Shammell is in the house

[by Gustavo Machado Cardoso] - The last round of the ULEB Cup had some nice surprises for Brazilian players. While Michel Nascimento didn’t see any action on another loss of Ludwigsburg, Murilo da Rosa drained 11 points and snagged 4 rebounds for Bulgaria’s Lukoil Acaemic in its win against France’s Pau-Orthez.

However, the nicest surprise came from Shammell Stallworth, an American guard with a Brazilian feel to his game. Shammell, as he was known in Brazil when he played for Paulistano (the last two seasons), scored 25 points on Zadar’s convincing win over Strasbourg, finishing as the top scorer and one of the main players in the game.

Early this year there were rumors that Shammell could become a Brazilian citizen, an addition that would certainly benefit the Canarinho backcourt. We caught up with him for a brief chat where he mentions the adjustments he had to make to play for Coach Petrovic, and some of his opinions on Brazilian ball.

Gustavo Cardoso (GC): First of all, are you still thinking about applying for Brazilian citizenship? How’s everything going on that subject?

Shammell Stallworth (SS): Well I have been trying to become Brazilian for sometime and things are going but the fact that I am not living in Brasil right now has put a hold on me becoming Brazilian, but I still have all the intentions to. At heart I am already Brazilian, you know.

(GC): In regards to your arrival in Croatia, how is the new team, and how has your Brazilian experience (if it has) contributed to your performance in Croatia?

(SS): Well, when I first arrived here everyone heard and knew about the good things I did in Brazil so the expectations on me were very high. So I start out playing well in the preseason by winning 2 mvps in games, so people thought that I should start the regular season the same way, but it did not happen like that. I started the regular season terribly (check this link - http://www.crobasket.com/main.asp?P=vijest&J=ENG&VijestID=18311 for more info on Shammell’s preseason in Croatia), but with my experience in Brasil I started the same way.

When I first got there I was just a player and I had some adjustment problems, but with due time I became the player that I am. So my start in Brazil has helped me a lot here on how to try to adapt to things faster. But all in all I miss a lot of things in Brazil, such as the weather and the great food, and mostly of all the friends and fans that I have there. Ricardo [Probst from Assis], Neto [Shammel’s coach at Paulistano], and Wellington, also known as Nezinho [Brazil’s NT reserve point guard].

(GC): What’s your role in the team?

(SS): Here I am expected to do all things to help the team win. In Brazil I was the man as you would say. Here I have more Americans to play with and more players who can read the game faster. So here my life is a little bit easier, but I kinda just do whatever the coach asks me to do.

(GC): Do you share play making responsibilities with Corey Brewer or do you have more of a scoring responsibility? Does it make you think about the NCAA days, playing with more Americans?

(SS): Here I share the playmaking abilites. I do not have to make the play all the time, I just read the game and when my time comes to make a play I do it. I also play little more pg [point guard] cause Corey [Corey Brewer] is also a good scorer so we split the playmaking which is good cause it helps me further my playmaking abilities.

Also, since I play with more Americans the communication amongst us is better. There are a lot of things we do not have to tell each other on the court because we think alike, meaning we have some of the same principles in playing the game of basketball. Like defense, knowing a good shot and a bad shot, defensive rotations, and yes at times it feels like being in college again which were some of the best days of our life.

(GC): Can you compare the level of play at the Adriatic League and ULEB with what you saw in Brazil?

(SS): The level of play here is more systematic. Most teams have a system that the coach runs and you must be able to adapt and play the way the coach. You must be able to read the game. It’s not just run and gun, the defense is way better. There are more 4 and 5 that are big here. Each team has at least 4 big guys.

Another thing is that there are a lot of American playing in the leagues, but most of all is that you must play defense every game and be able to read the game of basketball faster. Basketball in Brazil is about scoring and little defense. The basketball is great but I always say that it can get better. My honest opinion is that the little things in Brazil is holding basketball from becoming one of the best leagues.

(GC): What are these little things that are keeping Brazil’s leagues from growing?

One thing is that right now, as we speak, there is a lot of fighting going on with the CBB [Brazilian Basketball Confederation] and FPB [Paulista Basketball Federation]. This is a problem because it is about power and both leagues have strong opinions on how things should and could be run. This is also bad because no one knows in what direction basketball is going. In Brazil there are a lot of good teams and some bad ones too. For example all the teams that should compete in the CBB do not, which allows some bad team to compete in the league leading to competition not being up to par.

I think basketball in Brazil could be real good because now that I have begun to play in Europe I have seen some things that Brazil has, but has not made it to that next step. One thing that is important is investing. Brazil needs to get more business and organizations to invest in basketball as they would invest in soccer or volleyball, but with that we have to have results. I think that a lot of investors shy away from this sport because at times it shows nothing but bad results such as teams folding during the season or the next. Another [important thing] could be to allow more American and foreign players so they could help the competition level. In ending I have played basketball in some different countries. The game is still the same; put the ball through the hoop.

(GC): How’s the coaching of a guy like Petrovic, with extensive experience in European ball and some NBA knowledge as a player?

(SS): Coach is a great guy, but he expects you to do your job. As you already know he has a great history that follows him. He has helped me a lot further my game from his experience, from reading the game and learning how to play here in Europe. He knows how to get the best from players no matter what it takes. At times it is hard but its just growing pains you know.

(GC): What are the plans for the rest of the season? You’ve won all your home games so far at the ULEB. Do you expect the same performance on the home games against Kazan, Hapoel, and Eiffel Towers? What are the hopes of qualifying?

(SS): I plan to enjoy my first year here and continue to play well. As a player, I expect to win every game but the ULEB is tough. If our team continues to produce like we have been doing I think we can do great things. As for me playing well I think my bad games are in the past and I need to just keep it going and continue to work hard on my game and the result will show for themselves. With the second round of games we control our destiny [Zadar will play three out of its 5 remaining games at home] and I think if we stay focused and take one game at a time we can qualify for the next stage of ULEB.