With Boulogne Metropolitans 92 one win away from securing a quarterfinals berth for the second time in club history, the team's big man Tomer Ginat checks in with the second edition of his EuroCupbasketball.com blog.
Tomer Ginat, Metropolitans: 'We can do something special'
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Hello again EuroCup fans!
It's good to be back. I had an injury that caused me to miss a few games. I developed an infection in my heel and at a certain point, the pain was too great for me to play through. I underwent an MR1 and it showed that the infection had worsened and I needed to rest for it to heal. In the end, it took less time than expected and after about three weeks I was able to get back to playing.
Any player can tell you how difficult it is to sit on the side and watch his team play. Fortunately for me, we played excellently when I was out and came up with some big wins, including in Kuban and against Partizan and Trento at home. Those wins give us a big push going forward and I hope now that I'm back, we can continue the momentum, finish the job and advance to the quarterfinals.
"I have extended my contract… and I'm really happy to have the privilege to play here for a second season."
Getting back in shape, like after any injury, wasn't easy. Regaining my conditioning and getting back to the team's pace took a little bit of time. But now I already feel much better and I'm glad the injury is behind me.
Mine was the latest in a string of injuries the team has gone through. I think one of the things that makes us so strong as a team is that in any given game, we have so many players who can step up. Also, we play with a well-defined style and it doesn't matter which player goes out, the player who comes in knows what to do. And the connection between the players is very strong, so when one player is out, we all know what we must do to pick up the pieces.
I have extended my contract and will play for Metropolitans also next season. From the moment I got here, I have found a connection with the club management and the employees, who made me feel welcome. I love my neighborhood where I live and I'm really happy to have the privilege to play here for a second season.
From a professional point of view, I feel like I've improved as a player and I’m already a different player than I was when I first got here and I'm really happy about that. I think I've specifically improved as far as aggressiveness and movement off the ball. I have grown in my understanding of the offense, which is much different than what I had been previously used to. Because of that, I am playing with a lot more confidence than when I first arrived.
"I want our fans to know that we feel their support and it means a lot to us."
We've had a lot of time to practice and prepare for this next game against Lokomotiv, which is critical for us. We come into this game determined. The key for us will be to stop their transition game. We have to be aggressive and play our brand of basketball on offense and defense. We know it won't be easy, but if everyone comes and does his job, if we play together, we can get it done and that's our goal.
Fans are still not allowed into games in France. All of us hope that the situation will improve soon and fans will be able to attend. In the meantime, I want our fans to know that we feel their support and it means a lot to us. Whether it's on social media or even people I meet on the streets, I am grateful for the support of the fans and I hope we can repay them with wins.
We have won some games this season that maybe other people didn't expect us to win. I think that's because we approach every game with a measure of modesty, determined to work hard to get the job done. If we stick to that approach and take one game at a time, I think we can do something special this season. For now, we are only thinking about Kuban on Wednesday and hopefully, we will win and then start thinking about the next game.