The Monaco ace spends a spirited hour with Joe Arlauckas

Mike James opens up at The Crossover

One of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's top stars in recent years, Mike James of AS Monaco, recounts some of the key moments of his career on the newest edition of The Crossover podcast with Joe Arlauckas.

What comes out of their animated conversation is an understanding between like-minded athletes of how a stone competitor like James can be loved by his teammates but misunderstood by others.

59:20 "I'm the villain, man," James joked. "I'm like the villain that you like in the movie. You like him, but he's still the villain."

Nonetheless, James wouldn't change much of what has happened to him along the way.

4:48 "It's all part of the journey," he says. "For people who had it a little bit easier, maybe they don't appreciate it as much when they get \[success\]. I think I'm very appreciative. Just the work I put into playing basketball and how much I love basketball, I think that kind of shows."  5:05

And if he isn't the person smiling most on the court, James says there is a reason for that:

3:24 "To be at a high level you have to have a certain moxie or swagger or attitude about you. I think if you don't have that, you just don't reach your full potential as a basketball player or in any sport in general." 3:40

James has starred for five different EuroLeague teams over eight seasons – Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Panathinaikos Athens, AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan, CSKA Moscow and Monaco – leaving a remarkable trail of exploits along the way, especially for someone who wasn't sure he would become a pro.

7:30 "Short answer is no, I didn't think I would be a pro or play basketball for a long time," he says. "At each stage, I was skeptical I would go to the next one." 7:50

Instead, it was a matter of just six months between when James was playing in the Italian third division until he debuted in the EuroLeague in late 2014 as a mid-season pick-up by Baskonia. In his first full EuroLeague season, James was a key factor in Baskonia reaching its only Final Four in the last 16 years.

(19:50) "I don't think we actually sat down to appreciate how good we were and the group that we had together," he recalls. "But that being said, it was amazing to go to the Final Four. I haven't been back since, which is upsetting." (20:05)

James cycled through Panathinaikos, Milan and CSKA since then, winning a Top Scorer Trophy and an All-EuroLeague nod in the 2018-19 season. He has scored more points during his time in the EuroLeague than anyone except Nando De Colo. But his return to the Final Four has been stopped in the playoffs and by the pandemic, among other reasons. James talks about his departure from a couple of those teams, but he's content now to have landed on his feet in Monaco, leading a debut EuroLeague team into its current playoff series with Olympiacos Piraeus.

1:00:30 "We've got options," he says of the best-of-five series, tied 1-1 before Game 3 on Wednesday in Monaco. "One of the main things about me playing \[against Olympiacos\]l is a respect thing... As much as I've been the opposition to them in the past, they play basketball the right way. They play hard, they play as a team, and they're good. So a lot of respect to them."

By his own count, though, the 31-year-old guard might have few such opportunities left, because his competitiveness won't let him limp off into the sunset as an older player.

1:03:30 "I've got one or two years left," James tells Arlauckas. "I can't ever be bad at nothing. I can never be considered less than I am right now. Once I start feeling like I might go down, I gotta get out of here."

That competitiveness was evident even during his turn on the show's EuroLeague quiz.

1:06:00 "This is going to make me so mad if I don't get a high score," he said. "This is going to stress me out for a long time."

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Guerschon Yabusele, Nicolo Melli and Vasilije Micic, coaching greats such as Georgios Bartzokas, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports–Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

Monaco ace spends a spirited hour with Joe Arlauckas

Mike James opens up on The Crossover

EB_21-22_CROSSOVER_EP8-JAMES_STATIC_WEBSITE

##### **In the latest of his series of podcasts with Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stars-in-the-making, four-time champion Kyle Hines welcomes 24-year-old swingman Alpha Diallo of AS Monaco, who had debuted with impact in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, much like the team that he helped reach the playoffs starting this week!**

A quarter with Kyle Hines and Alpha Diallo

Joe Arlauckas hosts the Olympiacos Piraeus head coach on the latest Crossover episode

Hear from Coach Bartzokas on The Crossover

It is always especially interesting when the coaches of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague sit down to chat with Joe Arlauckas, so when Georgios Bartzokas of Olympiacos Piraeus joined The Crossover, a lively discussion was guaranteed. The topics addressed included Bartzokas’s playing career, his different stops as a head coach, his coaching philosophy, his love for Olympiacos and much more. 

Bartzokas spent more than a decade as a power forward for Maroussi Athens and when injuries ended Bartzokas’s playing career prematurely, he knew the best way to stay in the sport he loved was coaching. In fact, Bartzokas had already been coaching children while still active as a player. His introduction to high-level coaching came as Panagiotis Giannakis’s assistant at Maroussi. Following successful stints as head coach with Larissa, Maroussi and Panionios, he was hired by the reigning EuroLeague champion in 2012, the club he had supported since he was a boy.

25:50

“I cannot hide it. I am an Olympiacos fan since I was a kid,” Bartzokas confirmed. “In Greece, everybody knows that. I grew up in football or basketball with Olympiacos, being a fan of the club. When I had this opportunity for this job, I couldn’t deny it. One of the happiest days of my life was when I signed with Olympiacos.”

He stepped into the shoes of Dusan Ivkovic and led the Reds to a successful title defense at the Final Four in London. Since then, Bartzokas has been a man in demand among the top clubs on the continent. He left Olympiacos early in the 2014-15 season and after a year off, coached abroad for the first time and led Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar to its first Final Four. Then came a season with FC Barcelona and a season and a half with Khimki Moscow Region. 

Throughout his stops, players have appreciated Bartzokas’s basketball philosophy, and the coach has become a master at getting the most out of his players. Arlauckas and Bartzokas delved into exactly how the coach approaches the game. 

45:30

“I don’t want to overcoach, this is my philosophy. I really love to see the players inside the court express their talent,” Bartzokas explained. “Of course, \[you have\] to have specific principles, rules, but I love to let them express their talent. I am not a coach who in every offense decides who is going to make the decision, who is going to score, who is going to take the shot. I don’t want to be like that. I really believe that by developing this during the season, you can get big results.” 

In January 2020, Olympiacos was struggling and in danger of missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Ownership turned to Bartzokas and asked him to come home and rebuild the team. The challenge at hand was much different than his first time with the club; unlike earlier when he had a championship-caliber roster, this time the Reds had an aging core. After some deliberations, Bartzokas accepted the challenge. 

1:05:15

“You need to work for today, for the next practice, for the next game. You need to enjoy what you are doing. Also, you need to be always motivated to be better at your job, to make your team better,” he said. “I think that both things are very interesting. To take a championship team and win again or to rebuild a team with the reputation Olympiacos has in European basketball. it is not easy. It is not only my responsibility. It is always a team effort. I have the support of the owners, of the front office. The organization at Olympiacos is really great. And positive players, which is very important. Always you need that.”

The rebuild has been quite successful considering that Olympiacos is third in the standings and has not only already locked up a playoff berth, but the home-court advantage in the quarterfinals, which carries a lot of weight considering the Reds are 12-1 this season at Peace and Friendship Stadium. Can Bartzokas lead Olympiacos to another historic feat? Time will tell. 

 With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Guerschon Yabusele, Nicolo Melli and Vasilije Micic, coaching greats such as Andrea Trinchieri, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

Georgios Bartzokas - Olympiacos Piraeus - EB21-RS19

In the next of his series of podcasts with Turkish Airlines EuroLeague stars-in-the-making, four-time champion Kyle Hines welcomes 18-year-old center Victor Wembanyama of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, one of the most talked-about young players on the planet.

ASVEL's Victor Wembanyama joins A Quarter with Kyle Hines!

A Quarter with Kyle Hines and Victor Wembanyama

For the first time in the history of the Crossover with Joe Arlauckas, the guest is a player from the 7DAYS EuroCup! Kevin Punter is starring for Partizan NIS Belgrade this season as it mounts a challenge to get back to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague one year after he helped a rebuilding AX Armani Exchange Milan make its long-awaited return to the EuroLeague Final Four.  

Arlauckas founded a kindred spirit in Punter and revealed the many things they have in common throughout the podcast. They both hail from New York, though different parts of the state. They know many of the same people, played for some of the same clubs and both played for Punter's current head coach, Zeljko Obradovic.

There was never a doubt about Punter's basketball talent growing up, but he still had to overcome many obstacles to find his way to a professional career. Academic struggles derailed his college plans and almost caused him to give up the game. He was forced to completely retool his jump shot in college and missed the second half of his senior season with a broken foot. When his first contract to play in Europe was offered, another problem arose.

\[17:00\] 

"I didn't even have a passport! The team gave us 48 hours to sign the deal. I don't even have a passport!" Punter recalled. "At this point, I had to report in like two and a half weeks, I don't have a passport. I had to tell my agent, 'I don't even have a passport, so I can't go. I don't know what to tell you.' Finally, we ended up getting a passport expedited, signed the deal and that started a whole 'nother chapter of my life."

Punter played in Greece, Belgium, Poland and Italy before he got the chance to play in the EuroLeague for the first time with Olympiacos Piraeus in 2019. He started on opening night and played a team-high 31 minutes, but Coach David Blatt soon resigned due to health issues and Punter's role on the team began to diminish. It became one of the toughest points of his career.  

\[32:20\]

"I was taken out of the lineup for whatever reason and slowly the minutes just dropped and dropped. They signed two more players and you know how that goes. Coaches have different visions of things and it's just the business of basketball," Punter explained. "I kind of lost myself in that, trying to figure out how I could play more, figuring out who I was. Once again, you start thinking about… the rumors are, 'He's not a EuroLeague player because now this happened'… It's the outside noise. That was a tough couple of months."

His former coach at AEK Athens, Dragan Sakota, brought Punter to Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade midway through the season and there he proved he was a player for the highest levels. He averaged 15.9 points on 48.3% three-point shooting in 12 EuroLeague games with Zvezda, which caught the attention of Coach Ettore Messina, who wanted Punter as part of his rebuilt squad at AX Armani Exchange Milan alongside established stars such as Kyle Hines, Luigi Datome and Malcolm Delaney, all of whom the club signed in the summer of 2020. 

\[39:40\]

"It was really dope, man, because I watched some of these guys play. So to come into that, it was humbling for me," Punter said. "The biggest thing for me that year was, I don't want to say keep up, but apply pressure just like those guys apply pressure. They've been doing it for years. I'm young coming up, I haven't really done anything up until this, so I'm asking people every day. I'm working hard every day. And I'm just gonna bring it every day. That was kind of my mentality." 

Punter fit right in and assumed a starting role on one of the best teams in the league. He led Milan in scoring with 14.3 points per game in helping it reach the Final Four, where he poured in a game-high 23 points against FC Barcelona in the semifinals. But after one season in the fashion capital, Punter sought new motivation and found it with one of Europe's storied teams. 

\[52:15\]

"I always need something to motivate me. I've been motivated for the last six years. That's kind of how I like to build each season. So one thing I asked \[Coach Obradovic\] was ‘What is your plan? Where do you see this team?'" Punter explained. "Once he said, 'Get back to EuroLeague. And we're trying to do it now, like right, right now,' that was all I needed to hear. Obviously, with him being the coach he was, I didn't need to know no more." 

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Mario Hezonja, Vasilije Micic and Walter Tavares, coaching greats such as Dimitris Itoudis, Andrea Trinchieri, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

7DAYS EuroCup scoring ace dishes with Joe Arlauckas

Partizan's Kevin Punter visits The Crossover

In the next of his series of podcasts with young stars-in-the-making, Kyle Hines welcomes his new teammate and EuroLeague newcomer Devon Hall, who has plugged in already as a key piece in AX Armani Exchange Milan's quest to return to the Final Four.

A Quarter with Kyle Hines welcomes Devon Hall

Real Madrid forward chats about life and hoops with Joe Arlauckas


Guerschon Yabusele joins The Crossover

Despite having only one full Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season under his belt, Guerschon Yabusele has emerged as a major force since signing with Real Madrid over the summer. So impressive has the French forward been that Real recently extended his contract through 2025. Shortly after agreeing to that extension, Yabusele hopped on The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas and the two shared stories of their basketball journeys.

Yabusele, who was born in France, is the son of immigrants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His father, who was a boxer and later a boxing coach, emigrated first, before Guerschon's mother and older sister joined him and they settled in Dreux, near Paris, where he grew up. His father would train local kids in boxing and that training would eventually help Guerschon as a basketball player.

[7:20] "I thank my dad every day because this [training] helps me even today again with my feet. That was one of the reasons why in Boston they called me the 'Dancing Bear'. It was like, 'He's like a bear and moves so quick with his feet.' So, this helped me a lot and sometimes in the summer I really try to keep on training with boxing skills because of the [footwork]. I know this has helped me a lot."

Although he first wanted to play soccer, Yabusele was advised to try basketball because of his size. Letting go of soccer and practicing basketball was not easy, but only until the basketball games began. Then, he began a love affair with the bouncing orange ball that lives on to this day.

Yabusele's road to the EuroLeague was not the path commonly taken for an elite French talent. He left to play in China when he was only 20 years of age, spent two seasons in the NBA with Boston and yet another in China before signing with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in February 2020.

His adjustment to basketball on the Old Continent after playing the very different styles in the NBA and China was fairly easy, in part, because Yabusele is an all-around contributor and a team player on both ends of the court. In fact, he takes extra pride in his defense.

[29:00] "Defense is important. I love scoring, for sure, but I love defense, too," Yabusele said. "It's like a game of one-on-one. I don't want you to score on me. And if you score, you're not going to score again. It's a mindset I try to get every game, not letting my opponent score on me."

Yabusele's rise to become a leading player for a perennial Final Four and EuroLeague title contender came with many hiccups along the way but was aided by his tremendous work ethic. He shared with Joe a little of how and when that started.

[37:30] "At age 15, I was going to the gym by myself and staying one hour and a half, two hours. And in my head, that's how I love the game so much. I was just going," he said. "I'd take the ball and go from the baseline to the other baseline, and in my head, I'd count 15 seconds left and try to make the game-winner and just try to enjoy doing everything, dribbling, shooting. And this made me want to go to the gym even more. Once you love going to the gym by yourself, you've won already."

The conversation touched on countless other topics, including Yabusele's seamless transition to his new club and his Hors-D'oeuvre clothing line. His passion came through again when discussing winning the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo with the French national team and their loss to Team USA in the gold-medal game.

[53:00] "We still have this feeling that we could have won, we could have won. And going to 2024, in our head, it's like, hey, this is not going to happen twice. It's going to be in Paris. We're coming back for sure," Yabusele said. "It's still a good feeling. Being second in the Olympics, I would never have thought about this in my life."

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Mario Hezonja, Vasilije Micic and Walter Tavares, coaching greats such as Dimitris Itoudis, Andrea Trinchieri, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

In the second of his series of podcasts with young stars-in-the-making, Turkish Airlines EuroLeague icon Kyle Hines welcomes 21-year-old forward Tarik Biberovic, who has already played in four seasons in Europe’s top competition and debuted in the Final Four.

A Quarter with Kyle Hines welcomes Tarik Biberovic

Milan big man talks about his life and career with Joe Arlauckas

The Crossover welcomes Nicolo Melli

As the child of an Olympic volleyball player who grew up in basketball-crazy Reggio Emilia, Italy, and then found success playing basketball in four different countries, Nicolo Melli is now back in his native country with AX Armani Exchange Milan. Melli shares some stories from his childhood and the major moments of his career in this episode of The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas.

Melli came to basketball naturally, thanks to the combination of his father, who had played basketball, the influence of his hometown and his great size.

[10:25] “Reggio Emilia is like half an hour away from Bologna and Bologna is called Basket City in Italy because they have Virtus and Fortitudo. Reggio Emilia has a very long tradition, mostly with the youth program. And I was lucky to be born there, grew up there and, honestly, I was always the tallest guy in the classroom in school. It was a very natural and easy decision to play basketball,” Melli explained.

His career could have been over before it started; Melli was the victim of several injuries during his youth career. However, he persevered and was able to sometimes even beat the expected recovery times. The talent Melli showcased with Reggio Emilia led to EuroLeague club Milan signing a then 19-year-old Melli to a multi-year deal in 2010.

Melli’s career took a major leap forward when he went abroad to play for Brose Bamberg in Germany in 2015 under Coach Andrea Trinchieri. His role and his numbers jumped off the charts and in his second season there Melli was named to the All-EuroLeague Second Team.

[25:40] “That decision to go and play in Germany for Bamberg, for Andrea, that was the decision. Probably I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for that decision,” Melli said. “I wanted to play. I wanted to prove, mostly to myself, that I could be something else than a three-and-D power forward. That was basically my role in my years in Milan."

By the team he finished his two-year commitment to Bamberg, Melli was one of the premier big men in European basketball. That’s when he fielded a call from defending champion Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, where he slid right into the rotation for legendary coach Zeljko Obradovic. In their first season together, Fenerbahce reached the EuroLeague championship game in Belgrade and Melli shined with 28 points against Real Madrid, but it wasn’t enough to successfully defend the title. Nevertheless, Melli’s memories from that weekend will last a lifetime.

[47:10] “That’s probably the best weekend of my career. I’ll tell you this. Even though we lost the final, it was my first Final Four, I experienced so many emotions during those two days. It was just special,” he said.

[48:10] “We lost and then after, I was crushed, to be honest. If I still think about it, it still hurts and it will hurt forever.”

After two seasons with Fenerbahce, Melli went overseas and spent two seasons with New Orleans and Dallas in the NBA. And then over the summer, he was able to return home to Italy and play again for Milan, which has been a special experience for Melli.

[58:30] “What they’ve built here is unbelievable,” Melli said of the club. “Everything we need we have it. So, I am really happy to be back… I’m really happy to be a part of this group because I’ve found an incredible group, not as basketball players, but as human beings, as characters. Great guys.”

Rest assured, Melli does not feel that since he has come full circle and returned to Milan with a leading role, he can rest on his laurels. Just the opposite. He feels that he is only getting started, as he explained:

[1:03:45] “I don’t feel like I got here and, okay, it’s done… I want to do stuff. I want to win. I want to challenge myself. I want to challenge my teammates. I want to challenge my team. Mostly I want to win. And do I don’t feel, okay I got here, I’m good. No. Now we start to do stuff.”

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Mario Hezonja, Vasilije Micic and Walter Tavares, coaching greats such as Dimitris Itoudis, Andrea Trinchieri, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

Get to know the UNICS star on and off the court as he chats with Joe Arlauckas

Mario Hezonja stops by the Crossover

Mario Hezonja is one of the most-exciting players European basketball has ever produced and the UNICS Kazan swingman shares freely about his development, his career and his thoughts on basketball on both sides of the Atlantic in the second podcast of the season on The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas.

A native of Dubrovnik, a seaside town in the south of Croatia, Hezonja’s talent was evident from a very young age. By 14, he needed to move to the Croatian capital to continue his basketball growth and there, playing against guys who were two and three years older than him, Hezonja learned many lessons about what it takes to be a professional in both basketball and life.

"In the 92-93 generations in Croatia, we have ballers, not players. Ballers… Those guys at that time, I was a kid so I’m looking up to them. These guys are very, very good. I had to get better even get to play with them. Not to be better than them," Hezonja said.

"Some the coach didn’t trust. Some couldn’t afford to stay in Zagreb anymore. The ones that are in Zagreb start to mess around. Then drinking, drugs. You know how it goes. There are a lot of bad examples. But also there are a lot of good ones. You know how it is. The math is always that rarely guys make it. You have to be different to make it."

Hezonja proved to be different and he made it big. At age 17 FC Barcelona swooped in and the teenage rising star received a new level of basketball education from Coach Xavi Pascual.

"European basketball is very different. I think you learn every single detail here and every single detail matters. The game, as soon as it starts, is [about] winning. Only winning matters," Hezonja said. "It’s very high tempo. It’s very physical. People want to win here. It doesn’t matter how you look, how many you score, how many you rebound, how many you pass. Just win. It was a learning experience and I’m very thankful I had Xavi there."

In due time, Hezonja carved out a role for himself and even once shot 8 for 8 on three-pointers in a Spanish League game. Three seasons with Barcelona was enough for the rest of the world to catch on to his skills and talent.

Orlando selected Hezonja with the fifth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and he would spend the next five years in the United States. He suited up for Orlando, New York and Portland in that time. However the business side of the NBA wore on Hezonja and after the end-of-season tournament in the bubble in 2020, he took a break from the game.

"Long story short, I said I don’t want to do this anymore," Hezonja recalled. "Initially I said I’m gonna have a whole year for myself. I want to get my groove, just basically all the passion back. Because it was draining and I felt like the person it’s impossible to drain it, but of course, when a lot of BS is happening and a lot of negativity, even the biggest ones get drained. So it was unfortunate, but I went back at it. And then the call from PAO."

Hezonja had been a fan of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens for years and followed the team closely even when he was in the NBA. The chance to return to action with the Greens was just what he was looking for. He signed on his birthday, February 25, and debuted with 21 points against Barcelona one week later.

He expected to remain with Panathinaikos this season too, however, despite a verbal agreement, things did not go as planned and by the middle of the summer, Hezonja was forced to look at other offers. Joining UNICS was a no-brainer.

"From day one, UNICS was the most serious. They were always there. Whatever I needed, they were very professional. And most important, they were very honest with me. ‘We want you for this, this and this.’ Also having Coach Perasovic helped because he told me strictly, ‘this is what I want. This is what we’re gonna do. This is what we’re gonna do with you.’ I had a plan. I had a vision of what I’m gonna be doing, which is basically what I’m doing now,” said Hezonja.

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Marius Grigonis, Shane Larkin and Kyle Hines, coaching greats such as Dimitris Itoudis, Andrea Trinchieri, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

A Quarter with Kyle Hines is a series of short one-on-one conversations about basketball and the off-court lifestyle of EuroLeague stars. Each episode lasts roughly the length of a quarter in a EuroLeague game during which Hines brings his veteran’s experience and insider's knowledge of the competition and the day-to-day life of an athlete to inform in-depth conversations with his teammates and opponents alike.

Among his eight guests last season were Jordan Loyd, Toko Shengelia and Nemanja Nedovic. New and previous episodes can be viewed here.

Blatt is the first of eight planned guests for the 2021-22 season, all of whom are either in their first season in the competition or still in their teenage years or early 20s. Hines will discuss several interesting topics with the stars of tomorrow, such as their EuroLeague debuts, players they’ve looked up to, good advice they’ve received, and more.

The conversation between Blatt and Hines touches on many shared experiences that they’ve had including making their EuroLeague debuts with German clubs and overcoming others' perceived shortcomings of their size.

“Things have worked out for me throughout my career. Starting in second division in Israel and being always undersized,” Blatt said. “People not believing in you and now I’m playing in the best league in Europe. So I’m just trying to be the best that I can every single day both off the court and on the court, just to continue my story in the EuroLeague.”

A Quarter with Kyle Hines is produced with the help of official partner Armani Exchange and joins a roster of innovative content from Euroleague Basketball that includes The Insider EuroLeague Documentary Series and The Crossover podcast, among others.

A Quarter with Kyle Hines returns for Season 3, in which the four-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion will speak to some of the young stars of the competition. His first guest is ALBA Berlin rookie point guard Tamir Blatt.

A Quarter with Kyle Hines returns with young stars as guests

Joe Arlauckas talks basketball and life with CSKA's boss

The Crossover opens its season with Dimitris Itoudis

The fascinating journey of CSKA Moscow head coach Dimitris Itoudis from a farming family in central Greece through war-torn Yugoslavia to the heights of the coaching profession is the subject of the first podcast of the season on The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas.

Itoudis made a pivotal decision at age 17 to leave his hometown of Trikala to study physical education in Zagreb, Croatia because he wanted to learn within Europe's most successful basketball coaching culture at the time.

22:05 "University is great, don't get me wrong, but the university of life is even better," he tells Joe Arlauckas. "The university of life for me was this group of five people I had then. We were talking literally 24 hours a day on how we're going to pivot, how we're going to position our elbow, how we're going to teach the kid the release, the reception, the dribbles. All this stuff, it was my university."

Itoudis, who amassed 100 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as fast as any coach this century, has captured two continental titles as head coach of CSKA to go with the five others he won earlier as an assistant at Panathinaikos Athens under Zeljko Obradovic.

Now in his eighth EuroLeague season, Itoudis has sat on CSKA's bench longer than any coach this century, but he knows that his years as an assistant coach were just as big a part of his career.

46:24: "In European basketball, assistant coaches are very important," Itoudis says. "This is group work. Yes, the head coach is leading. Yes, the head coach is taking some crucial decisions. Yes, the head coach is in the spotlight. But he has some guys behind the scenes who are working, and this synergy is very important."

Itoudis has never missed a Final Four with CSKA, but his first experience at the season's deciding event ended with a semifinal defeat to Olympiacos Piraeus that recalled traumatic losses of the past for the club and its fans. It fell to the team's new coach to put everything in perspective.

1:10:15 "You have to be the one telling them that there are no ghosts," Itoudis says. "And thankfully, we convinced everybody that there are no ghosts and we won the title with many of the same players the next year."

Recently turned 50 years old, Itoudis is now recognized as one of the world's most accomplished younger coaches. His mastery of basketball is evident in the way his teams focus, as he does, from tipoff to final buzzer.

1:20:55. "When I get into the gym, believe me or not, I'm focused on 10 players, the ball, and sometimes I see the referees," Itoudis says. "I don't see people. I don't see anybody. All of a sudden, this arena – 10,000 or 15,000 spectators, whatever – it shrinks to 10 men and a ball."

Itoudis relishes every step that brought him where he is today, just as he believes that every stumble can become an opportunity.

1:39:10 "Experience, you can't go out and buy it, and you can't ask for it," he says. "You have to experience it. You have to face it. You have to take the punches."

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Marius Grigonis, Shane Larkin and Kyle Hines, coaching greats such as Andrea Trinchieri, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

In 2017, Vasilije Micic was playing in Turkey when the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four was played in Istanbul. He bought tickets to sit in the last row at the top of Sinan Erdem Dome for the semifinals and couldn't get tickets for the championship game! So much has changed since then. Today, Micic is on top of the basketball world after leading Anadolu Efes Istanbul to EuroLeague glory for the first time in a season that saw him capture both the EuroLeague MVP and Final Four MVP trophies, too.

With his triumphant season now in the rear-view mirror, Micic sat down for a lengthy chat with his new friend, The Crossover host Joe Arlauckas. Though their conversation covered all of Micic's career, it focused more heavily on the last five years during which Micic has risen to basketball stardom.

Early on, Micic showed that he is not your average athlete. He grew up as a skier and his sister was an Olympic snowboarder.

"I still believe that I am a better skier than a basketball player. This is something that my father thinks, too," Micic said. "This is my first love. Basketball is actually second.

"I grew up in the mountains, the most famous mountains in Serbia, and the logical thing was actually to start to ski," he went on. "For six months a year, we had snow and there was nothing else to do. And if you have some talent and work ethic, you achieve good things."

The strength and athleticism he gained on the slopes paid dividends when Micic began to play basketball. He was seen as one of the best prospects in Europe after leading Serbia to a silver medal at the 2013 U19 world championships, but passed through several seasons with different teams in different countries before Micic took a major step forward.

Micic also went through some tough times off the court with the passing of his mother. All of his emotions came out when Euroleague Basketball surprised Micic with a video to announce his selection as MVP for the 2020-21 season. The video included clips congratulating him from his sister and father.

"I was also really touched emotionally by that video," Micic said. "That was one of the most special moments for my career, in my life, because when you don’t expect things, things are prettier. When you don’t chase them and they happen, you really feel pure happiness…

"Two years ago I lost my mother and that's something that is a big miss for us. But for the four of us, before we lost her, she was our base for everything. We always built from that… Like every mother, she was one of the strongest people in our lives and all these words that Nina said and my father, touched me so much because I felt it through my whole body and all these memories went through my mind because I really had a lot of situations where many people from my country, many fans didn't believe I could achieve this."

As Arlauckas and Micic started to trace his path to basketball greatness, it became clear that the 2016-17 season in Turkey with Tofas Bursa was a major turning point.

"Maybe the most important [step] for me was Tofas Bura in Turkey. That experience for me meant so much, privately and professionally, because I met one of the most important persons and a best friend in my life, Coach Orhun Ene. He is currently the head coach of the national team of Turkey. He gave me a chance," Micic explained. "I put all my past to the side when I signed there and I started to build my style of basketball that I play now. I started to shoot the ball; he pushed me to shoot the ball. He forced me to be more of a scorer."

After a strong season with Tofas, Micic felt ready to return to the EuroLeague. He could have stayed with Tofas and played in the 7DAYS EuroCup and had multiple offers in the EuroLeague, but settled on Zalgiris Kaunas, where another coach would help mold his game and push Micic to the highest level.

"For me, it was only important to improve my game and to be on the court at a higher level. It really happened like that," he said of his decision to sign for Zalgiris. "It wasn't an easy year for me because Saras is a very, very demanding coach. I always like to say as a comparison, that year was like I had played five-six years at a EuroLeague level. Because the way Saras teaches players, the way he treats players on the court with the details, paying attention, especially for a point guard, was an amazing experience that I use so much since."

Many raised eyebrows when after helping Zalgiris reach the Final Four, Micic signed for an Efes team that had been last in the league the season before. Especially because his initial role was to be Shane Larkin's backup. But Micic likened it to Sarunas Jasikevicius's decision to leave FC Barcelona in 2003 to test himself with Maccabi Tel Aviv. And it worked out perfectly.

In his three seasons with Efes, Micic and the club reached new heights, culminating in the 2021 EuroLeague championship. Micic tried to describe what it felt like to climb the mountain top and celebrate as a champion.

"The best proof of your achievement is when your friends and your family say 'bravo' or 'congrats' and your teammates... you cannot lie to them for such a long period. When my teammates hugged me and they said to me, ‘Thank you', to me and Shane the most, I don’t want to divide anybody, but really, I never felt that before, that my teammates came to me and said thank you. And that's enough to describe how good a feeling it is to win the title," Micic revealed.

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Toko Shengelia, Shane Larkin and Kyle Hines, coaching greats such as Ettore Messina, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others.

The guests in Season 3 have includedFC Bayern Munich Coach Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas star Marius Grigonis, Kostas Papanikolaou of Olympiacos Piraeus and CSKA Moscow assistant coach Darryl Middleton, Kevin Pangos of Zenit St Petersburg and Norris Cole of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

The Final Four and full-season MVP relives his experiences with Joe Arlauckas.

MVP Micic stops by The Crossover

The Crossover returns with a special schedule at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four! A Round Table of basketball journalists, moderated by EuroLeague.net's Javier Gancedo, got together to analyze the season and break down the semifinals, Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. CSKA Moscow and FC Barcelona vs. AX Armani Exchange Milan. European basketball legend Sergey Tarakanov of Match TV, professional basketball coach Piti Hurtado of DAZN Spain, Begum Unal of TrendBasket.net and Andrea Solaini of Eurosport Italy shared their opinions about the games and predicted the outcomes of the semifinals. They will all be back Sunday for another episode to analyze the championship game. Joe Arlauckas will also be back on Sunday with a Stars Round Table. Don't miss it!

The Crossover: Experts Round Table

With the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four right around the corner, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas welcomed one of the players who could have a lasting impact on the event. FC Barcelona center Brandon Davies joined Arlauckas to discuss his childhood in Utah, what he learned from facing adversity in college, the start of his professional career, and the success he found at Zalgiris Kaunas and Barcelona.

Davies came to basketball late. He played multiple sports as a boy and settled on soccer. At first, he was faster than everyone and found success, but when his growth spurt hit, everything changed. He found himself playing goalkeeper, thought it was boring, and decided it was time to move on from soccer.

[07:30] "I didn't really start getting into basketball until you know, like sixth or seventh grade. I played there with, it was called Junior Jazz, but I wasn't very good. I only played a little bit of minutes because I was paying to be on the team," he explained. "Then, as my skills developed, I started growing into my body. I started, you know, figuring things out. It was kind of a Michael Jordan-type story. I was got cut from the seventh-grade team, made the B team. All my best friends were on the A team, so I really put in the work that summer."

And the rest, as they say, is history. Davies starred in high school and settled on nearby Brigham Young University, where he was a teammate of former Panathinaikos Athens guard Jimmer Fredette. Together, they had the team ranked No. 3 in the NCAA when Davies was suspended from the team for breaking a school rule.

[13:40] "That was the hardest part, you know, of my life... You're talking about a kid who, all I knew was basketball and that was, you know, kind of taken away from me for my actions," Davies said. "But the main part for me was just the growing up factor. I knew I was a big part of the team, but my teammates were nothing but encouraging to help me do what I needed to do to get back or to make things right."

Davies more than righted the ship. He decided during his junior year of college that his goal was to play basketball professionally. He played two seasons in the NBA and then spent time in France and Italy before the opportunity came to compete in the EuroLeague with Zalgiris Kaunas under head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius. Together, they helped the club make history by reaching the 2018 Final Four.

[29:06] "It's an unbelievable place to play," Davies said. "The fans there are incredible. It feels like basketball's all they've got and they pour their heart and soul into you, if you're a player. It's an unforgettable experience to be a part of that and especially to be rolling how we were rolling and playing in front of sellout crowds every game. And a lot of our fans were traveling to our road games, so we had support everywhere and it was just nice to see you know when you're in a hostile environment you look up and you see all the green shirts right there with you."

After playing two seasons with Zalgiris, Davies joined Barcelona in the summer of 2019, but not before discussing the matter with Jasikevicius. A year later, they were reunited when Saras arrived as Barcelona's head coach.

[00:36:12] "I have a lot of respect for him. We have a really good relationship on and off the court, I can honestly say. He was a big part of helping me get to this point in my career," Davies said.

[38:00] "He's a winner and yeah, it's not that it's gonna be easy, but you know with his with his basketball mind and everything, if bringing him here is gonna get us that championship, then let's go, let's get it."

And that's where things stand now. Davies helped Barcelona achieve the best record in the EuroLeague Regular Season, and after a tough playoff series against Zenit St Petersburg, they are heading to Cologne for the Final Four. However, Davies said that the five games against Zenit will make Barcelona a better team when the semifinals begin.

[38:45] "Being hit in the mouth like that is something that I think is gonna help us get to where we need to get," Davies explained. "Our coaches, they tried to prepare us for this type of battle, and at the time we weren't ready. We learned a lot about ourselves from that series, individually and as a team."

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Toko Shengelia, Shane Larkin and Kyle Hines, coaching greats such as Ettore Messina, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others. The first guests in Season 3 were FC Bayern Munich Coach Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas star Marius Grigonis, Kostas Papanikolaou of Olympiacos Piraeus and CSKA Moscow assistant coach Darryl Middleton, Kevin Pangos of Zenit St Petersburg and Norris Cole of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, former champion Sofoklis Schortsanitis and two special episodes with general managers Maurizio Gherardini of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Christos Stavropoulos of AX Armani Exchange Milan and Paulius Motiejunas of Zalgiris.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

Final Four-bound Barcelona big man chats with Joe Arlauckas

Brandon Davies visits the Crossover

eb-20-21-crossover-ep12-davies-static-16x9.png

Greek center Sofoklis Schortsanitis enjoyed a storied Turkish Airlines EuroLeague career, during which he played for four clubs over 10 seasons. In this episode of The Crossover, Joe Arlauckas talks with Big Sofo about all of it, starting with his birth in Cameroon to life after retirement.

The big man did not dream of a basketball career as a boy. Schortsanitis's younger brother Alexandros was the first in the family to take up basketball and even that didn't motivate Sofoklis to pick up a ball until later.

05:30 – "When I started, it was literally a fluke," Schortsanitis said. "Over the years, you just develop a love for the game. I love how exciting it is and how the work you put in outside the court translates into success."

He began playing in the youth team in Kavala, Greece, and by the time he was 13, Schortsanitis was sent to play with the men's team. He soon joined the Greek junior national team and made his pro debut in the Greek league with Iraklis Thessaloniki when he was just 15 and a half years old.

8:40 "Two days before the game, they actually told me I was going to be in the squad and I was like, 'Okay, I’ll just stay in the corner and clap whenever we make a basket," Schortsanitis recalled. "And game day, the coach is like, 'It's you, you, Hatzivrettas, Diamantidis and Sofo.' I was like, 'What?!?!'"

What's more, in just his second game Schortsanitis had to guard the great Dino Radja and it did not go well, though it was also a learning opportunity about how much faith his coach and teammates had in him. From there, his career took off. Schortsanitis went abroad to play in Italy at the tender age of 18, but after one season decided to return home and signed with Olympiacos Piraeus, where he bumped heads with head coach Jonas Kazlauskas.

23:50 "One day I was late for practice and he made me run the stairs up and down. He's like: 'This is good for you. It's good for your legs and you can lose weight,'" Schortsanitis recalled. "When they started practicing, he told me, 'Yeah come down. We don't have enough players.' So I started dunking and having a great practice. And this is where my nightmare started. After that, he's like, 'Man, those stairs are good for you. You'll do it every day!'"

With his growing reputation and great size, Schortsanitis was dubbed "Baby Shaq" – after Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal – and the moniker stuck. Schortsanitis did not mind the nickname until the day he had to face the original Shaq.

30:45 "Josh Childress was messing with me," Schortsanitis said. "The minute I got the ball in the post, he's like: 'Yeah Sofo. Show him who's the baby now!' I'm like, 'Don't say that!' I was so nervous. And then I heard Shaq behind saying, 'Yeah. Show me.'"

It all ended well though as Shaq tracked Schortsanitis down in the parking lot and they chatted for half an hour or so with O'Neal sharing some important career advice.

Schortsanitis helped Olympiacos reach back-to-back EuroLeague Final Fours. Then he decided to try playing outside of Greece again and signed for Maccabi Tel Aviv. The end of that first season is still a tough pill for Schortsanitis to swallow as the team reached the EuroLeague championship game only to lose to Panathinaikos Athens.

45:20 "I was sure, 100%, we were going to get it," he said. "We had a great squad. We were strong at every position... Sometimes after you lose a game like that, especially after you win a game like that against Madrid [in the semifinals], you think man, what was the season all about? But you have to bounce back fast because you have to go back to Tel Aviv and win the [Israeli] championship."

The only remedy for losing a title is to win one, and three years later, Schortsanitis finally won the EuroLeague with Maccabi in Milan. And even then, it took a while to sink in.

1:02:35 "It really sunk in that we actually won when we got ready to leave and we had to take pictures with the trophy in our hands," Schortsanitis remembered. "And I was like, well, this is it. We were fighting for years for this."

Schortsanitis was back playing in Greece in the 2016-17 season when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. Though he had surgery and came back, he never regained his previous form and in December 2020 announced his retirement from playing. However, even though he was done playing basketball, some things never change.

1:14:30 "My first 15 years, my mother was telling me what to do, how to do it, when to do it, where to go," Schortsanitis laughed retelling the conversation he had earlier that day with his wife. "For 20 years playing ball, my coaches were telling me what to do, where to go. And now that I've retired, I realized that for the rest of my life, you are going to tell where to go, what to do... And she's like, 'You just realized that now?!?!'"

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Toko Shengelia, Shane Larkin and Kyle Hines, coaching greats such as Ettore Messina, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others. The first guests in Season 3 were FC Bayern Munich Coach Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas star Marius Grigonis, Kostas Papanikolaou of Olympiacos Piraeus and CSKA Moscow assistant coach Darryl Middleton, Kevin Pangos of Zenit St Petersburg and Norris Cole of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

Former champ Sofoklis Schortsanitis sits down with Joe Arlauckas

Big Sofo joins The Crossover

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The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas returns with the second part of a special podcast with three well-respected general managers from Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs who share their experiences and behind-the-scenes insights. Maurizio Gherardini of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Christos Stavropoulos of AX Armani Exchange Milan and Paulius Motiejunas of Zalgiris Kaunas chatted with Arlauckas in this two-part panel discussion that touches on a wide range of topics. Part 1 was released on April 14.

The friendships and common ground that the three GMs share was clear during the episode, in which they discussed hiring coaches and signing players as well as dealing with the other end, firing or replacing them. coaching and releasing players.

Motiejunas spoke about the coaching situation at Zalgiris the past few seasons with Sarunas Jasikevicius growing in stature and the growing fear that he may not be able to keep him, which eventually proved to be the case last summer. He needed some encouragement in his coaching search and found guidance from his mentor, Gherardini.

[1:17:25] "To replace a guy like Saras, it's impossible. We want to have a Lithuanian mentality and I started with Lithuanian coaches. Of course, not a lot were available. But then I spoke to Maurizio as well. I'm like, what can I do to replace a guy like that? Someone to fill his shoes, it's impossible," Motiejunas said. "And I still remember to this day. He's like, 'Think outside the box.' Such a simple thing helped have the balls to take a risk and go talk to the coaches who are not well known in Europe."

One part of the general manager job that many fans envy is the ability to sign players and build teams. However, the flip side of that is releasing players and when it comes to club legends, that situation becomes more complicated. Stavropoulos explained why that situation is even more difficult after this season.

[1:27:35] "I think the most important thing is to respect the player. It's very helpful to have a solid relationship with him and if the separation is coming, to come naturally," Stavropoulos said. "I think that right now it's difficult because we played without fans, with empty stands. For the players right now, without cheering from the fans, it's so tough for the players."

Naturally, no basketball podcast this season would be complete without bringing up COVID-19. All three agreed on the wide impact it has had not only on the sport, but also the people who make it happen: the players, coaches, fans and everyone else. Because of that, they are all quite pleased with the fact that we are now on the doorstep of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs after a successful regular season.

[1:37:30] "I think we need to be proud collectively of what we achieved. I think we achieved it also because clubs worked together to make things easier for everybody, traveling, connecting, playing games," said Gherardini. "I think EuroLeague and the clubs made the right adjustments. And I think as a league, we must be proud that we completed the regular season. When we started, we were all hoping we would get to this point… We kept our basketball product alive. And we kept it alive also for people to enjoy from home, which was not that easy to predict when we made those adjustments and started the league in October."

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Toko Shengelia, Shane Larkin and Kyle Hines, coaching greats such as Ettore Messina, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others. The first guests in Season 3 were FC Bayern Munich Coach Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas star Marius Grigonis, Kostas Papanikolaou of Olympiacos Piraeus and CSKA Moscow assistant coach Darryl Middleton, Kevin Pangos of Zenit St Petersburg and Norris Cole of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

Joe Arlauckas talks personnel decisions with Fenerbahce, Milan and Zalgiris bosses

The Crossover with GMs – Part 2 is live!

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The Crossover has a different feel this time with host Joe Arlauckas welcoming a trio of well-respected general managers from Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs to tell of their experiences and behind-the-scenes insights. Maurizio Gherardini of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Christos Stavropoulos of AX Armani Exchange Milan and Paulius Motiejunas of Zalgiris Kaunas share the microphone with Arlauckas in this two-part panel discussion that touches on a wide range of topics.

Naturally, one of the first topics to be broached was how they became basketball executives. While each took different paths to where they sit today, all came about their love of basketball as players in their youth.

[08:35] "I still believe I can be a player," Motiejunas joked, before explaining what really happened when he first started working for Zalgiris. "I was always thinking I'll finish school and then I can still turn pro or play semi-pro. When I started to work for the club, I remember to this day. I saw the first practice and I did not understand how the guys had so much strength, how fast they were. And it just hit me then and I'm like, 'Dude, you're not going to [play at] that level!"

A general manager's job encompasses many areas. Of course, most of the focus is on how well the team is playing. That said, there is a seemingly endless list of other responsibilities on a GM's desk at any time that can include player development, youth teams, business interests, logistics and many more items. However, as Stavropoulos explained, no two GMs have exactly the same job description.

[16:45] "I think it's probably different from club to club, depending on the internal structure of the organization," Stavropoulos said. "In our organization, Mr. Armani and the president, Mr. Dell'Orco, give us the freedom to decide. But even in the same country, every club has different needs. So the description of the GM role is different, it changes a lot from club to club."

The general manager with the most experience among the three is Gherardini, who harkened back to the start of his career to make a point about how GMs must work to help their players.

[35:10] "One of the most rewarding feelings I have today is when I talk to millennials or to young students and I try to tell them how my life as a GM was back then when [Joe was] playing. When I started, let's say, working for my basketball club, think about this: There was no computer, no cellphones," Gherardini said.

But as different as it was then, some things remain the same, he concluded: "The adjustment is needed anywhere, any time. It was needed 40 years ago, it is needed today."

In the second part of the discussion, coming soon, the GMs pick up on additional themes of their work like thinking out of the box, moving on when legendary coaches leave your team, dealing with star players nearing the ends of their careers, what they learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and the passion found in the EuroLeague.

With a one-hour format of exclusive one-on-one interviews, The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas goes well beyond the playing court with each podcast to delve into the life experiences that have made his guests protagonists and legends of the EuroLeague. The Crossover debuted in 2018 and has featured such current stars as Toko Shengelia, Shane Larkin and Kyle Hines, coaching greats such as Ettore Messina, Pablo Laso and Zeljko Obradovic, and legends like Theo Papaloukas, Nikola Vujcic and Mike Batiste, among others. The first guests in Season 3 were FC Bayern Munich Coach Andrea Trinchieri, Zalgiris Kaunas star Marius Grigonis, Kostas Papanikolaou of Olympiacos Piraeus and CSKA Moscow assistant coach Darryl Middleton, Kevin Pangos of Zenit St Petersburg and Norris Cole of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas is available on Youtube, [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas/id1440034922), [Audioboom](https://audioboom.com/channel/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6T1SYvGSpzyrYZpG9z2wjR), [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/65962), [RadioPublic](https://radiopublic.com/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas-6NkdjJ), [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ4ODM3OTkucnNz?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiYzr_b78XtAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ), [TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Sports--Recreation-Podcasts/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-p1174586/), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas), [CastBox](https://castbox.fm/channel/The-Crossover-with-Joe-Arlauckas-id1467328?country=gb), [iVoox](https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-the-crossover-with-joe-arlauckas_sq_f1629856_1.html) and other platforms.

Joe Arlauckas talks to the team-builders at Fenerbahce, Milan and Zalgiris

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