Tyrone Wallace, the American who played for Turk Telekom in Ankara last year and scored 17.9 points in the European Cup (the third best result), received the most attention from the debutants of the future Lithuanian vice-champions.
The 30-year-old defender is welcoming the portal in his first season in the strongest championship of the Old Continent lrytas.lt revealed the main reasons for signing the contract with “Žalgiris” and talked about the great sense of humor and uniqueness of his new strategist, Andrea Trinchieri.
“The opportunity to play in such an organization was the main reason for joining. After talking with Mr. coach and I felt that this is the best place to open the doors of the EuroLeague and at the same time have a good role. A. Trinchieri told me what role he sees in this team and he already imagined me on the field, – T. Wallace described the first contact with the strategist from Italy. – I also liked the belief that I could make a game.
In fact, the coach is very funny. We talked yesterday and I told him that he is special and the only one. A. Trinchieri notices all the smallest details, pays a lot of attention to it. He jokes around, but he’s serious in training because we’re trying to get stronger.”
Speaking further about his new acquaintances, one of the main guides and attack organizers of “Žalgiris” for the upcoming season admitted that he has established the closest relationship with two Lithuanians.
“I don’t have a best friend yet, but I mostly communicate with Dovydus Giedračius and Ignas Brazdeikis, because they sit next to me in the locker room,” began the 196 cm. tall american. – I knew Matt Mitchell and Sylvain Francisco from before. We also got close with Bryant Dunston – our kids are around the same age. I communicate with everyone, but I get along best with the locker room neighbors so far.”
Looking at his debut with hungry eyes, the 60th pick of the 2016 NBA draft expressed a great desire to start the cycle of friendly matches and finally run on the floor of the Euroleague.
We remind you that “Žalgiris” will start the control match stage on Wednesday at 18:00. 30 min, with Utena’s Juventus.
“I am looking forward to my first season in the Euroleague. I already want to step on the field and compete. The preparation process is fun, it’s all good, but we want real action against other teams, not against each other. We train really hard, but competing as a team is always better,” said T. Wallace.
True, the 30-year-old defender, who played 114 games in 4 seasons in the strongest basketball league on the planet, is no longer chasing a move to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and is only looking at the present.
Due to the insufficient amount of minutes on the court, when 14 equal basketball players will have to share the playing time, he also does not think too much.
“I don’t know, if the opportunity ever comes, then I’ll think about it,” the American said about returning to the NBA. – Now I cannot say what will happen next year or even next year. I hope I will be useful and help the team win. We will take care of the rest as time goes by.
We haven’t played a single game yet, but it (role on the pitch) will still depend on the coach and his wishes. I didn’t even think about how long I would play.”
Although the results of our country’s national men’s basketball team in the last decade do not please the fans, Lithuanians remain religious to this sport. The newcomer of “Žalgiris” did not miss the latter phenomenon.
“I noticed this,” T. Wallace said about the unique basketball culture in Lithuania. – People approach me on the street, children pay attention, ask to take a picture, we exchange a few words. I was really pleasantly surprised by the fan interaction.”
Continuing the topic of fans, the 30-year-old American claims to have seen video footage of Vilnius “Ryto” fans roaring after last year’s final of the Lithuanian Basketball League, which ended painfully for his team.
However, after learning about the possible game of the capital’s team only in the smaller “Jeep” arena, and not in “Twinsbet”, as in the 2022-2023 season, T. Wallace was not too sad about it, because the point is not in the number of seats.
“I have also played in small arenas that were just as loud and powerful. Of course, playing in front of a crowd of tens of thousands is a great feeling because the energy levels always reach a maximum, but you have to remember that a few thousand fans can create a good atmosphere, explained the defender. – I also competed during covid-19, when there were no fans in the stands at all. You have to be ready to step on the pitch and motivate yourself.”
At the end, when asked about the city of Kaunas itself, T. Wallace had only good feedback.
“I like Kaunas. I visited shopping centers and the city center, walked, visited restaurants. So far, I’m really enjoying it,” concluded the new “Žalgiris” legionnaire.
2024-09-05 13:59:32