UKR/USA – Ex-UCLA star Thompson becomes main man at Azovmash

MARIUPOL (Superleague) - Dijon Thompson and his Azovmash teammates have been in a very good mood the last several days because they won their latest game against big rivals BC Kyiv over the weekend.

Thompson, who played college basketball in America at UCLA and had a brief stint in the NBA, is now one of the leading players in Ukraine basketball and he gave this interview to Oleksiy Naumov for FIBA.com.

FIBA: First of all, congratulations on the win against Kyiv on Saturday and the EuroCup win over ASVEL Basket this week in the EuroCup. You’ve become the team’s real leader in the recent games. What has changed in your style of play? How did the departures of Tomas Van Den Spiegel and Marc Salyers affect your status?

Thompson: I don’t think anything has changed in the style of play. This is how I play and always played – I don’t do just one thing, I do multiple things on the floor. As far as Tomas and Marc leaving – it just forces me to have to do a lot more than I was doing because when they were there (Marc and Tomas were very good players) and we had a very, very good team, where everybody didn’t have to do a lot, we just needed to play as a team. So when they left I had to step up and do even more.

FIBA: How does the fact that some of your star players left the team affect your chances in the championship?

Thompson: The two games that we have played (the win in Spain over Kalise Gran Canaria and the win against Kyiv), it tells us a lot. We are short on players, but the players that we do have were playing with a lot of heart and were fighting. If we continue to play like that, we can still accomplish the goals we have as a team. Now everybody believes we can do what we want to do.

FIBA: You showed a great all-around game against Kyiv and were one of the main reasons your team won. The Azovmash v Kyiv rivalry has been the highlight of each season in years. Does that game mean anything to you? Do you get special motivation when you play against Kyiv?

Thompson: Ah, it’s kind of funny. I am new to the league and I wanted to beat Kyiv because we lost to them in Kyiv. Another reason why I wanted to beat them was because they are first in the league and they have to prove it. They don’t really talk about it too much now because of the situation we are in, but a lot of players that have been here and have experience in this league know, and as soon as we step on the floor they encourage everybody and let it be known that it’s a big game and we have to do the best we can.

FIBA: What happened to the team two weeks ago in Yuzhny? It’s not about the fact that you lost, but how you seemed to capitulate.

Thompson: Yuzhny have a very interesting team. They beat us at home and they beat us there and they get up every game to play against us. They play extremely well against us. So I knew stepping on the floor that game that it would be an extremely difficult game for me, because I had been on vacation at home and had a very, very long flight the previous night from the States to Ukraine. The team was already in Yuzhny so Khalid and I, who was travelling with me, had to drive 10 hours in a car (a Skoda) from Donetsk and we didn’t get to Yuzhny until two in the morning. So I knew it was going be a tough game for me and Khalid. I really thing that was the outcome of the game – I think if either one of us had played well, we would have beaten them.

FIBA: So are you happy that you are where you are at this stage of your career?

Thompson: I am a big believer things happen for a reason. There are no regrets over what I’ve done. I am satisfied, but I still have a lot of goals I want to accomplish and I have a lot of room for improvement.

FIBA: What is your most memorable moment of this season?

Thompson: That’s pretty tough. Probably the EuroCup game in Spain (against Kalise Gran Canaria) and against Kyiv – we really made a statement as far as proving to ourselves that we can still do it despite what’s going on.

FIBA: Who is the toughest defender in the Superleague?

Thompson (Canada international) Olu Famutimi

FIBA: Who is it most difficult to guard here in the Superleague?

Thompson: Definitely P.J. Tucker when he was healthy. I know his game well, but he gets a lot of touches and always shoots a lot, so it’s always difficult to guard a guy like that.

FIBA: What do you expect for the remainder of the season?

Thompson: I would expect and hope that we keep going and stay at least second or grab first in the league and try to have home-court advantage going into playoffs.

FIBA