Tomas Van den Spiegel, BC Oostende
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 A proven winner at the sport’s highest levels, Tomas Van den Spiegel knows a thing or two about peaking when it matters most. On two occasions he joined Russian giant CSKA Moscow midseason and helped the club soar into the Euroleague Final Four and lift the trophy each time. After a decade of playing abroad for some of Europe’s best teams, the Belgian center is back home and now he wants to help his old/new team, Telenet Oostende, reach peak form at the start of the season. Van den Spiegel is the most experienced and accomplished player on the Oostende squad that travels to Sweden to take on Norrkoping Dolphins Tuesday in the opening leg of their Eurocup Qualifying Round series. As such, Van den Spiegel knows not to look too far ahead, even though he is clearly focused on the big picture. "I think that Oostende is ready to become a regular participant in the Eurocup," Van den Spiegel told Eurocupbasketball.com. "We are trying to put together a very interesting project to do well in European competition… I think we can beat any team in Europe, other than the top Euroleague ones, in any given game."
Even though you were away from the team due to EuroBasket, how has the preseason gone for you and Oostende?
"Like you said, I was away for the best part of it, so it is hard to judge. We have several new, talented players and have to start almost from scratch. We have had good and bad games, but have been doing better lately. I am sure we will be fine when the Eurocup Qualifying Round arrives. This is a very important series for us very early in the season, so we have to be ready."
How do you expect Oostende to develop this season?
"I think that Oostende is ready to become a regular participant in the Eurocup. This is our chance to get to the competition and now we have to show we deserve to be there. Our first goal is to reach the Eurocup and we will see after that. It is going to be very tough to beat Charleroi in Belgium, because they made some very good signings like Jiri Welsch and Toko Sengheila, but that's our ambition - to beat Charleroi."
What do you know about Norrkoping Dolphins, your opponent in the Qualifying Round?
"I haven't had the chance to watch any of their games yet, but I know they beat a Belgian team, Okapi Aalstar, in the EuroChallenge qualifying round last season and even lost at home, but won by more points on the road in Game 2. They surprised everybody a little bit. I remember they had a very good player, Joakim Kjellbom, but he has left the team to play in Georgia. I am sure we will study them to be well-prepared for this game."
 How important is for Belgian basketball to have a team like Oostende in the Eurocup?
"I think it is truly important. Oostende is a team with a great basketball tradition that deserves to be there. We are trying to put together a very interesting project to do well in European competition. Spirou played in the Euroleague last season and is hosting one of the Qualifying Rounds, they also have a very good chance to return to the competition. The higher Belgian teams compete, the better for everybody. I hope we can continue showing that."
We have seen him play, but few of us have seen him coach. How is Jean-Marc Jaumin as a coach?
"He is a young coach, but also was a very good point guard in his playing days. He knows the game and even though he can be strict, he knows everything about basketball and which players he needs to use at any time. He knows what a player feels on the court and has a very good player-coach relationship, which is very important."
Let's talk about you a little bit. What role do you expect to play at Oostende?
"I think I can be very important for my team. I have played against big teams and have a lot of experience, plus I feel very good and we have a team that is not very deep under the baskets. I really want to be really important and I think I am ready to step up again and help this team. I have never been a scorer, but a guy able to do a little bit of everything and make my team play better and win games. That's my only goal – to win games. I have four more years here and nothing to prove to anybody. I just want to win games with Oostende, it is the only reason why I am here. I have no personal ambitions at all other than winning with this team."
You had an outstanding Euroleague career. What is your best memory from it?
"Final Four 2006 in Prague, no doubt about it. I arrived in CSKA in the middle of that season and played very well, I had an important role in that team. We want to that Final Four a little bit like an underdog - Barcelona was playing very well and Maccabi was expected to win the whole thing for the third consecutive year. We went there as an underdog and beat everybody! Personally, getting traded was like being traded from a Belgian soccer team to Real Madrid. It was a very big thing for me and that is why I think the 2006 Final Four was a very special one for me."
If you get to the Eurocup, what can we expect from Oostende in the competition?
"Like you said, we have to qualify first! I think we have made some really good recruitments and are a talented team this season. I think we can beat any team in Europe, other than the top Euroleague ones, in any given game. Again, we have to take one game at the time, starting with the qualifying round."
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Monday, September 26, 2011
Frank Lawlor, Eurocupbasketball.com
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