One of the 7DAYS EuroCup's most spectacular big men, Matt Costello of Herbalife Gran Canaria, checks in between the first two games of the semifinals and his team facting a do-or-die Game 2 at home.
Matt Costello, Gran Canaria: 'It's not over yet'
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One of the most spectacular big men in the competition is joining EuroCupBasketball.com to talk about his team for the remainder of the season. Matt Costello is in his second season with Herbalife Gran Canaria and first in the 7DAYS EuroCup often makes the competition's Top 10 plays due to his high-flying dunks and his perfectly-timed blocked shots. Born in Linwood, Michigan, Costello played for Michigan State during his college career, reaching the 2015 NCAA Tournament Final Four. He started his professional career with Iowa of the G League and also played for San Antonio of the NBA before lifting the G League trophy with Austin. After a season with Italian side Scandone Avellino, Costello joined Gran Canaria and is ready to tell us about his team's final push in the 2020-21 7DAYS EuroCup campaign!
Hello, EuroCup fans! I guess I have to start talking about Game 1, which we played earlier this week. We took care of our business for most of the game. We knew they were going to come in and play physical, but that second quarter, we let our guard down for a little bit and I give Monaco credit. They took advantage: Rob Gray hit a lot of tough shots in the second quarter and they completely shut us down on offense. I think we started to figure that out a little bit in the third and fourth quarters, so hopefully, we can roll that into Game 2 on Friday.
"Do-or-die is nothing new to us."
Being in a do-or-die situation is nothing new to us this season. I think we grew up as a team from those situations. It made us come together much more and believe in each other. We have had different people show up at different times, I think. In Andorra, John Shurna came and almost scored 30 points. I know A.J. (Slaughter) has carried us through many games, Stan (Okoye) as well, and Sean (Kilpatrick). We have so many options to score. We trust that if it's one guy's night, we'll let him go, and everybody else just try to play some defense and see what happens.
We did some good things and I think we found keys to be more competitive in Game 2. I think it helps to have a 2.18-meter center like Aleksander Balcerowski who always puts other people on notice for your physicality. Give him credit: he plays well down there, really strong for being a young guy. He's staying composed for the most part. And he's going to have to continue to play well if we want to win. He has been very, very good for us, and I think the EuroLeague year he played a couple of years ago for Gran Canaria kind of put his name on the map. The last two years, it's been more difficult for him; whether it was injuries or just coaching decisions, he wasn't able to get on the court. But now he's got his confidence back and I think he's showing everybody what he can be.
I'm excited to see what he has in his future, and not just him, but also Khalifa Diop. He's got some big basketball camp that he's going to this summer and Khalifa is going to kill everybody there because he's stronger than any other guy I have played against in my entire life. And he's 19, or 18! So, again, I am playing with two very, very good big men who I am fortunate to have as young guys on the team, because if they were older, I would not play at all!
"They punked us in that first half."
I think I have been playing better, too. I have been feeling better since my injury. I have been able to come back and show some things and hopefully will keep moving in that direction. But if you don't win, it doesn't matter how well you're playing. So I'm hoping that we can turn this around and finish it off well in the EuroCup this season.
I don't know if you are following the other semifinals series between Virtus and UNICS. It's going to be a tough series. I watched some of the game after our game in Monaco the other night. Both are very good, very talented teams. We were lucky to get a win against UNICS to get to the playoffs. I think they have what it takes to win this next game against Virtus. And then, in Game 3, you never know what's going to happen. I think that Virtus is a little bit more talented, but UNICS is so physical in everything that they do that I think they have a chance to win.
We didn't match Monaco's physicality in Game 1, and that's I think that's part of the reason why we're so frustrated. They punked us in that first half and especially the second quarter. They show they were tougher, and it was frustrating because we felt like we let that go. But it's not over yet. We still have a chance to come out Friday and extend the series. I think for Gran Canaria at least, it is an advantage to play at home – even without fans – just because the travel is brutal, most of the time, to get anywhere. And so if you get that night to be comfortable in your own bed, you are not in a hotel room, you are a little fresh, your mind's a little clearer. I think it is an advantage for us. Of course, it would be a bigger one with our fans in the stands, and I hope we can feel their support soon.
It would be huge to make it to the EuroCup Finals. Gran Canaria was in the EuroLeague couple of years ago and to get back I think would bring validation to what's been an up-and-down season for us. We have had good times, bad times, but to be able to get to that Finals would feel like we have accomplished something.