Raised on two continents and working his way up from the bottom, Trento's starting center is proud to be helping revive his team.
Paul Biligha, Trento: 'We've worked hard as hell'
Interviews
10 Mins read
Some players have it easy to play in elite European competitions, and others have to work their way upward. Born in Perugia, Italy, Dolomiti Energia Trento center Paul Biligha started to play basketball in Cameroon, where he lived from the age of nine until he was 16. He returned to Italy, started to play in the country's third division and a decade later was suiting up in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.
Looking for a bigger role, Biligha joined Trento last summer and his move is paying off. He has averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for a PIR of 10.6 in 15 EuroCup games this season. Even more importantly, after several losing seasons, Trento ranks sixth in Group B with a 7-8 record and controls its destiny in the race for the playoffs. Biligha is enjoying the ride, too.
Congratulations on beating Slask to stay in the playoff zone. What allowed you to win that crucial game?
"Thank you. It was a really tough game for us and also for them. For us, we had to stay in the playoff course and for them, to finish the EuroCup really well. So it wasn't an easy game. We took the lead in the first minute of the game and they came back and took the lead. There were some lead exchanges and they were up at halftime when we went to the locker rooms. We talked about what we had to do better and how to do better, and just went out there and tried to compete and be as aggressive as possible. At some point, we started to win the battle of the boards and that gave us confidence to make some shots in the third quarter. And after that, it was just a fight to keep up with the lead we had."
I am really interested in sustainability and climate change... When I was in Cameroon, I really saw the effects of globalization."
Trento is in sixth place right now, one win ahead of Turk Telekom and Buducnost, despite starting 0-3 after several losing seasons. What has helped turn things around?
"The thing is that I think this team is really understanding its talent and capabilities, what we can do on a basketball court because in Italy, we had some really ugly losses but also some crazy wins against Reyer or Brescia, which was in the EuroCup before. So we know what we can do and I think this year, after that 0-3 start, we knew that things would turn around for us, and that gave us the push to win three straight games after that. And at the point, when you are 50%, you just say 'Okay, let's try to get to the playoffs.' I think we have the talent to get to the playoffs and you need the focus in the games to do the little things and not make the little mistakes that would take us away from the playoffs."
You joined Trento after four seasons in Milan. How do you like your role as a starting center? Is it what we were looking for, more playing time?
"Yes, it was my primary goal when I got out of Milan after four years. I won everything other than the EuroLeague. We had the chance to win the EuroLeague [in 2021] but unfortunately, we lost on the last shot. So yes, I came to Trento to play a little bit more. I wouldn't say I came here to be in the starting lineup, I just wanted to play more and give something more on the court for my team. That was my goal, my main goal, and I think until now, I am trying to be there, to do that, sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but it's a process. We are trying to build something in Trento and I really like the process. I think that also this year, we improved our competitiveness in the EuroCup. Trento is not just focused on the Italian championship, we can play in both competitions. This is what we are trying to do and what I'm trying to help the team to do."
You lived in Cameroon and Italy as a child. Where did you start playing basketball?
"I will start with the last question because it's something I'm really proud of. I started playing basketball in Cameroon when I was 13 years old, with a youth coach, national coach who was doing his basketball practices with teams during my middle school years. And he saw me playing soccer and he told me: 'Hey, let's go and try to play basketball with us, you are so tall and big! Why do you pursue playing soccer?'. Because in my head, I was thinking that maybe one day I'm going to be a soccer player, but it was a big mistake. So yes, I got that chance to start playing basketball with this coach and everything started from there. I started to have some basic skills: how to shoot, dribble, move... Then I had the occasion when I was 16 years old, to travel, come back to Italy and start my journey to learn and improve my basketball skills and here I am, having the career I am having. That's a little bit of the summary of my journey in basketball."
Did working your way up from the Italian third division to the EuroLeague make you appreciate that journey even more?
"For sure, for sure, because it is something that the guys who always played in the EuroLeague will never experience, playing in small categories. If you played basketball, or are playing basketball in these kinds of categories, you know better than me. There is this feeling that nobody cares about what you are doing on the court, but you have to be competitive and put all you have on the court. That is the same as in the EuroLeague. And also, you have some story about some crazy gym where you played; places where it is really cold inside, or sometimes the rim is so low or so high, these kinds of things. It gave me memories and for sure, it is a big part of my basketball career and I will remember it for life."
I heard that you are studying and preparing for life after basketball. What are you studying these days?
"I am really interested in sustainability and climate change, all the things going around that. I think it is because when I was in Cameroon, I really saw the effects of globalization. For example, when you see this amount of waste, of clothing or other things just come around and you feel, like, how is it possible for us to produce so much garbage or waste? I started to understand that most of the things that are not used in some parts of the world just come to our part and stay there because they pay for that. That's a little example of why I'm trying to learn and maybe one day work in this kind of environment because I think we have to take care of our world the right way, not only take from the world, but also try to preserve that for our younger generations, my kids and other people are going to come after us."
This is your first EuroCup season. What do you like about it?
"I think it reminds me of my years in Venice when I played the [Basketball Champions League]. I think it was the second year of the BCL, but in the EuroCup, things are different. We have that kind of feeling that the game is played with more spirit. I think it comes from the EuroLeague and its tradition. The teams that play in the EuroCup have that kind of feeling, that tradition, that you are playing for something big and the level is really, really good. I played against people I met before in Italy, and also with some players who didn't play a lot in Italy but now I find them in a EuroCup team, and they are really tough to play, so the level is really good."
I think we have the talent to get to the playoffs."
Let's talk about it, then. Did any player in particular surprise you?
"Brandon Paul! I mean, everybody knows he was good, but he is still good. Brussino, of course. I think he is a big talent out there. Sometimes I ask myself why he stayed in Gran Canaria because he is a really great talent. So Nicolas Brussino and Brandon Paul, and also Dusan Miletic, who we played against last week. He is a really skilled big man who can do everything on the court. And the last one would be Williams of Ulm. He is really, really tough to guard. He also can do everything on the court, so these are the four guys that really impressed me."
Trento will play Cluj next week and Buducnost the week after that. You fought hard to keep your playoff hopes alive. How much are you looking forward to these truly important games?
"First things first, we have to play against Cluj. It is a very important game for us, the players, also because of the way they beat us on our home court. That really hurt us badly, they came to our court and told us that we didn't have any chance to win. I think that our will is not only making the run for the playoffs, but also to show that what they did in our home, we can give back. As for Buducnost, we had a chance to win there. We were close to winning but unfortunately, we didn't close the deal. It is going to be an open game now at home. So yes, these are two key games that will decide if we are in or not. We have to take care of them."
What would it mean for you and for the team to see Trento in the playoffs?
"I think that is going to give us the validation of what we are already doing these months, because we've worked hard as hell every time in practice and every time in games. Everybody gives 100% and you need that validation. What we are doing is really something important for us, for the team, for the city. So yes, making it to the playoffs would give us confidence, proving that we are really doing something great. Now, we have to do that."