Hamburg center has been dominating in the paint, and making history, in his first EuroCup season.
Kur Kuath, Hamburg: 'This is just the beginning'
Interviews
10 Mins read
Veolia Towers Hamburg bounced back from a 0-5 start with a pair of home wins against Turk Telekom Ankara and Aris Midea Thessaloniki, with center Kur Kuath shining in both games.
After posting a 15-point, 9-rebound and 3-block performance against Turk Telekom, Kuath became the second player in EuroCup history to record at least 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocked shots in a game during his team's win over Aris. The other was Matt Costello with Gran Canaria in November 2020.
Originally from South Sudan, Kuath's family fled the country and lived in a refugee camp in Egypt before arriving to the United States. He played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma and Marquette University before embarking on a professional career in 2022. He first played a few months in Greece and then moved to the Spanish second division for almost two years before joining Hamburg, where he is making the most out of his work ethic and defensive skills.
As he explains to Euroleague.net's Javier Gancedo in an exclusive interview, the 26-year-old – who leads the EuroCup in blocked shots (2.2 bpg.) while averaging 9.2 points and 5.5 rebounds for a PIR of 15.7 – credits his parents for being in this situation as one of the most intriguing big men in European basketball.
Congratulations on the last two weeks. What was the key to bouncing back after a rocky start to the season?
"Thanks. It's just staying on the course. It was definitely a big learning experience for the whole team and for me in the beginning of the season. I feel like we played some pretty good opponents in the beginning and that was a test for us, to see how good we could have been and how good we can be. I am glad that we were able to compete against the highest competition in the group and basically test our talents, our hard work. You have to be in this competition to play against some of the best teams."
"Nobody was expecting me to be able to do things that I have been accomplishing."
You have been outstanding lately, contributing in many aspects of the game and looking stronger than ever. Is it something you focused on in the off-season?
"Oh, yes, for sure. It was always one of the biggest parts. I was strong enough to compete at the highest level. As you see, I am just a guy that is going to be pushed around if I am not strong enough. I have been focusing on working out and trying to get my body to its best possible [shape] to try to compete and be one of the strongest big guys in the league. That was one of my focuses this summer, just getting in the gym and getting some weight and some strength."
Only one other player has had 5 blocks, 5 assists and 10 rebounds in a EuroCup game. How do you feel when the hard work is paying off?
"Of course, it's good to hear that I am doing well. Nobody was expecting me to be able to do things that I have been accomplishing, and I just want to continue to learn and grow. I feel like this is just the beginning. It is not anything to be too obsessive about because I have a long career ahead of me and I want to continue to grow on this last game and not just think too much of stats. Just continue to play hard and play for the guys."
This is your first EuroCup season. After almost two months in the competition, how do you find the playing level, what's good about it?
"I like the depth. It is a deep league. Every game we play is going to be a competition. Like I said, it's some of the best players in the world and me being able to compete at this level is amazing to me, just because you get to see different talent levels, different skills. And I learned a lot from playing against better players. I feel like this league is actually helping me learn about myself more as a player and seeing where I can compete and where I'm at currently in my growth and my individual development. And also, it is testing my team and seeing how hard we have worked. So this is what I like about the EuroCup. It's just a test to see where the level of skill and the level of talent that I can play at."
You are originally from South Sudan, where basketball is more popular than ever. How excited are people about basketball in your country of origin?
"They love the sport back home. It is a big, popular sport nowadays. Now that we brought more attention to basketball, for sure, it's positive impact for our country, and it is a way to bring everybody together, which I love to see. And it means more than the sport back home. It is kind of a sign of peace. I feel like everybody enjoys watching together and it brings that togetherness that our country has been needed in its war-driven history. So it's good to see the growth and development of the sport there."
Do you follow countrymen Wenyen Gabriel and Carlik Jones in the EuroLeague? Do you talk to them any often?
"Once in a while I talk to Wenyen and see how he's doing. But now, I have just been watching him play. I know how busy the schedule can get, so it's kind of hard to keep up, both of them playing two competitions a week. But yes, they are both amazing players and great guys to be around. I feel like those two guys are a testament to our country. And basically, I look up to them because that's the level I want to be at. I want to be at the highest level possible, and I definitely look up to them. They are great leaders for our country and the future of our country as well."
"My teammates trust me to be one of the defensive leaders, basically be the eye of the defense."
You are one of the best shot-blockers we have seen in the EuroCup in a while. Other than your physical skills and amazing wingspan, what allows you to be so good at it?
"I feel like it's the timing, just wanting to get good timing and having that sense of urgency to protect the paint. My teammates trust me to be one of the defensive leaders, basically be the eye of the defense, so I am always trying to clean up anything around the paint, and always be on the back side up to help if anybody gets beat. So just them trusting me to be there and my teammates following the players helps a lot. For me, blocking shots is more natural than a skill. I just jump and try to time the block."
After a first experience in Greece, you played in the Spanish second division for the best part of the last two years. How important has it been for you to stay patient and keep moving forward in the last 2-3 years in which basketball became your full-time job?
"That's amazing. I can't complain at all, it's amazing to be able to play this sport. It's a full-time job and it is fun playing in different competitions and different countries, for one. It was one of my dreams, to be able to play basketball for a full-time job and meet great people along the way, explore new countries. So it's been great for me and I want to continue to grow and explore more and play in more places."
Your parents moved to Utah when you were a kid and sacrificed a lot for you to give you a better opportunity in life. How much of an inspiration are them for you?
"They are one of my main reasons for continuing to play. I told them that for them sacrificing their lives and family, I was going to give everything I got to take care of them. And at the end of the day, that's my job, to make sure my parents are good for giving me and my siblings opportunities that we could have never even dreamt about. It is amazing the sacrifices that they made and continued to make, they persevered and never complained, never showed us any signs of weakness and continued to work hard. And they embedded that in our heads, we got to work for everything we have, and they are a big reason why I continue to play hard every day. I am able to live my dream because of them."
Are they planning to come to Hamburg? I read that your mom is an excellent cook, so you probably miss her food, right?
"I definitely miss her! I will try my best to try to get her out here. With the schedule and playing twice a week, it is a little hard. But yes, I definitely want to bring her. If not this year, then I will have her come next season, in the upcoming season or so. I know she wants to come see me play. It is just the timing and the situation of everything, so once I get everything handled, scheduled and everything, I will definitely have my family come out to a few games."
Finally, you and your team are on a roll now. What can we expect from you, personally, and from Hamburg in the remainder of the season?
"I expect a lot for us. We have high expectations on everything, and I want to continue to say that this is a high potential team. You can expect us to play hard in every game. We are going to do what we came to do because we have a group full of great guys and great players, so expect us to be a team to watch out for. We can be one of the best teams in the EuroCup, but due to the circumstances with all the injuries and stuff, we had a minor setback. But now we are working on coming back to full strength and if we continue to uptrend, we will be one of the best teams in the EuroCup. And a lot more wins, a lot more blocks, a lot of threes. Just expect highly of us because we are going to go get our respect. Right now, we are not respected and we continue to put our foot down and gain that respect."