BONN (FIBA Europe Cup) - Telekom Baskets have been one of the most consistent teams in the FIBA Europe Cup this season thanks to the wealth of depth at the disposal of head coach Predrag Krunic, who has found a way to give everyone on the roster a chance to shine.

However, the team's big man Julian Gamble has set himself apart from a very evenly-matched roster by lighting up the competition with one stellar performance after another since the start of the post-season.

The 27-year-old American center is averaging 12.1 points and 6.5 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action per game in the FIBA Europe Cup this season, but his numbers have soared to 21.3 points and 10.8 boards per game in the Play-Offs.

You are coming off a really hot stretch of play in the FIBA Europe Cup Play-Offs. The stats were pretty good leading up to this point, but you turned it up a gear of late. What happened?
Early in the season, I was really trying to get the legs under me. I was also trying to adjust to the German league. In my opinion, there's quite a big difference between the Belgian and the German leagues. As the season progressed, I got close to where I wanted my body to be. Once it was there, I had the confidence from my coaches and my teammates to always be in attack mode. When it came to coming out and playing, especially when we got closer the knock-out rounds, I knew I had to give my absolute best to give us the best possible chance to advance.

You pretty much decided the outcome of the Round of 16 tie against Kataja Basket and the Quarter-Finals against Ironi Nahariya with big first-leg performances at home. Has it been easier to go on the road with a certain level of security?
When we play at home first, we want to start as strong as possible. On the road, even knowing the point spread and the advantage, our number one goal is to win the game. In Israel, that didn't happen for us. We competed hard, but lost down the stretch. In the end, losing by 10 points and knowing you're going to advance is still a victory for you. Nevertheless, we never want to worry about the calculations. We just want to win, whenever we go on the road.

You're still undefeated in Bonn this season in the FIBA Europe Cup. What makes the Telekom Dome the fortress it has become?
It's our fan support. Even in the middle of the week, we still draw a nice crowd. We like to play aggressive when we are at home – we feed off our defense, the energy of the crowd and like to run in transition. We've been a very good home team in the German league as well and we've carried our form to the FIBA Europe Cup.

In the previous rounds of the Play-Offs you played the first game at home. Now, the first game is going to be on the road in France. Does this change things?
One game at a time is our best approach. We need to play as well as possible on the road. Coming home, we're extremely confident, as we play a very good brand of basketball. But it would be great for us to carry that same type of basketball on the road and have a similar performance, even without the energy of the crowd that we have on our home floor. Even with the change of the dynamics, we're still confident before the first game, knowing we'll still have a chance to come back home, where we play our best.

Having gone so far in the competition, you must start thinking about a very realistic chance of winning an international cup. When did that thought first enter your mind?
There are still two games to be played in the Semi-Finals against Nanterre, before we even think about the Finals. Nanterre is a very, very good team, one of the best teams in the Pro A. I think it wouldn't be smart on our behalf to overlook them.

But at the same time, looking at the big picture, it’s starting to become more realistic to think that you are only four games away from potentially winning a championship. It serves us extra motivation to play even harder to the best of your abilities to give yourself the best chance to win it.

What would you say are Bonn's strengths?
Off the court, we have really good chemistry. This is actually something I have never experienced in my career to this level, with how much the guys spend their free time together, how well we know each other's families. Having the extra trust helps so much on the court.

Basketball-wise, we just have so much talent and depth on our roster. Everyone is contributing, especially in the FIBA Europe Cup games throughout this season. It really makes us dangerous, because you never know who can have a big night on our team.

You're not the first Bonn player to bring up the excellent team chemistry. Is there someone in particular in the locker room who really gets everyone on the same page?
We have a lot of jokesters on our team. We have a lot of fun, we like to hang around together and like each other's company. Josh Mayo is our captain, so he definitely keeps us all focused on what the goal is and he leads by example. I believe his leadership and the way he has motivated the team has helped us to continue to advance in this competition.

Do you feel like the roster depth gives you an edge over Nanterre, who have a slightly shorter rotation?
We haven't done much research player-wise on Nanterre just yet. I know our coaching staff is working on that. But right now the players are focused on the upcoming game against Ludwigsburg on Sunday. And then, they'll have us prepared for Wednesday.

Having a deep team and having guys that are fresh is a good thing. Now, we've entered into a situation where we have seven foreign players, so we're forced to sit one guy out in the Bundesliga games. That's the coach's decision and the guys that he does pick are going to go out and give their all. Too many good players on the team - it's a good problem to have.

You said you haven't gone into full scouting mode against Nanterre yet, but perhaps you kept an eye on them throughout the year?
I did look into Nanterre a little. I saw that Spencer Butterfield had an amazing game shooting the ball in the second leg of the Quarter-Finals. That was an important game for them, because they obviously had to win it. They definitely showed up and played well.

I also remember reading an article about their starting five-man Mathias Lessort, who is a younger guy, but has been playing really well both in the French Pro A and in the FIBA Europe Cup.

A couple of guys on our roster have played against one of their guard Chris Warren, who is a very good player as well. The basketball world is very small, so guys know each other from playing against them or playing with them. I'm definitely a little bit familiar with what they have.

You have important games in the German league coming up in the next couple of weeks. With the upcoming FIBA Europe Cup Semi-Finals against Nanterre, how do you juggle both?
It's a really important game against Ludwigsburg up next. They're just one win behind us. We need to win on Sunday to keep our edge against them in the standings. So we can't look towards Wednesday before we take care of that game. It's huge for us to continue our pace and make the German league Play-Offs. After Sunday, we'll immediately change our focus to Nanterre, get ready for a great team, travel to their gym and try to pull off a win there.

You're currently sixth in the Bundesliga and on pace to make the Play-Offs. What are your goals in the domestic competition?
We want to finish as high as we can. I think we have a very good chance to finish the Regular Season fifth, if not even maybe fourth in the German league. Once we make it to the Play-Offs, we obviously want to advance. It would be best to avoid sixth, seventh or eighth spot, because playing against Ulm, Bamberg and Munich will be very difficult. To give ourselves the best shot to advance to the Semi-Finals, we would really need to get into a four-five match-up. Once you get to the Play-Offs, just play your hardest and see who wins.

Bonn is your third destination in Europe after stops in France and Belgium. How do they all compare?
They put so much more focus into the German league. Basketball is a huge focus in this country and playing against great players from all over Europe every single night in front of large crowds has definitely turned into a much bigger experience for me. Belgium was a smaller country and my first year in France in Pro B was the beginning for me and I've continued to climb the ladder. I've definitely enjoyed the experience of playing in the German league, playing against good players and good teams.

Looking forward, what are your goals and aspirations for, say, the next five years? Where do you see yourself?
I would definitely like to advance my career, whether it would be in Germany or playing in a different country. Ultimately, my goal is to play at a top European level and I feel like I have the talent and the tools to be able to do that. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying the process and playing in different countries and different cities, meeting different people and different cultures along the way. When the opportunity comes for me to play at that level, I'll definitely be ready.

FIBA