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Share on FacebookJoey , Debary, Florida
Does your jersey number have any significance, did you pick it for a reason?
I like my number a lot. When I started to play I wore number 17, because when I was in Cibona, my home team, we weren’t allowed to wear number 9 or 10 because in the past of the club these numbers had been worn by two great players who died in accidents. Then FIBA said that there will be no number 16 or 17 in Euroleague games, because I was number 17 it became number 10 so I ended up being 10 which had been Drazen Petrovic’s number. Because of him I liked that number and when I started to play I great for Cibona, so basically that number brought me luck and I didn’t want to change. But the biggest reason is because Drazen Petrovic wore the jersey in Cibona.
 Gordan Giricek (NBAE/Getty) |
….and as a child did you have hopes of playing in the NBA?
To be honest I started to play basketball just for fun, not for the money, nor for the NBA. I started playing basketball when I was 11 years old when I was in the elementary school as an out of school activity. And all of a sudden at 16 the main team in Croatia called me, Cibona, and I started to play professionally at 16. Some people say it’s late but it worked out for me, but I never thought about playing in the NBA. Even when I played in the Euroleague I never thought I would play in the NBA. Maybe unconsciously it’s the main goal for every player but I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself by having these kind of goals so I was happy to play Euroleague games and when I had the opportunity to play in the NBA of course I came. No-one can resist when the NBA calls.
Cody, Romulus, Michigan
Hey Gordan. How are you doing? I am going to be a Freshman at Romulus High School, and I was wondering if u could give some helpful tips for this year. Some drills that would be useful to do during the summer to get my game tight. Thank you! And I hope one day I will be able to play against you.
You can never do enough shooting drills. You can work on some segments of the game, the most usual being like pin downs for the guards so you can put some chairs and use them as a screen as a big guy and then run by them and shoot. You can do some spot shooting and all kinds of drills. You have to ask your coach but what I was doing was spot shooting and pin downs. And for example if I play with the Utah Jazz, I know their plays, so over the summer time I try to do segments from the plays that I can shoot from and then I’m doing those kinds of drills, running off screens and making shots.
Stephen, Palos Park , IL
What do you think of the new rule that players have to be 19 to enter the NBA lottery? What are your thoughts for this upcoming basketball season?
I don’t disagree with it, I mean there are some people who are put in charge of making rules so if they say so I think they know what is best for the league and I can’t argue with it. Maybe some 18 year old guys will think that it’s unfair but the boss said it’s fair so it’s fair.
Igor Veselinovic, Fairview, New Jersey
Are you going to play in the Croatian National team for 2005 European Championship?
Yes. This will be the first year that I won’t be pressured. I don’t want to put pressure on myself, I’ll just enjoy it. For the first time I’ll play without pressure and just enjoy basketball.
Garrett , Reno, N evada
The 04-05 season didn’t seem to be your best stat wise. What are you going to do to improve your game?
I didn’t play much. I was only averaging 15 minutes a game and in these 15 minutes I was going out of the game two or three times and it’s very hard to get offensive rhythm, so I was trying last season to play hard defense and for sure with my minutes going up I’ll play way better for sure. I’ve shown the way that I can play when I was moved from Orlando to Utah so I think everyone knows the way I can play and the way that I score so I hope I’ll play more minutes and I’ll play better.
Robert / The Eagle, Gary, Indiana
How do you think your impact in the European Championship is going to benefit your playing in the NBA? Do you think you can make a major impact in Utah and become a house hold name like Noble(Manu) Ginobili?
If I play well then my team [Utah Jazz] will have more faith in me. Because if you make it with the national team then everyone knows as there are a lot of scouts on European Championships, so when they see you making good results then they believe in you and they give you more playing time during games.
Ginobili is a great player and he’s playing in San Antonio where there are a lot of South American people so he has a lot of fans, so combining his great game with the place he plays in, it’s the winning combination. But of course the most important thing is that he’s a great player.
Rich , Riverton, UT
You are very, very good, but I think you struggle a little bit to find yourself in the Jazz system. Does Jerry Sloan let you play your game, or could you offer more to the Jazz this year by playing differently?
I’ll try to do anything to help the team and whatever Jerry tells me to do I’ll try to do it. Maybe I might disagree but he is the boss and I respect that he is a great coach, so whatever he tells me to do I’ll try to do the best that I can to help the team.
Paulo, Bratislava, Slovakia
What is the best dunk you ever did in a game?
In Europe I did an Alley-opp and a dunk over two guys against Pau-Orthez, a French team. The last dunk I can remember in the NBA was the last game against Sacramento, last season, where I dunked against Brian Skinner.
With few minutes left before the end of the interview, our reporting staff was able to ask Giricek about his offseason plans and the his thoughts about the camp itself.
How does it feel to take part in such an event for the first time and what do you hope to teach the young players?
It’s good to be here, because I know when I was younger that I missed these kinds of things. I think it would have helped me a lot if I’d have been here and have had someone that I admire say something to me. I would have had more motivation to practice hard. I mean I had motivation, which is the reason why I made it in the NBA, but I would have had even more, so it’s good thing to be here and to help young people, because they need us and they need our advice which is one thing I can do for the young players.
Do you spend much time in Croatia during the offseason?
I’m trying to spend all my free time in Croatia. Sometimes I travel to a European city or to islands just outside Croatia but I’m mostly trying to stay in Croatia.
What do you miss most about your country?
At the beginning of the season I don’t miss anything, I mean I’m pretty sociable so I can adjust where you put me. If I start to miss something it’s after the All-star break because it’s only two months until the end of the season so I start to feel a bit homesick. And then what I miss is my parents, my family, my friends and just the way I act in Croatia, the customs. Basically I miss everything, but I think its physiological, it’s two months till the end of the season so you’re thinking about going back. At the beginning of the season it’s great because you don’t think about going home just think about the season and how to prepare but now It’s been four years so it’s easier for me as I’m used to the rhythm. Every year is easier. The first year was the hardest, which is normal especially when I’m so far away from Croatia. I mean it’s across the sea it’s far away!
NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad
