Nik Caner-Medley, Valencia Basket

May 21, 2012

The Eurocup Last 16 reached its halfway mark and Valencia Basket is one of the three undefeated teams left in this phase. Valencia stole road wins against BCM Gravelines, which was previously undefeated in front of its fans, and CEZ Nymburk, to stop its four-game winning streak. Its main frontcourt reference has been forward Nik Caner-Medley, who was an All-Eurocup second team selection last season. Caner-Medley helps Valencia in every aspect of the game, as he is averaging 12 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2 steals in three Last 16 games until now. He ranks second in rebounding and third in performance index ranking (21 per game) over the last three games. Caner-Medley reached the Eurocup Quarterfinals with Asefa Estudiantes last season, but was stopped there. Now playing for a two-time Eurocup champion in Valencia, Caner-Medley knows that he has a golden chance not only to get past the quarterfinals, but also to challenge for the title, as he told us in this Eurocupbasketball.com interview. "It would be great to put Valencia in the Euroleague. There are people in this club that work really hard and thats the truth. They want to be successful and put a lot of effort into making that happen," Caner-Medley told Eurocupbasketball.com. "As a player, your job is to do what they expect to do; the best I can to put the club in that position."

Hello Nik. Congratulations on a great start to the Eurocup Last 16. How tough has the Eurocup season been until now?

"It has been great, we have only lost a couple of games, one of them being the first one against Asvel, which had Tony Parker, who scored 34 points – and we still had a chance to win that game. With all the injuries we had and the fact that we had to change coaches, being 3-0 in the Last 16 with two home games coming up to secure a place in the quarterfinals – hopefully as group champions – I have to say that the Eurocup has gone fantastic until now."

In your last game against Nymburk, Valencia saw a 15-point halftime lead disappear, but still won the game. Does that show the teams character in crunch time?

"It was a great road win for us. They came out in the third quarter and started hitting shots - pull-up three-pointers from NBA distance in transition and things like that. They started out really, really hot, but we were able to regroup and our coach did a really good job. He didnt start to yell at us, but told us that now that it was tied again, it was a brand new game and we had to win it. He was really positive and helped us to stay in the game and realize that we could win it by refocusing on what we did in the first half to get that 15-point lead. We came back out and ended up winning. It was a great effort and helped our team's chemistry. It is a situation we can go back to, so that we don't lose a 15-point lead again. Games like this help the team to get closer and form a character."

You opened the Last 16 with a big road win in Gravelines and then thrashed VEF Riga at home. How important was that good start for Valencia?

"We have been really focused and part of it has been our struggles in the Spanish League. The game against Gravelines came after a very disappointing home loss in a game that we needed to win - and it still hurts. It was an opportunity to guarantee being in the Spanish King's Cup that we lost, so having to face Gravelines two days later, you still have that fire, that anger from that loss that make you come out and have that extra intensity. Part of the reason why we have been really, really focused in the Eurocup is because of that. We know that every game is important, especially with guys being hurt and adversities. It has been an opportunity to redeem ourselves. You don't want to redeem yourself – because you want to win – but some Eurocup games have been must-win ones for us in terms of staying together."

Nando De Colo has been truly unstoppable since the holiday break. How do you like playing with him?

"Nando is a great point guard and a great scorer. He plays at a really, really good pace and is never out of control. I think he is a top-level point guard. I have played with a lot of good point guards and from the first time I started playing with Nando, I immediately noticed he is at that level. He is meant to be a very successful player. A lot of times, he makes it look pretty easy. There are not a lot of players in Europe who can guard him. There are not a lot of players of that caliber, in terms of his understanding of the game. He is one of the top guards in Europe, in my opinion."

Coach Velimir Perasovic seems to trust you a lot and he played you all 40 minutes in his first game on the bench. How has the short time with Perasovic been until now?

"He just came and we are just trying to get to know each other, but it is clear that we both have the same goal – we want to win. He is here to help us win and we are taking one game at the time. I am a basketball junkie, so I knew about him not only as a coach, but as the great player he was. I am familiar with the stuff he has done in basketball. This is the first time that I have played for someone who played before and I am excited for that. Anytime you play for someone who played before, it brings a little bit of a different dynamic. I trust him and respect him and I am looking forward to working with him."

This is your third Eurocup season and all have been with Spanish teams. What do you like about the competition?

"I think the Eurocup is great. It gives you an opportunity to win a prestigious title and go to the Euroleague. It gives you a chance to play against very tough teams in Europe. It is nice to play two games a week, too – I love it. Playing one game a week makes it a long season. I really like the chance to play two games a week. It helps players like myself, I always play my best basketball as the season goes on and one of the reasons for that is that the more you play, the better rhythm you get. You get in good form by playing two games a week."

Do you have a different approach now that you play for a top contender?

"My approach is the same - I want to win no matter where I am playing. It is really nice to be in an environment where the people around you expect to win - and want to win. It makes the environment very competitive. I am the type of player that sets my expectations higher than I am sure anybody else will. I expect great things from myself and the team. Being in an environment like this is easy for me."

You were close to reaching the Eurocup Finals with Estudiantes last season, but lost against Cedevita in the quarterfinals. Does that give you extra motivation to reach the Finals with Valencia?

"Well, it was a great learning experience, because we were beating Cedevita by 17 points in the first half of Game 1. I can assure you that if we are in the same situation with Valencia, up by 10-to-15 points, going into the second half of a two-way round, I will have that experience to share with my teammates and really help motivate them and realize that we have to close that game up. We ended up losing that by 9 points and were up by 17 at some point. Those kinds of experiences make me hungrier and being that close to the Finals last season, my expectations are now a little bit higher. Hopefully we can put ourselves in the same positions and make it to the Finals."

Like you said, winning the Eurocup comes with the chance to play the Euroleague in 2012-13. What would it mean getting both things at the end of the season?

"You know, I think that Valencia is a great club and with the way it played in the Euroleague last season, in which it almost made it to the Final Four, it is the type of club that deserves to be in that competition. I would really love to be part of making that happen for this club and it would be great to put Valencia in the Euroleague. There are people in this club that work really hard and that's the truth. They want to be successful and put a lot of effort into making that happen. As a player, your job is to do what they expect; to do the best I can to put the club in that position."

Monday, February 06, 2012

Javier Gancedo, Eurocupbasketball.com