounder, plays defense, is not selfish on offense, and his energy in contagious.
"Having so many great teams only makes the competition better"
Gary Browne is also playing well, but we knew him already. In fact, he played against Trento last season with Darussafaka. He is a very good point guard who plays for the team. He had a really, really good game against us in Trento last season. We knew everything about him already, and what he is capable of, and he is proving it. Gary steps up every time the team is in trouble. He is our leader on offense. It happens a lot that when someone plays well against your team, you sign him for the following season. It is better to know a player before he arrives! Off the court, Gary is a quiet guy. I try to help him as much as I can, in terms of guiding the team where our coach wants it to be. He practices hard and that is a big push for the team, too. He is very competitive and that is always good to have in practices.
We face Cedevita Olimpija at home next week and then we play on the road against Gran Canaria. Having such a great start in the EuroCup makes us play with more confidence. I believe Olimpija and Gran Canaria are the toughest opponents in our group. Olimpija has very experienced guards and that helps a lot. They are excellent players, too. We will try to make things hard for them. Experience in European competition and how you recover from your domestic league game before playing in the EuroCup is always critical.
There is a great playing level in the EuroCup this season. It is very hard to say who will win it. It is even more balanced than last season, with so many high-quality teams. Also, it is too early to see if a team is ahead of everyone else. Having so many great teams only makes the competition better, more attractive. Nobody knows what will happen! Having great stars doesn't mean anything because there are many good clubs and good players out there. You need to earn everything on the court. Players are not machines and nothing can be taken for granted before the games!