The Joventut forward is enjoying life in Badalona
Sam Dekker: ‘If we get into the playoffs, I wouldn't want to play against us’
Interviews
12 Mins read
The last few months have been a little strange for Sam Dekker. In what proved to be his final game for the London Lions on May 5, 2024, the 30-year-old hit the game-winning three-pointer as his team downed the Cheshire Phoenix 88-85 to secure the British League title. Then, what came next is far from anything Dekker could have predicted.
Uncertainly over the club’s ownership resulted in the roster being torn apart this past summer, but Dekker – who in 2023 re-signed with London until 2026 – was left in purgatory. The months went by, yet the American forward was unable to play for the Lions due to new salary cap rules implemented upon the creation of the Super League Basketball (formerly British Basketball League).
Eventually, in mid-November, a gluttony of injuries forced Joventut Badalona to look for a forward – and Dekker, an All-EuroCup Second Team selection in 2022-23, was an easy choice. Initially signing a contract on November 12 that ran for a little over a month (until December 18), he made his first appearance for the club one day later as Joventut grabbed an important 78-72 win over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in the BKT EuroCup.
As time went on, Dekker and his family – wife Olivia and son Wolfie – earned a place in the fans’ hearts, with the club confirming on January 14 that his contract had been extended until the end of the season. Now, with Joventut on a 6-9 record and Dekker fully integrated into the team, the Badalona-based side is riding a two-game winning streak, having beaten Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul (93-70) and Dreamland Gran Canaria (77-83), and is hoping to sneak into the EuroCup Playoffs.
After a training session at Joventut’s Pabellon Olimpico de Badalona, Dekker sat down with Euroleague.net’s Geoff Gillingham in an exclusive interview for the EuroCup's website.
Hey, Sam. You guys are coming off a big win at Gran Canaria last week. What is the overall feeling in the team?
“Honestly, good. You know, early in the year some of us weren't here (points at himself) so they said there were games that let slip away so now we're in a tough position in the standings, but we're playing good ball right now, we're playing together, we have a lot of skill, and we have a lot of good veteran players. We're trying to finish the season strong and we need a little bit of help to get in the playoffs, but we've got to get these next three and just see what happens from there. But we're really confident right now and I think we’re playing the best basketball we have all year.”
Another good thing for you guys is that everyone's getting healthy and you are hitting your stride at just the right time, in the ACB as well as the EuroCup.
“Yeah, yeah. In the ACB, nine of the last 10 weeks we've won (before this past weekend). You can win three games in a row but when you win nine out of 10, then that shows that you're playing good basketball and it's not fake – we've beaten some really good teams in there. When you win and you play, you know, we're consistently winning playing our style, it gives you a lot of confidence because you feel like, ‘Okay, it does work if we do it well.’ We just have to do it… basically, we're just not turning the ball over and we're playing really efficient basketball, and that's a recipe for success. Getting guys healthy is huge, and we have guys stepping up. Yannick Kraag been playing amazing basketball, Artem Pustovyi has been leading us defensively. When you get contributions from those guys, the rest of us can just really step up and play our game.”
You joined the team mid-season. Was that really tough adjustment for you?
“It was, it was really hard. Honestly, I think part of it too. You guys at the EuroCup know how invested I was in London and you know I wanted to grow that thing as big as it could possibly get. You see what Paris is doing, I wanted it to be something like that. So it was a hard mental transition for me to go from, you know, I had my finger on things in London to now, it's like I have to come here and prove myself, learn a new system, learn a new place. That’s hard because you just thought you had that stability finally, so I was playing OK but it just mentally it was taking me a while just to get over that that hump. Once I kind of started getting more comfortable with the guys and they started accepting me with the way I play, your mind can kind of turn off and then you just go play and let the chips fall where they may. The last month, I think I've played some really good basketball and I've been proud of that, and just gotta keep that momentum going because it's not easy to play really well every night, but you have to keep that same level of confidence and same level of effort every night you go out there.”
This gym is quite special to you because this is the place where you came for the London Lions’ first EuroCup playoff game in the club’s history. In some ways, if you were to leave a team, it feels like Joventut was the right choice.
“Yeah, it was good. You know, Coach Dani (Miret) told me like after my second game here, ‘You look like you've played for Joventut forever,’ like saying this is perfect, we just need to like figure it out. And I feel the same way. The city and the fans have really embraced me and my family and I'm starting to get really comfortable on the court here, but yeah, I have fond memories coming here for a big game for our club in London. Obviously we didn't get the win, that was a really good Badalona team then, but a first-year EuroCup team in London making the playoffs, that was a big deal for us and we were proud of that. Miye Oni was on that team as well, so I'm always going to remember everything with London really fondly.”
On this team, you’ve kind of got a good mixture – veterans Ante Tomic, Pau Ribas and Adam Hanga, and younger players like Devin Dotson and Yannick Kraag. Do you feel that balance is really important?
“Yeah, it has been, especially in the ACB but also in the EuroCup when have you guys are you guys like Tomic who have played a billion games and guys like Hanga who have played on the best teams in the world, their stability on the court for us is huge. And you have the youthful skill and exuberance from, like you said, Dotson and Yannick Kraag, their athleticism shows in these big moments against good teams. To watch Dev grow as a point guard in Europe, it's pretty fun to watch. It’s caused some matchup problems because we've got these two styles we can play: we can slow it down and play through the post, and we can also get it off the rim and sprint at you. That’s been really fun, that Coach has found some lineups that work. We’re never giving the defense just one thing to worry about, we're trying to have five guys that can attack; five guys that can be a problem. And that's been kind of our success story so far.”
Heading into the last three games of the EuroCup regular season, is it just the case of taking it on a game-by-game basis and not getting ahead of yourselves?
“Yeah, I mean that’s all you can do, right? We’re playing in two leagues at the same time so you get two days to prep for that game, you go in there and give your best effort, win or lose. We have some very winnable games coming up that we need to really be locked in for. Obviously, bad nights happen, but I think we have a good enough roster now that some guys can have off nights and we've found other guys will step up, and that's been really cool to see who it's gonna be each night. I think that gives us a lot of confidence to know that somebody's gonna be hot that night or somebody's going to have a really great night. So yeah, we’ve gotta take game by game, but also we have to know the importance of we have to bring our A game. Honestly, if we get into the playoffs, I wouldn't want to play against us, just the way that we've been playing and our confidence, the way that our chemistry is really high, so I think teams are hoping we don't make it because we have a lot to a lot to give.”
I think teams also wouldn't want to come to a full arena here…
“Yeah, we've had some nights where this place has been full. I need to talk to someone at the EuroCup, actually! Some of the 9PM games during the week, it's hard for these people to come because they’ve got jobs and families, but we've had some packed houses in here and it's really, really fun. Our fans, when they're here, it's amazing. We want them to fill the arena as much as possible. I think it's one of the best environments when this is full, so we're hoping to get a home-court advantage and get some people in here to have some fun.”
Now you get to play under Dani Miret, but how does he compare to Petar Bozic, Ryan Schmidt, Luca Banchi, and some of the other coaches you’ve had in the EuroCup?
“I think the thing that makes Dani similar to Coach Schmidt and Coach Bozic is they’re former players and they’re in their first couple of years as a head coach, so the communication style is way easier than, say, a veteran coach that grew up in a way different basketball environment. So having coaches like Dani, Petar and Ryan, you can go to them, talk to them; they understand mistakes happen. When you watch film, they played so they know, ‘We understand, this is difficult’ or things happen. That ability to be able to communicate with your coach and get the best out of you, and he asks us how we feel on things, is important because as a coach it's important to understand that you don't have all the answers and the players can help with that. I think he's found some really good solutions for us lately, like he's been keeping our rotations really tight, he's been big on the details, and we're winning games because of it. I think he's giving us a little more freedom to just use our skill and use our athleticism and that's a sign of a good coach that can continually change things and let their players be comfortable, so that we're responding well to him and winning games because of it. It's been fun to see the community get excited for him in his first year here.”
How important has it been for you that Olivia and Wolfie have got comfortable in Badalona after finding a home in London?
“Yeah, it’s huge to have a place accept you. My wife knows way more Spanish than me – I don't know any Catalan yet – but they love it here so far. It's been great to be somewhere that’s super walkable, good weather has been a big bonus, and we’re trying to get Wolfie into a school soon because now that we'll be here the rest of the year, we’re trying to get him some friends. But yeah, London felt like home and it's hard when you leave some somewhere like that, right? My wife has been a rock star, moving us and taking care of our family and getting us settled. It's not easy at all and I think that's something people don't realize about athletes is they're not just bringing basketball shoes, they're bringing families a lot of times with kids, so it's a full team effort at home. I can promise there are not many spouses out there that have dealt with as much as my wife, so I'm so grateful that she can come and help again. She's loving it and makes my job way easier that she does what she does, so I appreciate that.”