May 17, 2012
Monday, February 06, 2012
A good Last 16 so far
Keith Simmons - Banvit BK (photo lokobasket.com)Hello again from Bandirma! I am Keith Simmons of Banvit BK and since I last got in touch with you, Eurocup fans, our team lost against Spartak St. Petersburg on the road and beat Buducnost Voli at home. It was a good win for us. We played pretty good defense and allowed just 61 points. We had to do a better job and play better down the stretch. We got a big lead and allowed them to come back. It was a good win, but we wish we could have closed the game a little earlier. Lance Williams played great last night. This is his fourth year in Banvit and he knows everything about the team. He was hot and picked the right spots and knocked down a bunch of shots.

It is definitely easier to bounce back, personally, when you win. I went scoreless against Buducnost, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is that Banvit won. I definitely want to play better in the next game and help my team win. We have a deep team and other people stepped up against Buducnost. I think more than anything else, Banvit was able to win with me scoring 0 points. It has been a while since I had a scoreless game, but it happened and like I said, our team is pretty big and luckily, we were able to still win and that softens the blow. I just have to be more focused and do whatever I can to make my team win.

Before that, we had the chance to face Spartak in St. Petersburg. It was a tough loss for us, because we were right there at the end. We were even tied with less than two minutes to go and again, we didnt close the game well, made a couple of bad turnovers and they hit some big shots. We were close and where we needed to be, but didnt make the plays to win the game. I loved St. Petersburg. It was pretty cold, but of course, with a city like St. Peterburg, you have to go, get out and see things. It has so much to see! It is definitely a place I want to go back to and actually see, but we didnt really have time for that – and it wasn't really the focus which was, of course, beating Spartak. Our next game against Spartak will be a great one, I am sure. First of all, we have to try to beat Buducnost on the road next week and then be in a good position to play against Spartak. Our main focus, however, is trying to play better and getting another win against Buducnost.

Like I mentioned before, Lance Williams and Chuck Davis have been my teammates since I came to Banvit. At this point, it is like a brotherhood type of thing. I consider them good friends and even family at this point. We play well and get along well together. We hang out off the court and have become lifelong friends. It is rare that foreign players stay together in teams here in Europe. It has been nice to be able to play with these guys for some years. Chuck and Lance are versatile big men. They both can play with their back to the basket, but also shoot from outside. That makes us very versatile. Most of the shots Lance hit against Buducnost were jumpers. Basketball-wise, they are very talented big men and off the court, they are laid-back guys who don't get into trouble and that helps to build the team chemistry, getting along and being friends. They are both great guys!

It is a long winter here in Bandirma but there are things to do in this city. Lance has everyone over his house a lot of times. He has his family and even two dogs over here, so sometimes it is nice to go over there and almost feel you are back home with his family. We just hang out and watch games. They opened a bowling alley in the shopping center, so we go there sometimes. Bursa is an hour-and-a-half away, so sometimes we go and spend a day off out there, shopping and hanging out.

On to face Buducnost in Montenegro! We expect to face a tough environment and for them to play and shoot the ball better - like any team at home. It will be a matter of playing hard. Both teams know how important this game is. We are expecting a battle, but will work hard on our game plan and be ready to match their intensity to get... another win!
POSTED BY
KEITH SIMMONS - BANDIRMA, TURKEY
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