Julius Jenkins, Alba Berlin
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 Despite being located in one of the strongest and most balanced groups in this year's Last 16, Alba Berlin had a convincing start as one of just four unbeaten teams in this phase. A major reason for that success has been shooting guard Julius Jenkins, a Eurocup veteran in the prime of his career. Jenkins is currently the Last 16's top scorer with 21.5 points per game and has been Alba's go-to crunch-time scorer. His 6-for-6 free-throw accuracy in the final minute led Alba to a road win against Le Mans in Week 1. Then he scored 16 points as Alba kept its momentum going with a big home win against difficult DKV Joventut before 9,332 fans at o2 World in Berlin. Already in his fourth Eurocup season, Jenkins has been with Berlin since 2006 as his team's top gun. Jenkins is three points away from reaching the Eurocup's all-time Top 10 scoring list and has been around long enough to appreciate the competition like few others. "Winning the Eurocup title would mean a lot to me. I have been playing the competition since I was in Belgium," Jenkins told Eurocupbasketball.com. "It has been long time in this competition and winning the whole thing would be very big for me. It would also be very big for the club and my teammates."
Hello Julius. First of all, let's jump off the last win, at home against DKV Joventut. How important was that for Alba?
"It was definitely very important. All Spanish teams are always tough, every season. We were able to get the job done yesterday with the win. We closed down their main players and didn't let them play the way they did in the last games. That helped us to get an important win."
You had already beaten Le Mans away in Last 16 Game 1. What did it mean for you guys to start this phase with a road win?
"It was very good for us to start with that win at Le Mans. That gave us the momentum going into the game against Joventut. Le Mans is a very good team - they beat Aris in Greece yesterday, showing what they can do. It was very big for us to win that game and to get a great start in this second round of the Eurocup."
Not only Alba is doing well, but you are the leading scorer in the Last 16. You will turn 29 next week. Are playing your best basketball ever?
"I guess that you can say it, I don't know. I think I played really well the season that we won the German championship but right now… how can I put it? I think I have grown up a little bit more on the court in key moments out there, understanding more things and letting the game come to me, not forcing things. I am trying to get myself involved, but also my teammates. I am trying to do all the little things to help the team win."
 In an era where few players stay at the same club for long periods, you are in your fourth season at Alba. What makes your relationship with Berlin so special?
"I think it is the professionalism. This is a very professional club, a well-known one over Europe, not only in Germany. I have done great so far in Alba and the people here treat me well. This is what keeps me here. I love playing for this club, I like how they work around here. And of course, the o2 World is bananas. That is a great thing, to get out there and play in this arena, always in front of a lot of fans."
You are shooting more three-pointers this season than ever before - and making them at an impressive 45% rate. Have you been working more on that shot or has something changed in the team's strategy?
"I have had a special focus on shooting the ball, trying to concentrate more on the rim. I just try to concentrate when I let that ball go. A lot of it has to do with me standing up in every practice, getting extra shots, getting my rhythm in the game so that when I am there, it is like taking shots in practice. I think that has a lot to do with taking a lot of extra shots after practice and also on off-days. I think that helps a lot. That gives you a lot of confidence, which is really important when it comes to shooting the ball."
Despite Adam Chubb getting injured before the Last 16, Alba has not skipped a beat. How?
"Well we have given more responsibility to Blagota Sekulic. Our power forwards, Jurica Golemac and Dragan Dojcin, have stepped up big for us, too, because they have been moving to the four and five (positions), giving Sekulic time to rest. Then we have a new player, Cemal Nalga, who has been coming in and giving us some quality minutes. Not too many, but when he gets in, he definitely knows what he has to do. He has helped us a lot, too. We have been able to overcome Chubb's injury, but we definitely need him back."
The team added a new player, Lucca Staiger, just before the Last 16. Does he have what it takes to be an impact player in years to come?
"Definitely, I think so. I know Lucca Staiger from way back, when I played in the German second division, he was there, too. I remember him as a very good German talent. He is coming from college, so he now has some good experience, and he has also played for the German national team. He could be an impact player in the German League and the Eurocup in years to come."
 In four previous Eurocup/ULEB Cup seasons, you have never been past the round of 16. Does this team have what it takes to reach the quarterfinals and beyond that, to potentially challenge for the title?
"I believe we can compete against the best teams in the Eurocup. I would never doubt that. If we can make it to the next round, I think that all chances are open for whoever is there to win it all. Hopefully we can finish in first place and get out of this group with the home court advantage. That would be a big advantage for us."
How important would it be for German basketball to have Alba or Brose with a European trophy? What would winning the Eurocup title mean to you?
"That would be very good, but no team in Germany has won a European title in the last 15 years. It would be a big step in German basketball. Winning the Eurocup title would mean a lot to me. I have been playing the competition since I was in Belgium. It has been long time in this competition and winning the whole thing would be very big for me. It would also be very big for the club and my teammates."
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Thursday, February 04, 2010
Javier Gancedo, Eurocupbasketball.com
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