Tag: Eurobasket

With NBA guard Dennis Schroder as the …

With NBA guard Dennis Schroder as the driving force, the German Basketball Association held a presentation in Berlin regarding the national team’s participation in the upcoming EuroBasket. “It’s a new opportunity to make basketball even bigger in Germany. Everyone is already fired up,” the Houston Rockets guard said on Wednesday during a press conference in the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Schroder will definitely be there in …

Schroder will definitely be there in September and wants to persuade other NBA players to participate. He had already received a promise from Daniel Theis. “He said he was definitely up for it,” he said. Maxi Kleber (Dallas Mavericks) had told him he was in the mood, but had to look “how he feels” after an ankle injury. The two brothers hailing from Berlin, Moritz and Franz Wagner (both playing for the Orlando Magic), would probably also be available.

“Honestly, I wanted Giannis to succeed …

“Honestly, I wanted Giannis to succeed in the NBA Playoffs. We were convinced from our trip to Milwaukee that he really wanted to play for the national team in the summer. His playing status wouldn’t be affected by extending the campaign further in the postseason. Even if he was crowned champion, he would gladly play for us,” noted Zisis, “Missing [Khris] Middleton in a best-of-seven series was a huge blow. Giannis was amazing, gave it his all, and that was apparent.”

Alperen Sengun embracing tough practices with Rockets assistant John Lucas

“We’re doing tough practices, because we’re working with John Lucas,” Alperen Sengun says of Houston’s assistant coach. “He’s crazy, and his practice is crazy too.”

HOUSTON — Rockets rookie center Alperen Sengun surprised the media in attendance in Thursday’s community event at Moody Community Center. The Turkish-born 19-year-old spent most of his first year learning the NBA game, and also the English language on the side.

In English, the No. 16 overall selection in the 2021 NBA draft answered questions about his busy offseason schedule and how good it feels to be back with his teammates. That’s quite an accomplishment for an individual who has been in the United States for less than a year.

Although he traveled back home after the Rockets finished their regular season schedule, he still practiced improving his second language.

Sengun will now put his English lessons on hold for a bit, as his basketball schedule will be packed over the next three months. He will spend the next two weeks working out at Toyota Center with teammates and assistant coaches, including exclusive work with John Lucas.

“We’re doing tough practices because we’re working with John Lucas, you know, he’s crazy, and his practice is crazy too,” said Sengun. “I did practice in Turkey but not like this, just lifting and running.”

After completing his time in Houston, Sengun heads back to Turkey to play for the Turkish National Team as they prepare for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. Before being drafted in July 2021, he put on an impressive showing for the national team at the FIBA EuroBasket2022 Qualifiers, helping Turkey secure two wins over Sweden and Croatia. In September, he will travel back to Europe to play in the EuroBasket tournament.

Sengun is looking to improve upon the 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds (20.7 minutes) that he averaged over 72 games played last season with the Rockets. His head coach believes that his jam-packed schedule, which includes a lot of basketball, will help him achieve that growth.

“Playing games is always great, and meaningful games is even better,” Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said at Moody Community Center. “As far as being in shape and having timing at the beginning of season, he’ll have it, so we’re all for it and we’re supporting him in that.”

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You have confirmed that you want to …

You have confirmed that you want to play the Summer League and the Eurobasket. Usman Garuba: Yes, of course. What I need now is to play games. After a season where I suffered some injuries, I started to play regularly by the end of March. Just when we played the last game I was like ‘Is that it? I want to play more!’ The Rockets know that if I’m healthy, I want to play for the Spanish team – if they call me – and they’re OK with it.

Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba plan to play in EuroBasket 2022 in September

Assuming health, Rockets prospects Alperen Sengun (Turkey) and Usman Garuba (Spain) are set to play in EuroBasket 2022 in September. NBA training camps will open later that month.

Assuming health, Houston Rockets frontcourt prospects Alperen Sengun and Usman Garuba plan to play for Turkey and Spain, respectively, in FIBA Europe’s upcoming EuroBasket 2022 competition.

Sengun confirmed his plans in early April, while Garuba did so recently in an interview with Spanish publication AS. “I want to go to the EuroBasket, and I am at Sergio Scariolo’s disposal,” Garuba said. “We are Spain, and Spain always competes. We want to fight for medals despite the circumstances, despite the absences. We are ready for everything.”

The tournament, which takes place every four years, begins Sept. 1 and continues until the championship and third-place games on Sept. 18 (schedule). While cutting it close, that would allow both players to return to the United States in time to join the Rockets for the opening of training camp for the 2022-23 NBA season in late September.

In his exit interview with the Rockets, Garuba indicated that he views the 2022 NBA offseason as very important for his personal development, since so much of his 2021-22 rookie campaign was lost due to injury. Beyond his international duty, the 20-year-old has said he plans to play for the Rockets in the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League.

For Sengun, who turns 20 in July, the 2022 offseason isn’t quite as crucial as it is for Garuba — since the Rockets were able to get a good look at Sengun’s production as a rookie. Besides playing for the Turkish national team, Sengun indicated last month that he plans to report to Houston for the summer league minicamp. From there, it seems likely (though not confirmed) that he ultimately plays some in Las Vegas, as well.

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Speaking in an interview with AS, …

Speaking in an interview with AS, Houston Rockets rookie Usman Garuba said he will be at Sergio Scariolo disposal for the upcoming EuroBasket 2022: “I want to go to the EuroBasket and I am at Sergio Scariolo’s disposal. We are Spain and Spain always competes. We want to fight for medals despite the circumstances, despite the absences. We are ready for everything”.

French national team captain Nicolas …

French national team captain Nicolas Batum announced he is skipping the 2022 EuroBasket in a recent interview with First Team. The LA Clippers forward and silver-medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is the second marquee name that won’t be joining Les Bleus in September. Nando De Colo confirmed back in March that he will also be missing for the French NT.