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ULEBCup.com interview: Thomas Kelati, PGE Turow
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PGE Turow Zgorzelec is one of the most pleasant surprises in the ULEB Cup this season and one of the main reasons to its success is small forward Thomas Kelati, who comes off his best game this season. Kelati helped Turow to register a 70-77 road win against EiffelTowers Den Bosch with 26 points, most of them in the final 15 minutes of the game. At 5-1, Turow is almost into the elimination rounds, while Kelati has averaged 17 points on 88.5% free throws and 3.8 rebounds in 6 ULEB Cup games this season. Kelati is also the only professional basketball player from Eritrea. Even when he was born in the United States, Kelati's parents had to get out of Eritrea in the early eighties due to a terrible war. The Kelati family left to Saudi Arabia before moving to the United States. Kelati not only is proud of his background, but also feels the support from an entire country, as he told us in this ULEBCup.com interview. "I know I have a lot of support behind me. A few of my college games were broadcast in Eritrea," Kelati told ULEBCup.com. "I just hope I inspire some of the younger generations and hopefully maybe in a few years you will see more Eritrean players involved in the sport of basketball."
First of all, congratulations to you and Turow for leading Group I. With teams like Zadar, Unics Kazan or Hapoel Jerusalem in the group, few people expected to see Turow up there. Is it also a surprise for you guys?
"I wouldn't say it is a surpruse for us, because we worked very hard and of course, all our hard work paid off so far. I also have to say we have a great coach (Saso Filipovski) who really pushed us up defensively. I think that's why we are on top on our group: because of our defense."
Turow is on a four-game winning streak highlighted by a big road triumph against Unics. Most of people around Europe have started to wonder about Turow. Which are the biggest strengths of your team?
"Actually, that win against Unics was great. I think that our biggest strength is that we play as a team. We've got a group of guys who play very well together. We have six or seven players from last year and we have a great team chemistry. We put a lot of hard work on the defensive end. That's what helped us to win a lot of the games. We shutted down a lot of team in defense. Unics scores 90 points a game at home and EiffelTowers is also a high-scoring team in Den Bosch. None of those teams scored too many points against us."
You are also having a great season so far, coming off your best game, as you scored the decisive points in the last two quarters to make Turow get a road win in Den Bosch. How happy are you with your season so far?
"I am happy, but I don't care too much about my individual stats as long as the team keeps winning. The great thing is that I am playing well and the team is winning. I can't ask for more now. We are in a great situation. I am not shooting well from behind the three-point line, so I have to keep working hard on my shot. Hopefully I will be shooting better during this ULEB Cup campaign."
Looking at the roster, it seems like a brand new team since two seasons ago, when none of the current players were on the team. Time together is usuall a big ingredient in winning. How did all you guys jell so quickly?
"That's true, but like I said, six or seven players played together already last year. Even with that, I think it is because of Filipovski's system. He is one of the best coaches I have played in all my years in basketball. We knew how to pick not only good basketball players, but good people. This is what made us so good, because we connect very well. We are good people who get along with each other and that's very important when you compete in a team sport: you need good team chemistry. You are right, most good teams in Europe have a group of players together for many years. We just got along very well.
 Yours is a very interesting story, as you were born in the United States but your parents are originally from Eritrea, who had to leave the country and eventually ended up in America. How close do you feel to Eritrea? Do you feel like in a way, you are representing Eritrea in the basketball world?
"Absolutely. I will never forget where I come from and my bloodline, I am Eritrean. One of the great things about being Eritrean is that there are not too many guys in the sport of basketball. When you hear about an Eritrean playing in NCAA Basketball or professionally in Europe, I know I have a lot of support behind me. A few of my college games were broadcast in Eritrea. Some of my relatives still live in there, while my Grandma, my uncle and some of my cousins were able to see me on TV. They couldn't believe it and after those games, they were really happy. It is incredible, because I really feel like the whole country is behind me when it comes to representing Eritrea in the basketball world. I just hope I inspire some of the younger generations and hopefully maybe in a few years you will see more Eritrean players involved in the sport of basketball. One of my dreams is playing one day for the Eritrean national team. That'd be great."
Looking into your career, you are a late bloomer and each season has been better than the previous one. At age 25, do you feel like you are entering the prime of your career?
"I am trying to turn a page. Every year, I feel like I have been critisized more and I think that's a good thing. Every time I try to work harder and push forward for the following year. In my first year out of college, I didn't have much time off the bench and that put me behind a little bit, but Filipovski gave me a second chance and my name is out there now. I was close to get to the NBA when I went out of college and I was kind of unheard in Europe but coach Filipovski really helped me to become a better player."
This is your second season in Poland and you have helped Turow to be a reference team in Polish basketball while also finding success in the ULEB Cup. How strong is Polish basketball becoming in recent years?
"I think that Polish basketball is definitely getting stronger. It is a little underrated by most people in Europe, because I have played in the Polish League last season and it is pretty strong, from the top team to the eighth. This year, there are teams that improved their rosters, there are three teams in the ULEB Cup and Prokom in the Euroleague. That says a lot, and it will continue to get stronger because of the exposure that the Polish teams have in Europe. One of the things about the Polish teams is that everyone has guys who are coming in with ambition. Everyone plays very hard in this league and that makes it very competitive."
Turow is playing its home games in Liberec, the Czech Republic. Still, you get thousands of fans coming to the arena for the ULEB Cup games. What's your opinion about the basketball-mad Turow fans?
"They are great. This is a small city but we have a great fan base. Unfortunately, we don't have a big enough arena to play in ULEB Cup games in our home town. When I first heard that we would play our ULEB Cup games in Liberec, I didn't know how many fans we were going to get. Every game we have more! They come out, support us, make a lot of noise and now we feel it is our home court. I have to give a big congratulations to our fans but the support they are giving to us."
Now that a trip to the elimination rounds seems almost guaranteed, how far can Turow go in the ULEB Cup this season?
"You know, I think we are capable of beating some of the top teams in the ULEB Cup, but it all is going to come down to staying hungry and taking one game at the time. If you look too far, it might be dangerous for us. With our defense and if we continue playing team basketball, I think we have a good chance as far as the Final Eight, maybe to the semifinals and maybe even winning. You never know. I'm just happy with the situation that we have right now."
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Friday, December 14, 2007
Javier Gancedo, ULEBCup.com
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