Javier Gancedo chatted with Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse forward Jordan Usher for this week's EuroCup interview
Jordan Usher: 'You will see more from me'
Interviews
7 Mins read
Only 26 years of age, Jordan Usher of Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse has seen a thing or two in basketball already. This season is his first in the BKT EuroCup and after a somewhat slow start, he has come around recently to average 16.3 points on 47.0% three-point shooting for a PIR of 17.5 over his last four games. After playing college basketball for two different schools, where he would play alongside future EuroCup and EuroLeague players, Usher began his professional career in Turkiye with Besiktas Istanbul and last season teamed with the eventual No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft, Alex Sarr, on the Perth Wildcats in Australia. After those experiences, he has big goals for Bourg.
"I want us to win the EuroCup championship or at least make the finals," Usher told Javier Gancedo of the official EuroCup website. He also explained his recent superb form by saying: "I'm gelling with the team, being able to get to my spots, and they know when I need the ball and how I can help the defense."
Hello, Jordan. First of all, congratulations on beating Hamburg last week. How important was this win now that you are getting closer to the end of the regular season?
"Thanks. This was a huge win. We need to have a really good December. We need to have a good month. We need to have a good win coming up here against Cluj and it was good to beat them that second time and just give us some more cushion in the EuroCup standings. We didn't come out with enough fire and they came out hot and gunning. [Head coach] Freddy [Fauthoux] got into us and pretty much told us what we needed to hear, and we came out and played with more energy."
"We need to have a good month. We need to have a good win coming up here against Cluj."
This is your first EuroCup season. What are your thoughts on the competition, the opponents and the traveling?
"Oh, man, I love it. I love playing as many games as I can and I've got a lot of friends from my childhood or even my college days that play on opposing teams. So it's been fun to see them and play against a bunch of good competition and see some nice places at the same time."
Speaking of nice places, you are playing in Bourg-en-Bresse. The club made it to the EuroCup Finals and the city is fully devoted to basketball. How is life in Bourg? How much do they like basketball?
"It's a quaint little town. But like you said, they really get behind us and love their team. And I like that: it's a small town, but they are centered around basketball. If you see our young team players, they are in the gym damn near as much as us, just working out. And I think that's the best, having people with similar work ethics. When you can just be in the gym all day, that's good."
Your former college teammate Jonah Mathews plays for Besiktas in the other group. Two of your former college teammates, Chimezie Metu and Moses Wright, are in the EuroLeague.
"I talk to all those guys all the time still. It is just nice. Hopefully, I can play against Jonah. Moses is out for now, but hopefully, Chimezie keeps having a good season. Jared Harper is from the same city as me. I played against him in high school and watched my college when he was at Auburn. I have a teammate that I played with and we are about to play this week, Orelik on Cluj. It is kind of endless. I can kind of list off a bunch of names here, but there's a bunch."
You have been playing much better in the last month, posting better numbers. Did you need some sort of adjustment to a new club and competition?
"I think it was just kind of how Freddy could use me the best and how he can see the best on the court. And now that he's kind of honed in on that, I feel like we are both kind of gelling together and I'm gelling with the team, being able to get to my spots, and they know when I need the ball and how I can help the defense. Big differences."
You played in Australia last season, in Perth, far away from everywhere, basically. How was the experience?
"Yes, it was amazing. It is a bit of a different league, but it was really fun. I got to be with my guy Alex Sarr a lot of the time during the year. Bryce Cotton is a legendary player over there, so we had a fun time. It's a lot warmer because it's summertime in Australia, but it was a good season and it was fun. As for the travel, every flight was more than four hours but it was fun. When it's 90 degrees outside [32.2 Celsius] and you are at the beach, it's all good."
You have faced all the opponents in your group. Did anybody stand out?
"Every team has their moments. Every team has their good players. Obviously, Valencia has just been a powerhouse so far this year, and we hope that we can get them back later in the year. But I have been happy with us as a team evolving throughout the year as well."
"Hugo Benitez is a kind of a guy that you look forward to when he comes in the game, and you kind of feel secure at this point."
I wanted to ask you about Hugo Benitez, a great player with tremendous upside. How is it to play with him?
"He is great. He is really good at running our team. He is kind of like a coach on the court, him and our coach have a really good relationship, and he is a kind of a guy that you look forward to when he comes in the game, and you kind of feel secure at this point. He runs the offense well. He plays defense. He does his part. Whether he scores 10 points or 0 points, we get good production from him."
Like you said, you will play Cluj next week and will play in front of 10,000 fans. How much are you looking forward to that?
"I'm really excited. One, to see Orelik again, but also to go over there and get a win. We have been a pretty good team on the road occasionally so yes, we are excited to go in there and try to get one. They really turned it around. We learned that we need to slow down Zavier Simpson the best that we can and just play team basketball. They are a good team that scores a lot. We just need to get out there and get a win."
What would make it a good season for Bourg and for you, personally?
"I just want us to get pretty much the same as last year, except for a different result. I want us to win the EuroCup championship or at least make the finals and just keep chipping away, and hopefully, everyone benefits from that. Personally, I want to keep improving my game throughout the year. I think I'm a player that continues to progress throughout the year. I'd rather be that way than a guy that starts hot and fizzles out. I think you will see more from me and I will continue to get better."