Shammond, you are headed for you first Final Four, in your first Euroleague season. First question, how does it feel to be a part of all this?

“Well, it’s a great accomplishment for our basketball club. I think they put this team together hoping to be able to achieve something like this, but not really knowing how far we could go or how good we could be. But we were able put to things together and play a style that catapulted us to the Final Four, where we have a chance to win a championship. I am happy about that, and happy to have the opportunity to lead my team and put us in a successful situation."

What has impressed you most about your first Euroleague season?

"The thing about the Euroleague that immediately surprised me is how much emphasis everyone puts on it. I had heard a lot of the Euroleague, but coming here it's difficult to know the difference between this and FIBA or any other league - until you play in it. Now I know why there is that emphasis. Being a part of it and having the opportunity to see the impact the Euroleague has on basketball in Europe is something I am just happy to embrace."

You were part of a group of five or so newcomers with big roles under a new coach this season in Barcelona. Was patience necessary for this team to make it where it has?

"I think the most important thing was being able to get an understanding of each other. Coming together for the first time and playing for Coach Ivanovic was a difficult situation for a lot of us. Just being able to grasp and try to excel at the way he wants you to play basketball is an experience. I think it just took time for everybody to embrace that and for him see how people play and understand that if it's not always the same way he wants, it can still accomplish what he wants. That was a big thing for me playing point. He wanted us to play a certain way, and it's hard changing after a whole lifetime playing. But the thing was that I know how to win and know how to play basketball, and once he began to understand how I play and what I was trying to accomplish, those were the same things he was asking for. Everyone had to adjust, and that was part of the experience, but now we're in the position we want to be in."

In the regular season, you were in other tough arenas like Maccabi, Lietuvos Rytas and Olympiacos. A lot of the teams in that group made it to the quarterfinals. Do you think the toughness of that group helped you guys in the long run?

"We had an extremely tough group in the first round. There were some great teams and it showed once they dispersed that group and put us in different other ones for the Top 16. A lot of our first-round opponents were elite teams in the new groups. So, yes, it meant a lot competing against them in the regular season. It helped us form our team, understand how to play tough games and pull some out. It was great competition."

On the other hand, you guys made it look easy in the Top 16. Is that when things started to gel for all the new guys on the team?

"I think one of the most important things for us was being a pretty good team on the road. Our first two Top 16 games were on the road, at Zalgiris and at Malaga. We were able to get the first one against Zalgiris by staying concentrated and executing on offense and defense. Then we had the opportunity to go to Malaga, and there too we stayed focused and executed the game plan. That enabled us to start the Top 16 up 2-0 without any home games yet. We figured we'd just had to take care of the home games to make the elite eight, but Olympiacos was playing good at the time, and we had to go and beat them away to finish first. I think that showed our character. I personally feel that we're a better basketball team on the road, and it showed in the Top 16."

In the Euroleague quarterfinals, you jumped right into the middle of one of the oldest rivalries in European basketball, Barcelona vs. Madrid. What was that like for a first-timer like you?

"I don't actually get into that rivalry thing. Having play at University of North Carolina and played the Carolina-Duke rivalry for so many years, I understand about the intensity and prestige of those kinds of rivalries. But here, as a professional, the most important thing to me is to lead my basketball team to the win, regardless of the history. The most important thing to me was to win and let that take care of everything else."

You played at two university Final Fours at North Carolina. How can that experience help you now?

"Well, now I of my old college teammates here, Ed Cota, but we hardly ever play together. I am not sure our coach knows we played together before or what we accomplished together. We haven't played together on the court for more than maybe a minute yet, but from our Carolina days, we understand what it takes to win. We're able to step up and take care of it and win at the end."

What sort of impact has this season had on your career?

"This has been real good for me because it has shown people what I can do as a leader of a team. People always understood that I could score the ball and that I could shoot, but I don't know if they took seriously my leadership capabilities and the impact I can have on a basketball team setting other people up, without needing to be in a situation to score. It meant a lot to me to help put this team in a position to be able to win a championship. We have great talent on this team and guy who need the basketball. They just need to be put in situations where they can capitalize on their talent."

Have you been able to get an idea yet about the team you play it the quarterfinals, CSKA Moscow, who you also know from your time in Russia last season?

"I know a lot about CSKA from participating in the Russian League against them last year, some of their same guys they have now. I am somebody who likes to study the game, so I'll put in my homework now and the team will do it together to be in the best possible situation when we get to Prague. At the same time, it's another game and you can't put too much pressure on yourself. We've still got to go out and do the things that got us this far. I feel confident that if we play good defense, we'll be fine."

From all your experience in the NCAA and the NBA, what lessons will you bring with you to Prague to face the challenge of your first Euroleague Final Four?

"Just from being in this type of situation before, I understand you can't put too much emphasis on it. You have to relax and play the game. Being a point guard, that means leading my tam and putting us in position where we are capable of making things happen. I won't put any more emphasis on this game than any other, and hopefully we'll take the steps we need to come out of Prague as European champion. It's great opportunity. I hope to have a great time there, and in the time leading up to it put into perspective what it is we can accomplish and then just take care of business."