Fenerbahçe Beko, once again, put his signature on one of the best moves of 2019 transfer window. Fenerbahçe did not just pick a random scorer or a superstar. There is no question of his skills on court or ability to elevate the game. Above everything he does with the ball, they added an amazing character and a brilliant soul.
As well as Nikola Kalinic, Gigi Datome, Bobby Dixon or recent departure Nicolo Melli who do not limit themselves with just the borders of basketball but also try to catch every opportunity to develop their personalities outside the court.
Like most of the Fenerbahçe Beko players who is against wasting their spare times and know their intellectual savings can foster their athlete identity. They experience the fact that, this intellectual capacity eventually bring success on and off the hardwood.
We all know that Zeljko Obradovic and Maurizio Gherardini are the masters of building the right chemistry within the team and using the resources in the truest way while no other team pays much attention.
When they look at the market they do not just see the numbers, statistics or MVP prizes. They scan the players with a different vision. They pick characters over numbers because they know better than anyone that the basis of success comes through their personalities not from pure statistics or medals.
First principle is to avoid designing the team around superstars. They believe in the importance of giving every player a vital role. Here, the transparency is the key in coach – player relationship. To this respect, no player in the team need to question or even desire to question his own role and accordingly nobody minds sharing the spotlights.
Nando De Colo will be joining this kind of system. We have already seen many examples of him which showed us that he is a perfect candidate for the system.
Last year, during the regular season, he first had to share the court and the minutes with Sergio Rodriguez and then found himself overshadowed by Cory Higgins and Will Clyburn. When he had the stage during playoffs he managed to remember to comeback to the present moment. He beat the thought of the past and the future. He just focused on what is happening right there, in that right moment. Thanks to his mindfulness approach, CSKA could break through the playoffs and reach the Final Four.
He was the first one who lit the fire while advancing the finals. Maybe, if Nando was not mentally that strong and gave up hustling till the end, 18/19 EuroLeague cup would have been a dream for the Russian team.
He is that kind of player on the court. Unshakable and cold-blooded…With him, the team will be equipped by various unpredictable offensive plays. Creativity and diversity will reach to another level for sure. When he pasts the defense with only one step and tears them apart, we will be admiring his promptness and intelligence.