Javier Gancedo chats with the Paris forward about his maiden season in the EuroCup and what it would mean to win it all.
Tyson Ward, Paris Basketball: 'It's going to be a pretty good series'
Interviews
8 Mins read
Paris Basketball is having one of the best-ever seasons in the BKT EuroCup, having reached the semifinals with an 18-1 record as the top offensive team in competition history. Paris raised its competitiveness in a very unconventional way, bringing in head coach Tuomas Iisalo and six players who played for him on a very successful Telekom Baskets Bonn team last season. One of them is forward Tyson Ward, whose all-around performance has allowed him to be one of the pillars of his new team.
Ward is averaging 11.7 points on strong shooting (65.8% 2FG, 39.0% 3FG, 86.8% FT), 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and a PIR of 14.2, having started all 19 games until now. Ward hopes that Paris continues its run and gets the four wins the club needs to qualify for the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
"Being in the EuroCup for three years now and then going into the EuroLeague would be an incredible thing. You bring a different type of love for the game in Paris, a different type of atmosphere, make it a major city for basketball and allow it to bring in a new age of basketball into the city," Ward told the official EuroCup website.
"It would mean the world to the guys in the locker room. That would mean better opportunities for the next year for the coaching staff. It would be great for the front office, the guys that have been here for five years, grinding and building the organization."
Hello, Tyson. Congratulations on a great season. How much fun has it been to play for Paris Basketball so far and get that 18-1 record?
"It's a blessing, especially to move leagues and still have that same success. It's definitely been a testament to all the work that we put in throughout the year. It's just been a lot of fun, especially with these guys. You know, winning is always fun for a team, but it definitely makes it extra special sharing it with new guys and some of the same guys that I've played with in the past."
You came to Paris from Bonn, just like Coach Iisalo and five other teammates. Were you surprised to see that happening?
"It's always a surprise. It doesn't happen too often, where you get some of the same guys. We talked about it over the summer with the guys that were going to be there and even the guys that were part of the team last year. It's just wild, but there's a lot of comfort in that. I would say you don't have to know as many new personnel going into a team, you have familiarity with play types and people, and what you expect with the attitudes or not attitudes, but how people are and how people react to certain things. So it definitely was and is a bonus."
"It's pretty remarkable for both teams to be able to accomplish such a feat."
One of the new players who didn't come from Bonn is Nadir Hifi, who has had a big impact on the competition. How he is on and off the court?
"He's a good kid, man. He has learned so much since the beginning. He is willing to learn and is not one of those kids that has an ego. It's always a positive thing with him, you can always talk to him. He's taking coaching well, and he's taking some of the leadership very well throughout the year. And you can see it as his games progressed throughout the year."
Paris is breaking all the offensive records in the competition. It seems that you play easy run-and-gun basketball, but it is never easy. What's allowed you to play so fast and score so much?
"I think that just comes with Coach's knowledge of personnel. He's got a lot of guys that like to get out and run, and when you get a lot of turnovers or when you get a lot of stops defensive early, it leads to those opportunities to get out and run. And that's the main strategy for us, to get as many stops as possible and that will lead to transition. And Coach did a great job with picking his personnel to help break the record."
This is your first EuroCup season. In general terms, how do you find the competition?
"It's completely different. You've got high-level talent all the time, guys that have been in the EuroLeague, guys that are looking to go into the EuroLeague. This is the next step to get there, and every single night you are just playing against great talent. It is fun to be around and definitely a challenge coming into your matchup every single night."
You are going to play against London in the semifinals. Both teams were EuroCup rookies less than two years ago. How great is it to see both teams grow together and create a sports rivalry?
"it's awesome. With such little time doing that, it's pretty remarkable for both teams to be able to accomplish such a feat like that. I know that they have some guys that are excited to play in the semifinals and I know we are as well. As the year progressed, I have learned about the rivalry a little bit. And I think with it being such a rivalry now, it's going to be a pretty good series."
You beat London twice this season. Since then, London signed David Nwaba and brought back Sam Dekker. How different will the next games be, with more pressure and different lineups?
"It's a lot of pressure for both teams. I don't think either team has been further than this and they have a lot of seasoned guys that have been in different environments where they had to win games and in high-pressure situations. I think we have had the same thing as well, so it's going to be a battle of who can maintain their identity and their brand of basketball. And as simple as it may be, who can stop what they do best, and that's what it's going to come down to. It's not going to be who has the better strategy or anything. It's just who can contain who for the most number of possessions. And that's what it's going to come down to for 40 minutes."
"It's a lot of pressure for both teams."
Since you played against both teams during the season... What's your take on the other semifinal, Bourg vs. Besiktas?
"It's going to be fun to watch. Both teams definitely have a lot of talent. Bourg is, I would say, a similar style to us with how they play and so it's going to be a fun game to watch. I just don't know who's going to bring it out, to be honest with you. I mean, at the end of the day, we are going to focus on London first and then whoever's on the other side we will handle that accordingly. But as far as the other side, I don't really know what to expect from either team. I think both teams are very tough. Bourg has beaten us and so did Besiktas, so that shows you that they are very high-level teams as well."
Paris has never been closer to playing in the EuroLeague in the 21st century. How great would it be for the club, the city and especially for you guys to win the EuroCup and qualify for the EuroLeague?
"It would be a huge accomplishment, especially for the city. Being in the EurocCup for two years now and then going into the EuroLeague would be an incredible thing. You bring a different type of love for the game in Paris, a different type of atmosphere, make it a major city for basketball and allow it to bring a new age of basketball into the city. As the time progressed, they have been building the fan base. I think that would be huge for the fan base to have something back behind. That's another thing to be a part of along with PSG as a major soccer club, and then to have us [in the EuroLeague], that would be huge. It would mean the world to the guys in the locker room. That would mean better opportunities for the next year for the coaching staff. It would be great for the front office, the guys that have been here for five years, grinding and building the organization. It would be huge. It would be a huge accomplishment for everybody involved."