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Fan Mail: Boniface Ndong, Unicaja ,
Unicaja
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One of the pleasant surprises for Euroleague fans so far is a 30-year-old rookie who has helped Unicaja tie for first place in Group B at the midpoint of the regular season. Fan Mail guest Boniface Ndong, who leads Unicaja in rebounding despite playing less than 20 minutes per game, hails from Senegal, Africa, where he started playing basketball late. He made up for lost time, however, by climbing the ladder quickly once he got a chance. "The reason why I changed teams so much was that I was very, very ambitious: I wanted to get to the highest level possible," he said in one of his Fan Mail answers. "From Germany, I continued my development from one high league to another: first to France, then to the NBA, where I didn't get much playing time but got great experience, and then to Russia and now to Spain. I can say that Unicaja is one of biggest teams in Europe, so that was definitely what I was looking for all along."
Hi, Boni! First of all, congratulation for your successful season so far in both the Euroleague and the Spanish League. Here goes my question: Making your Euroleague debut at the age of 30, is there anything that has especially surprised you in the competition?
Iñaki Esteve Arríen - Spain
"Not really, because I have been following the Euroleague from TV since I started playing in France. I watched Euroleague games every Wednesday and Thursday nights, often with teammates. And I have found what I expected to find: the best teams in Europe playing the best basketball in Europe. It's true, I am here for the first time at 30 years old, but it's all very exciting for me. Every game is played at a high level, which is what I expected. Maybe I had high expectations, but they are being met."
Hello, Mr. Ndong. If you take a look back at your career in recent years, it looks like you've changed teams a lot. Have you finally found a so-called "home" at Unicaja? From what we see from the stands, it seems you feel good playing for Unicaja and that you get on very well with your teammates. Regards and best holiday wishes,
Mitja Krizan - Ljubljana, Slovenia
"The reason why I changed teams so much was that I was very, very ambitious. I wanted to get to the highest level possible. From Germany, I continued my development from one high league to another: first to France, then to the NBA, where I didn't get much playing time but got great experience, and then to Russia and now to Spain. I can say that Unicaja is one of biggest teams in Europe, so that was definitely what I was looking for all along. Could I finish my career here? Why not? I am happy here, my family is happy here. The organization is very professional, on the highest level seen in Europe. So, yes, I can see myself finishing my career here."
Mr. Boniface. Hello from Greece. In the first game of the Euroleague 2007-08 season, I was surprised by the game you had against Aris TT Bank and I would like to congratulate you for the character you are showing on the court until now. How far can your team go this season in the Euroleague and the Spanish League? Yours sincerely,
Konstantinos, Thessaloniki
"Right now, our main goal is to be at the top of our group - we think that's very possible - and then to engage in the Top 16. With the team we have now, if everyone is healthy, we can make last eight and - why not? - the Final Four. Depending on circumstances, we have a great chance to succeed. In the Spanish League, we didn't have a good run until two weeks ago. Now, we have won three in a row, and last weekend against Madrid was our best win of the season. So the good part is that the team is developing. We had injuries and we weren't consistent before. But in the last five games - except for our loss in Istanbul against Efes Pilsen - we have seen good signs. I see us making the playoffs in the ACB if everyone is healthy and in the Euroleague doing our best to be one of the top teams again."
Hi Boniface. Congratulations on your team's and your personal performance so far. Can you name the best five players, except from your team, you have seen so far in the Euroleague?
Alexis Katsouris - Greece
"There are so many good players, it's hard to choose five, but a couple of guys jump out right away. Jeremiah Massey from Aris is a great player who played good against us. Will Bynum from Maccabi is another great guy. Even though he's not in our Euroleague group, we just played against Real Madrid and Lazaros Papadopoulos, who I know from playing him in Russia as one of the great big men in Europe. I admire him a lot. You have a lot of great players, and the truth is that every Euroleague team has special guys."
Congratulations for your exceptional season so far. How has the team’s infrastructure changed this season now that Unicaja Malaga has two true centers on the same roster compared to last season when you had to replace Daniel Santiago due to injury? Keep up the good work. Regards,
Jason - Gibraltar
"I don't see it as a different role with him back. There are some things I can do that are different than some things Dani does, but we are teammates and we try to complement each other. When I am on the court, I try to do my job; when he is on the court, he does his. We did play a couple minutes together recently, when Marcus Haislip and German Gabriel were both out, but it was just a couple minutes. In the past, I have played the four position, but mostly now we share the five position. We complement each other and especially in practice, you can learn a lot from a different player than you. But my role is the same as his, to do the best for the team."
Hello, Boniface. Did you start playing basketball at a late age. Was that good or bad for you? Good luck this season!
Fabrice Demory, France
"I started kind of late. Maybe if I had started my career earlier it would be different, but I can't tell really. Since I arrived in Germany when I was 20, I just kept developing, always going to a higher level. Sometimes I think that if I had started when I was five, where would I be now? But you can't tell. Things happen. I don't really think about what I don't have. I think about what I have now and what I can do to progress. From second division in German to the Euroleague, which was one of my main goals, it took me eight years. I like to think that the hard work paid off."
Dear Mr. Ndong, you had a great game against the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring all the decisive baskets to make Unicaja beat a NBA team for the first team. How special was that win and how do you measure European basketball against NBA? All the best!
Kees Van den Bergh - Belgium
"Of course, it was great to win. It doesn't happen often that a European team beats an NBA team, so it was a special win for us, in the first chance for that to happen in Malaga. It was a big challenge and I was looking forward to it. Comparing Europe to the NBA, the NBA is just stronger. It's got a bigger organization and most of the top players. But the mentality has changed for sure. Before it was unthinkable for a European team to beat an NBA team. That's not the case anymore. European players are more athletic now and so many of them are going back and forth from the NBA to Europe. The gap has shortened a lot. If it were a playoff series, it would be different. but in exhibition games like these, I think every year there will be Euroleague teams beating NBA teams."
Hi Boniface! Many Senegalese big guys - you, Sitapha Savane, Malick Badiane - are doing well in Europe. How strong can your national team become in the near future? Keep up the good work!
Steffen Meyer - Frankfurt, Germany
"Our national team could be at least the second best in Africa. Angola has good organization. We have big-man power, as you've said. What we don't have in Senegal is organizational power. Our federation is not capable of putting everything together. We have players in Europe and the NBA, and depending on that organization, we could have the best team in Africa. I've spent five years with our national team, and there are a lot of organizational problems. That is the main challenge. If we are able to get the right organization, coaches and players put together, we could be the number one team in Africa and a good representative in the world."
Hello Boniface. We are very happy to have you in Malaga. Unicaja has a high standards in the last three seasons, winning the Spanish King's Cup, the Spanish League and making it to the Final Four. In other words, getting better every year! So what can we expect this season?
Manolo Romero - Malaga, Spain
"With the team we have right now, I think we can win a King's Cup, get back to the Final Four or win the Spanish championship. Right now, the team is developing in the right way and we are covered in all our positions enough to play against anyone. The reference is our last game against Real Madrid, in my opinion the top team in Spain so far. To beat them by 20 points is not a matter of luck. To do that, you have to lay consistent basketball. It depends on us and how much we want it. If we keep progressing, why can't our team win at least one trophy this season?"
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