26 September, 2016
30 April, 2017
9 Jean Marc Mwema (Telenet Oostende) (photo: Filip Vanloocke)
27/03/2017
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Mwema's trophy cabinet ready for new additions

OSTEND (FIBA Europe Cup) - Having recently won his first-ever piece of silverware back in February, more could soon be on the way for Belgian national team player Jean-Marc Mwema.

After a number of unsuccessful tries, Mwema finally snatched the first trophy of his professional career, when Telenet Oostende triumphed in the Belgian Cup.

Having made a name for himself as a versatile two-way player, the 27-year-old combo forward joined the Dario Gjergja-coached Belgian powerhouse at the start of the season after spending the past eight years with Antwerp Giants and has been an important player on the squad.


With Oostende sitting atop the standings in the Belgian EuroMillions Basketball League and having made it all the way through to the FIBA Europe Cup Semi-Finals, there could well be more silverware heading Mwema's way soon.

FIBA.com had a chat with the player about the team's international campaign since transferring from the Basketball Champions League, the upcoming Elan Chalon hurdle in the Semi-Finals and his so-far successful experience with his new club.

Let's speak about how you got to where you are: you came back from a double-digit first leg deficit to defeat Enisey. What was your mindset heading into that game?
We knew we had to take advantage of the fact that they were maybe going to be a little tired and out of their rhythm after the long journey, like we were in Russia. We tried our best to be aggressive from the start and it worked. Having got up by 10 points early, we just tried to keep the lead, but it was a very, very close game from there on out.

Corey Walden had a great game, you also made some crucial baskets, namely a pair of back-to-back three-pointers late in the game. Does getting the under-the-pressure overtime victory add some extra confidence going forward?
Yeah, we're pretty confident. We're a pretty confident team to begin with. We're also really deep and we can rotate the whole game with essentially 10 or 11 players. We just need to take care of our bodies, because the games have been following each other very rapidly. As long as our legs stay fresh, we'll be ready to go.

You started the season in the Basketball Champions League, then transferred to the FIBA Europe Cup for the Play-Offs. Is the quality of competition comparable on both competitions?
I think so. We've played big teams in both competitions, I think it's definitely comparable. There weren't many weak teams in the Basketball Champions League to begin with and there certainly aren't any at this stage in the FIBA Europe Cup as well. The level of competition is definitely high.

You found out your Semi-Finals opponents not that long ago. What are your thoughts about the upcoming game against Elan Chalon, what do you know about them?
They are a very athletic team, which is quite typical for a good French team. We're really going to have limit their movement and just make sure they can't go where they want, run what they want and just make it hard on them. Other than that, though, we haven't had an in-depth look at them just yet. That will be from Monday on.

Quarter-final @fibaeuropecup ✔ Next game in Siberia 😩 #oostende #belgium #basketball #jabstep #NormalFaceOrNah

A post shared by Jean-Marc Mwema (@jeanmarcmw) on

What would you say are the strengths of your team?
Like I mentioned previously, we're really deep. We have at least 10 guys who can do a bit of everything and when you look at the scoreboard in our games, everybody is making a contribution. We also have different types of players – guys who can slash to the basket and attack, we have some great shooters to surround our centers. I think we're not the easiest team to defend, because we have a lot of weapons.

Defensively, we've been doing a pretty good job. Not always for full games unfortunately, we sometimes still fall flat for a couple of minutes here and there. But overall, I think depth is the biggest strength of our team.

You won the Belgian Cup earlier in the season, your first trophy as a professional. How did the first one feel?
It feels very good (laughs), especially because it was my fourth time in the Final already. Lost three times before that, so it was definitely special. It was a great game against Limburg United, we closed it out in a great way. That was a typical Oostende game, because everyone contributed, we had a number of players in double figures, so it felt really great.

You moved to Telenet Oostende this season after spending eight years at Antwerp Giants. Does playing with an Oostende jersey take some getting used to?
It did feel a bit weird at first, but I have to say I was welcomed very well here and was able to adjust pretty fast. It also helped that I already had four or five teammates from the Belgian national team. I got accustomed to things pretty quickly here. I have a good relationship with the coach, so those things helped to make the transition pretty easy.

As the multiple-time Belgian champs, is there more of a target on your back in the domestic championship?
That's definitely the case. Teams have nothing to lose against us. If they do – it's: 'OK, we lost to the champs, it's no big deal.' But if they win, it's always a big thing for the other teams. We definitely have a target on our backs, but we've been handling it pretty well.

You're the run-away leaders in the Belgian League and you're  in the Semi-Finals in the FIBA Europe Cup. Do you feel you have a good shot of adding one or two more this season?
That's true, that's true. In the FIBA Europe Cup, a lot will depend on this first game against Elan Chalon. I hope we do start well at home, so we can have a lead heading to France and if we make it through to the Finals, anything can happen. It's only two games, so you just need to have a good day and for everyone to be at their best level to make it to the end.

In the domestic league, we also have a four-game lead against Antwerp, who are currently in second place, so I think we're in a good position. If we win a couple more games, we'll have home court advantage throughout the Play-Offs. That would be a good starting point to get another trophy.

FIBA