Congratulations on winning the MVP award! How important is the prize for you?

It’s obviously a very big thing. I am sure, it helps me a lot in my career. Considering the high level and the amount of talent in the SEB BBL, it is definitely something to be proud of.

It’s too difficult to compare the level of those leagues. I can’t say which one is stronger - if you take Zalgiris and Rytas then they are probably better than the top teams in Bundesliga. But there are 5 to 7 teams in the SEB BBL that are no weaker than the German teams. You have to be very well prepared when playing against every single team in Lithuania and Latvia and of course the team from Tartu.

I made a mistake. I had a lack of professionalism for a moment and I was caught on doping. That closed a lot of doors for me despite how well as I was playing. I ended up here in Estonia because BC Kalev/Cramo was willing to take a chance on me. I had played together with Kristjan Kangur in Germany and Valmo Kriisa in the Netherlands. The management asked them about me and they spoke highly of me. Now I am here and very happy about it.

As I said it was a lack of professionalism. Both individually and team-wise we had a very good season and we had just come up with a very important victory in German league. There was a little party in Berlin after the victory. I got a bit carried away with my celebration. A week later the league organized a big doping-test and I still had “a part of celebrating” left in me. I was suspended for 7 and a half months.

Yes, it is harsh. Because of how long I had played in Germany and because of how well-known a player I was, they tried to make an example of me. Originally, they wanted to suspend me for up to one year. Lots of teams turned away from me but for now, everything has went well.

I am extremely happy here. The fans, the city support and love BC Kalev/Cramo. It is a great team with very high level of play and management and everything is good. It’s not a step back by any means.

Originally, we thought that our goal is to qualify to the top 6. And yes, if some team loses their top player, it absolutely affects the chances of the other teams. It has helped us, too, but I am not going to predict our final position. We have got to prepare for every game.

In the last game (BC Kalev/Cramo’s loss to ASK Riga - J.F.) we had a step back. We lost to one of those teams that has got to let go their foreign players. Again, that shows the strength of SEB BBL - even without foreign players, there are teams that can beat anybody. That shows how strong the domestic players are.

I think our team is solid at every position. We have a strong starting five but we also have enough depth. We don’t have one superstar and that’s what makes us strong. A group of strong weapons, anyone can make a difference.

I think everybody in the States who plays basketball in inspired by the NBA. Now it’s a dream for Europeans, too. And yes, I also dreamt of the NBA. But I think the sooner you realize that your dream may never happen, the better. You have to find different avenues to keep doing what you love. I've been extremely fortunate to be among great players in great teams.

Nenad is one of the hardest-working coaches I have seen. He makes a tireless effort of scouting every opponent. He prepares us for every game and if sometimes we don’t succeed, it’s definitely not his fault.

Laughs… When i was in college, I hated the weight room. I was a social butterfly who walked around the weight room asking the people what to do and how to do the exercises. At one moment, reality smacked me in the face. I realized that to have a successful career, I have to focus on the weight room. That’s important for injury-prevention, for having more stamina - so, I found a motivation and started working out a lot. And besides, it doesn’t look bad in the pictures and on the beach… laughs again.