Hamburg Towers big man Maik Kotsar, who was a point guard in high school, is eager to take on the 7DAYS EuroCup in his - and his club's – first season in the competition.
Hamburg center Kotsar still has the feel of a point guard
Player Spotlight
4 Mins read
Maik Kotsar is not your typical center. The Hamburg Towers big man is actually pretty new to the position. And don’t be surprised if the Estonian delivers a sweet pass here or there. He was a point guard until a late growth spurt.
Kotsar will be making his pan-European club competition debut this season for Hamburg, which will also be taking its maiden journey around the continent in the 7DAYS EuroCup. And it was this opportunity that kept the 24-year-old in Hamburg.
Kotsar was a rookie in 2020-21 in northern Germany after playing four years collegiately in the United States at the University of South Carolina. He excelled in the German League, averaging 14.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 36 games and helping the team make the German playoffs for the first time in club history. That eventually landed the Towers a EuroCup ticket, which was reason enough for Kotsar to stay with the team.
"It played a huge role. Obviously, the next logical step after having a good season in Germany was to play at the international level and hearing that Hamburg were playing internationally made me think that Hamburg is a great fit for me and there is no reason to leave and go to another EuroCup team where I don’t know the situation,” he explained.
"The EuroCup is a great league to play in. I am excited and I know that everyone on the team is also excited."
Kotsar said that he is looking forward to the mid-week action: “I haven’t played in an international club competition before. The EuroCup is a great league to play in. I am excited and I know that everyone on the team is also excited.”
Kotsar has played on the international stage though, having represented his native Estonia on the national team at both the junior and the senior levels, even helping the country qualify for EuroBasket 2022.
Big crowds are nothing new for him either as Kotsar has already played in front of 77,000 people; he helped the South Carolina Gamecocks reach their first-ever NCAA Final Four in Phoenix in 2017. That came after South Carolina played at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
"Playing at Madison Square Garden for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight and to win those games and to get caught up in that and celebrate at Madison Square Garden was amazing. And then to fly to Phoenix and play in front of 77,000 people was a one of a kind of experience I wouldn’t trade for anything,” said Kotsar, who had 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the national semifinal loss to Gonzaga.
Kotsar not only has grown up as a player since that experience in his freshman season in college, but he also has changed positions. He stood just 1.77 meters as a 14-year-old and was playing point guard. He grew to over 2 meters in just two years and currently stands at 2.09 meters.
"I played point guard until my freshman year of high school [in Estonia]. Then I slowly moved to the small forward spot and in prep school in the United States, I played power forward for the first time. In college, I played mostly the ‘4’ and sometimes the ‘5’, and now in Hamburg, I’m playing the ‘5’. I feel like I still have a lot to learn, but it’s an interesting experience,” Kotsar said.
"I feel like I still have a lot to learn, but it’s an interesting experience."
The biggest thing he enjoys about playing center is being more involved in the game.
"The ‘5’ man is always setting a screen or defending a screen or doing something, whereas with the ‘4’ and ‘3’ spots you’re kind of just put in the corner and watch and wait. The ‘5’ man is much more involved and I like that. I like when I can affect the game,” he said.
While Kotsar may have the body of a EuroCup center, he still has the vision and feel of a playmaker.
"Just playing point guard in my youth helped me with court vision and everything, and I feel pretty comfortable with the ball in my hands,” he said.
Kotsar’s comfort with the ball in his hands will likely make opposing centers and coaches uncomfortable as they watch the non-typical big man help run plays at Hamburg.