Among
many new Euroleague players this season who have quickly placed
themselves in the thick of the best performers, big man Michael
Wilkinson of Aris TT Bank is turning plenty of heads. Wilkinson, one of
the few players back from his team's ULEB Cup title-game run last
season, ranks first or second for Aris in scoring, rebounding, blocks,
steals and two-point shooting percentage. Most important, he and Aris
are 4-4 in Group C as defending champion CSKA Moscow comes to
Thessaloniki, Greece on Wednesday for just the second time ever.
Wilkinson knows the famous Aris fans will be ready, but he plans not to
count on homecourt advantage alone in four of the last six games to get
Aris to its goal: the Top 16. "We know we have to try to win every
game, home or away, because we want to be in good shape as possible
moving on to the round - if we do move on," Wilkinson said in a
Euroleague.net interview. "After CSKA, I don't even know who we play
next."
Hi, Mike. Congratulations on a solid season so far.
Even though Aris has yet to win two in a row, the team seems to be
coming together with its first road, last week at Fenerbahce Ulker,
after coming close away the week before against a top contender like
Barcelona?
"Yeah, we have been coming together lately. One
of the main reasons is that we've got everyone back from injury, so for
the first time everyone is playing together for an extended period of
time. That's what gives you chemistry. You don't have to fill holes.
Everybody practices and plays together, and whoever is playing well
steps in when needed. But it has also been tough on us lately because
we've been on the road so much in both the Euroleague and the Greek
League. It has been good these days to just get a chance to rest at
home."
Let's not delay the obvious. The Euroleague champs
from CSKA are in Thessaloniki this week. Do you guys feel you're in the
right zone to be playing them again?
"I think so. t's
always good to have the game at home. We played relatively decently
against them the first time, too. They got the lead, we fought back and
they won it at the end. But we did good things in that first game, and
with our confidence up and being at home we should be OK. Our fans are
amazing, and they really help us by giving us extra energy. So the
combination of that and the confidence we have right now is a good one
going into this game."
Very few of the CSKA players have played Aris in Thessaloniki recently
and the club itself only did so once, in 1988. We know a lot about the
famous Aris fans. What kind of difference can they make against the
champs?
"A team like CSKA is certainly experienced.
They've been to so many places with so many different settings that I
am sure they have seen almost everything. But our fans, like I said,
are amazing. They bring energy and excitement to us, for sure. As a
basketball player, they simply create the environment you want to play
in and be a part of. That support gives you extra energy when you're
tires. They are really our sixth man. It's tough for opponents to talk
or hear each other communicate, while at the same time they give us a
boost."
Coming to Aris last year straight out of
university, never having played on a team outside of your home state of
Wisconsin in the U.S., was it something of a shock to find such an
intense following at Aris?
"Yes and no. It was a little
different, for sure. But when I was in college, our fans were
incredible. The University of Wisconsin had a new arena with 17,000
seats and during my four years there, we were sold out for every home
game every year. There was a lot of pride at Wisconsin, too. But that
is why it was great to come to Aris, in fact it was part of the reason
I cam here, after hearing all about its history and fans. Once you have
played in a great environment, you want to keep doing it. And here it
has been just fantastic."
How do you describe what Alexandrio is like on a Euroleague game night to someone who has never seen it?
"To
people back home in the States, you explain to them, but they can't
understand how intense the fans here are. I think they are more into
it, more diehard, intense fans than I've ever seen, more than anyone
else. For an American, you can't explain it to them. They can't
understand without seeing it."
Does a new player like you were last year have to win over the Aris fans or do they give their devotion immediately?
"There's
a little loyalty to start, but you still have to play basketball. I
never paid attention much to what other people think. I just go out, do
what I do and help my team. That has been my philosophy every since I
started: if there's any aspect in which I can help the team win, that's
what I want to do. At the same time, it has certainly been nice fans
that the fans accept me and treat me well."
 After
the ULEB Cup success of the team last season, was it clear to you that
Aris was ready for this season's Euroleague challenge?
"It
was, because just being in the ULEB Cup competition was amazing,
especially reaching the final. When so many fans traveled to Charleroi
to be in that situation, it showed the fans wanted the Euroleague and
wanted us to be there. They proved they would be passionate for it, and
that's exactly how they have been. Every game we play in the Euroleague
is sold out and it's just amazing atmosphere-wise. It's really a
tribute to the club and the great fans it has been able to accumulate
over the years."
You and Jeremiah Massey have become one of
the Euroleague's most dangerous combo's inside. How did you get your
rhythm playing together so quickly?
"I knew Jeremiah from
play against each last year in the Greek League. He's a good player and
a smart player. He adapts real quickly to situations and how teams want
to play against us. We talk off court, on the bench, during games - so
we communicate a lot. We both understand the game and what teams want
to do, and when two guys understand each other and communicate like we
do, plus our guards read the game so well, that makes it easy."
With
this CSKA game, you guys have four of your last six Group C games at
home. Is there a danger now of relying too much psychologically on the
Aris crowd and Alexandreo to push you through to the Top 16?
"We're
just taking it one game at a time. We know we have to try to win every
game, home or away, we want to be in good shape as possible moving on
to the round - if we do move on. After CSKA, I don't even know who we
play next. The only game we focus on is the next one. As long as we
take it that way, we'll be alright. The goal is to come to practice
every day and get better, then come to the games and try to be the best
we can be. Even if other team has its best day, we'll be competitive
and the game will come down to making the right plays at the end."
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