Buducnost VOLI Podgorica guard Scott Bamforth discusses his team's tough season so far and his optimism going forward in this week's EuroCupbasketball.com interview.
Scott Bamforth: 'We are better than our record'
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After lossing several games by painfully narrow margins, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica became the last team in the 2019-20 7DAYS EuroCup to win a game when it defeated Dolomiti Energia Trento 69-76 last week. At 1-6 in Group D, Buducnost is not mathematically eliminated, but does face a do-or-die game against Asseco Arka Gdynia this week. One of its best player this season has been shooting guard Scott Bamforth, who back from a severe knee injury earlier than expected to start the 2019-20 season with the Montenegrin champion. Despite his lack of rhythm after being sidelined for seven months, Bamforth is averaging 13.7 points on 62.1% two-point shooting and 100% (12 of 12) free throws, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists. After six years in Spain and Italy, Bamforth is facing a new challenge in his career and hopes to keep Buducnost as competitive as possible from now on. "We lost four games by 3 points or less, I think. That's life, that's basketball, it has definitely been tough," Bamforth told EuroCupbasketball.com. "We have to keep going and I feel like now we are just kind of playing for pride."
Hello, Scott. Congratulations on your first win in this EuroCup season, on the road against Trento. What allowed you to win the game after being so close to winning so many times?
"Thank you. I think we just stayed strong. We played good defense and played a great third quarter. I think we were down by 8 and turned it into being up15-17. We have done that before, we had good quarters and stuff; we had not been able to sustain it. In that game, we were able to have a big lead and finish it off in the end."
"We are a lot better team than 1-6"
Before this win, Buducnost lost three games by a combined margin of 4 points. How hard was to overcome that, psychologically speaking?
"Yes, it is tough. If you look at our record, we are 1-6 but it could be 3-4, or even 4-3. We lost four games by 3 points or less, I think. That's life, that's basketball, it has definitely been tough. We have to keep going and I feel like now we are just kind of playing for pride. Our chances are low to make it to the next round, but I think we are a lot better team than 1-6. We lost four games by a very small margin but we will keep going and try to get as many wins as we can."
You recovered from an ACL injury in record time. Has it been hard to find your rhythm?
"For me, right now, if I had to evaluate myself, I am not playing to my potential, how I know I can play and how I have shown I can play for many years, especially in the last three years. I am growing and every day I am getting better. It has only been eight or nine months. Usually, people with this injury don't start playing until nine months and I started playing after six and a half, seven months. I am still effective, but I am not playing to my standards, to what I hold myself accountable to, you know? But I am going to get there. I can feel my body getting better game by game. I had to change my game a little bit in these two-three months. I am not as aggressive because there is a mental block you have to get over and be confident and you have to be strong enough not to get injured again. I talked to a lot of high-level players that had the same injury as me and all of them said it takes about 10-12 months to start feeling like your normal self. I am getting there."
This is your second EuroCup season. How do you like being back?
"It is great! Obviously, it is a great competition with a lot of great teams and a lot of great players. It is tough; in order to make it to the next round, even if you have high hopes and high potential, you cannot lose three-four games by 1-2 points. It has been tough, but I think the competition is always great. It is not the EuroLeague, but it is the closest thing to it."
You will play against Asseco Arka Gdynia in Poland. How important would it be to get that win and avoid elimination?
"We have to go to Poland and obviously, it will be a tough game because they are looking to qualify. They are up there, trying to get the last spot to qualify, so it is going to be a tough game. We will try to beat them, like in any other game. We have to come ready to play and like I said, play for pride, play to show we are better than 1-6. We are better than what our record says and if we play a good game for 40 minutes, we will be able to come out with a win."
You have been one of the best free-throw shooters in Europe the last few years. What makes a good free-throw shooter? Repetition, focus, natural talent?
"Obviously, repetition. But also, just confidence. You can go out there and shoot 100, 200 free throws, but at the end of the day, you just have to make one so I think it is just confidence - go out there and make a free throw. Some players with low percentages think too much about it. For me, I am confident and have been shooting free throws for a lifetime. When I get to the free-throw line, it is just confidence. I feel like I am always going to make it and this is what works for me."
You are also a great clutch player, hitting a lot of high-pressure shots. What makes a good clutch player?
"For me, I have always seemed to be able to hit big shots. It comes from my confidence and the work I put in. I do a lot of shooting and work on my game all year long, so when that time comes, I don't even think about anything. I am just doing what I naturally do and I do it with confidence. The players who end up hitting the big shots, the game-winning shots, are the ones who are confident in themselves, in their abilities. They don't think about what can happen if they miss, they just say 'give me the ball, I am going to make it', and that is all I think about. I don't feel the pressure, I just feel like I can win a game and try to score."
"I am learning and growing"
You are good friends with two NBA superstars, Damien Lillard and Kristaps Porzingis. How often are you in touch with them?
"I talk to both of them and they are good friends of mine. Obviously, I played with both and talk to them a lot, actually. They are having a great season and Kris is actually coming back from the same injury I had, so we talked a lot about it throughout my recovery process. I am happy for them and we follow each other, we keep in touch a lot. Kris played the EuroCup in the past, knows what happens in the games and watches a lot of basketball, too. Obviously, he is in the NBA and is focusing on that, but he played in Europe and is more accustomed to the competitions here than Dame, who only played in the NBA. Kristaps follows European basketball and knows everything that is going on."
After six seasons in Spain and Italy, you are now playing in Montenegro for an Adriatic powerhouse. How did Buducnost help you adjust to this new situation?
"Everything has been new for me. Especially coming off an injury. Obviously, with the kind of injury I had, everything was new. I am just trying to figure out my body and every day is a process. I think the style of basketball here is a little bit different than what I am used to, but I have been able to adjust and be effective. Like I said, I had to change my game a little bit to adapt to a new playing style, but I also had to adapt to what I am capable of when I first came here. I am learning and growing, and the team has been amazing. I am thankful for the opportunity they gave me to come here. They have a great history and were a EuroLeague team last year, so they have a lot of expectations. I love playing for a team that has the expectations to win, the ambition to win, that they are not happy when they lose. Everything has been great here."
Buducnost is not mathematically out. Taking one game at a time is the only approach for you know, right?
"Yes, it is very important. Right now, I think it feels like we hit rock-bottom. We lost these three games in a row by 1 or 2 points and it hurt us a lot. We are not mathematically out, but our chances are slim. Like I said, what we are playing for now is pride, to show that we are a better team than our record shows right now. We should be playing in the next round but didn't perform well enough. For us, as a team, we are just trying to go game by game and in the end, if we do make it to the next round, it will be because we focused on that. We have to try to get the next one and see what happens. Hopefully, if we can win a couple more, we will have a chance in the end."