News
Interviews
Jerian Grant, Turk Telekom: 'We are ready'

Jerian Grant, Turk Telekom: 'We are ready'

Interviews

24 April 20239 Mins read

Javier Gancedo

Jerian Grant, Turk Telekom: 'We are ready'

It has been a great 7DAYS EuroCup season for Turk Telekom Ankara, which has won 15 of its 20 games en route to the semifinals. Turk Telekom began the season with a new core of players and a new head coach in Erdem Can. The gelled quickly and are peaking at the right time. Playmaker Jerian Grant has been at the heart of it all. A member of a distinguished basketball family, his father, Harvey Grant, played in the NBA for a decade. Harvey's twin brother was Horace Grant, a four-time NBA champion. Jerian's brothers Jerami and Jerai also play professional basketball. Jerian Grant is enjoying a breakout EuroCup season with 14.6 points and 6.2 assists for a PIR of 18.6. He was the EuroCup Quarterfinals MVP after posting 20 points, 7 assists and a quarterfinals record 13 fouls drawn for a PIR of 31 in the win against ratiopharm Ulm. Grant is now looking forward to Turk Telekom's semifinal matchup against Prometey Slobozhanske. "We know it will be a tough environment going to play there, but we are ready," Grant said. "Our guys have been ready from day one and we are two games away from a championship, so [we are] taking it one game at a time. I think all our guys are excited and ready to get on the road and have a great game."

Congratulations on the comeback win against ratiopharm Ulm. What allowed you to overcome a bad start and make it to the semifinals?

"I think we have put ourselves in that position probably in the last couple of months. We have been down big in some games and I think our team never loses confidence. I think we just know that as long as we stick together and keep doing what we are doing, eventually, we will come out on top. We have won a lot of games this year and we have done it in all types of different ways, so we just keep confidence in each other and stay together, and that's how we have been winning this year."

"The guys have trusted me, coaches have trusted me, and that's all it really takes."

You drew 13 fouls in that game, a new record for the quarterfinals or later. Was it part of the game plan, to be aggressive and attack their guards?

"Not really the game plan, but before every game, Coach and my teammates just tell me to be aggressive. They always tell me, 'be aggressive, be aggressive', so that helps me to start every game just trying to be in attack mode. And against Ulm, obviously, with them having the younger guards and a couple of smaller guards, it was a great way to play."

This is your first EuroCup season after a year with Milan in the EuroLeague? How do you compare the competitions and what surprised you about the EuroCup?

"Obviously the EuroLeague is deeper from one to 18 teams. Anybody can get beat any night because they are just a bunch of talent all the way, top to bottom. And the EuroCup is just a little different because I think the top half of the teams are more EuroLeague level and you have the bottom half of the teams that can struggle a little bit. But it's definitely top-level basketball, and just me this year, being with this team and with Coach trusting me, it has helped my game progress a lot."

Your brother Jerai played the EuroCup before you did. Did you ask him about the competition before you signed with Turk Telekom? If so, what did he tell you?

"I didn't ask him much about the EuroCup, but I watched a lot of his games so I was able to see kind of just the way it compared to the EuroLeague. And I think that's obviously helped me this year to play the way I'm playing. I didn't ask him specifically, but I definitely watched his games and got to kind of scout out some of the teams."

You come from one of the biggest basketball families we know of: your Dad, your uncle and your two brothers all played professionally. How often do you stay in touch, and how important is basketball in the family?

"It's big. I talk to my brothers pretty much almost every day. Obviously, Jerami plays in the NBA, and it is a different time. But Jerai playing out here and my youngest brother just keeping up with all of us. I talk to my brothers every day, pretty much. Obviously, my dad tries to catch the games out here when he can, and basketball has been in our family since day one. So it's something that we always talk about and we always compete trying to push each other to the next level."

It must have been a competitive environment, too. Did growing up in such a big basketball family help you become a better player?

"Yes, absolutely. I think growing up, we all wanted to be better than the other brothers, so we pushed each other. We had battles in the backyard. When my team was playing after his team, if he scored 20 points, I wanted to score 25 points. So all my brothers, we competed and we pushed each other and we still do to this day. It's more of friendly competition now, but we always just want to push each other so that the next guy can do better."

You will play against Prometey, which is on a 13-game winning streak. What needs to be done to take them out of their rhythm and challenge for a playoff spot?

"They have a great team. They have won a lot of games in a row. I think I have seen a stat where they were like, between their two competitions, they had won maybe 30 games in a row, something crazy. We know it will be a tough environment going to play there, but we are ready. Our guys have been ready from day one, and we are two games away from a championship, so [we are] taking it one game at a time. I think all our guys are excited and ready to get on the road and have a great game."

You lead Turk Telekom in assists, fouls drawn and PIR. Is that what you were looking for when you joined the team, having a big role and making things happen with the ball in your hands?

"Oh, absolutely. From day one when I talked to Coach, that's kind of what he told me. He was like 'you are going to have a big role in this team, you are going to be one of my lead guards, and I'm going to need you to lead this team'. And I was excited for the challenge. And it's been a great year. Honestly, the guys have trusted me, coaches have trusted me, and that's all it really takes. So for me, I'm just excited to be able to continue this journey."

"We are extremely excited. We can't wait to get back on the court."

What's your take on the other semifinal, Gran Canaria against Joventut?

"After our game, I will be tuned in. It will be a great game to watch. Everybody talks about how the ACB League is the best in Europe, so to have those two teams playing against each other with a chance for one of them to play for the championship will be an exciting good basketball [game]. Gran Canaria is deep, one to 12 or one through 13. They don't have a drop-off when they send their guys in and out. So I think that's the challenge with them, you get elite basketball for 40 minutes no matter who's in the game, and that can always be challenging. They play good basketball."

You have five players averaging double digits in scoring. How important is the fact that anyone can step up in a one-and-done situation like the EuroCup Playoffs?

"I think that's one of our biggest weapons, honestly, to have any guy on our team to be able to go off in any given night. You can't just focus on one player. If you are planning to stop me, we got other guards and bigs that can go off your game plan to stop Axel [Bouteille], Tony [Taylor], Nate [Sestina], Erkan [Yilmaz], obviously Tyrique [Jones]... it's really tough because we have guys that can step up any given night and give you 20 points and 10 assists, and just have a great game, so you know, I think one of our biggest strengths is just being so versatile."

What would it mean for you and for a traditional basketball city like Ankara to go all the way, lift the EuroCup title and return to the EuroLeague?

"It would mean the world. It is something that we talk about almost every day, just being able to reach our goal of winning the EuroCup and being able to go to the EuroLeague and make a big statement like that. I think guys, like I said, have been talking about it for a long time and we are extremely excited. We can't wait to get back on the court."