 One of European basketball's biggest surprises this season, Cedevita Zagreb, came all the way from the Eurocup qualifying rounds to finds itself on the brink of qualifying for the quarterfinals in its debut at this level. Whether or not Cedevita can advance from the Last 16, no one in Zagreb will forget soon how the team put itself in this position - with back-to-back wins over favored Gran Canaria of Spain in games that set records for three-point shooting. The hot hand in both victories belonged to 24-year-old small forward Damjan Rudez, owner of a truly privileged shooting stroke. Rudez hit 7 triples as Cedevita won 114-110 in overtime at home and joined Gran Canaria in setting a Eurocup record for combined three-pointers, 34. Then, in the rematch, he and Bracey Wright buried 5 triples each as Cedevita set a road-team record of 18 hits from the arc to shock Gran Canaria 86-89. Although he is 12-for-20 from downtown in those games, after having gone 8-for-38 on three-pointers previously this season, it is no surprise to see Rudez make shots. After all, he is a perfect 21-of-21 free throws this season and has landed 61.4% of his two-pointers, too. Rudez was the Eurocup weekly MVP after both games, sharing the honor with Wright after the second. Now, with victory in Tuesay’s home game against Hemofarm in Group I, Rudez and Cedevita can do something no one predicted; clinch the quarterfinals. "We were kind of the underdog in the beginning and the regular season, and now we have a chance to be one of the best eight Eurocup teams," Nobody expected us to do that."
Hello Damjan. Congratulations on your team's consecutive wins against Gran Canaria 2014, in which Cedevita had 35 three-pointers and broke a record or two. What was the key for such incredible performances?
"I am very happy because both my performances came against such a good team as Gran Canaria, which has great players, and now we have a chance to advance. Gran Canaria's defensive system usually has them helping a lot on the high pick-'n'-roll, which is the most important part of our offense, so we were all able to get a lot of open shots, which kind of surprised me a little. They chose their defense and stuck to it, no matter if they were up or down with the result, and it worked well for us."
You are playing with lots of confidence, taking more shots and feeling more important. How has coach Aca Petrovic helped you to become a better player?
"This is my second year with the team and I am comfortable with my role. We are doing good as young team with not much history and making a name for ourselves in the Eurocup. We have an excellent point guard, who finds me whenever I am open, and Petrovic encourages me to keep shooting when I am hot. It's sort of how the system works for us: we all look for the guy who is feeling hot at that time and feed him the ball."
Cedevita keeps beating expectations, downing Dynamo Moscow in the Qualifying Round and surviving a tough regular season group. How has the Eurocup season been for you guys so far?
"The season has been very successful because we have already gone further than last season, when we didn't advance in the FIBA challenge. We were kind of the underdog in the beginning and the regular season, and now we have a chance to be one of the best eight Eurocup teams. Nobody expected us to do that because we are a very young team, but we beat Aris this season and Gran Canaria. I think that says a lot. I am also happy with my play because I never played as much. When I was in the Euroleague with Olimpija, it was a completely different situation. I am shooting a lot more now, feeling more comfortable and my numbers have been good."
This is your first Eurocup season in six years, since you played with Oostende in 2004-05. Which are the main differences you find six years later?
"The main difference is that I get a lot of playing time. When I first played, it was called the ULEB Cup. When I played for Oostende six years ago, I really didn't play all that much, so I didn't have a feeling for the game or the players that I went up against. Of course, there were great players and teams competing back then too, but I think the Eurocup is very strong this year and our group, specifically: Gran Canaria is very tough to beat in Spain, Unics Kazan is one of the top Russian teams, and Hemofarm is always among the best. It's the second-best competition in Europe, and that's why I am so happy that we are doing so well."
The first game of two against Gran Canaria was one of the highest-scoring ever in Eurocup history, 114-110 in OT. What do you remember about that game?
"We were very relaxed because we had nothing to lose, and that's always a big advantage. Gran Canaria probably underestimated us a little bit but, after two losses in a row, we had to win that game if we wanted to keep our chances of advancing. It was a crazy game because both Gran Canaria and we were having a great shooting night, hitting all threes, and I started very well in the first half. I kept getting open looks and hitting them, all the way through the overtime period too. Thank God we won and we still have a chance to keep playing."
 Coach Aca Petrovic always finds good point guards and Dontaye Draper is no exception. How do you feel playing with him?
"As I said, we have an excellent point guard in Dontaye Draper. He commands double teams and is leading the Eurocup in assists. He has great court vision and finds me on the wing whenever I am open, so I get plenty of good looks."
Cedevita is run by former players who know basketball inside out, such as Kresimir Novosel, Matej Mamic and Mate Skelin. How does that structure help Cedevita to be what it is today?
"I think it helps very much. Mamic is a well-known former European player who knows the system and how a team should function at the highest level. I think we have great management and a great owner. It's a very classy organization, financially stable in these complicated times, and the people who run the club love it dearly. There is a good connection with the players. It's a very young team that started from nothing and we are working hard to be recognized and bring people to the gym, which is very hard because Cibona is still the best-known team in Zagreb. But management is doing an excellent job with commercials and attracting people to the games. Hopefully, it is going to pay off soon."
At 2.03 meters, you are taller than many small forwards. How do you use your size to your advantage?
"It's true that I am a little bit taller than most 'threes', but I always considered that an advantage, even though some of the coaches I had previously used to think of it as a disadvantage, arguing that it made me slower than the smaller guys. But now I have a coach who trusts me and lets me play my game, where I get a lot of open shots and post-up opportunities. He uses me at the four spot sometimes to spread the floor, and I am very happy with my role right now."
Cedevita took a main step forwards to reach the playoffs. Which is your team's limit this season, which goals do you want to achieve?
"We've had so many up-and-down performances and showed so many different faces that nobody really knows what to expect from us. It's been kind of strange because we beat some teams that were favorites on paper: in the Adriatic League, Olimpija by 30 at home, Partizan, and in the Eurocup, Aris and Gran Canaria… games that nobody really expected us to win. I think we are still discovering our potential as a team, because we can also suffer bad losses. If we manage to make those differences between great and bad games smaller, maybe we can keep advancing in the Eurocup."
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