Kori Ellis
02-02-2005, 04:09 AM
Sorry if this was posted already .. I never saw it.
January 31, 2005
Beno Attention: Udrih Slides Quietly Under The Radar
by Grant Fuller, spurs.com contributor
http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/bedo_feature_050131.html
After five years of Euroleague basketball, Slovenian point guard Beno Udrih made an impression on Coach Popovich and earned his shot at the NBA.
In 2001, the Spurs used the 28th overall pick in the NBA Draft to take a chance on a 19-year-old French point guard named Tony Parker. Three years and one World Championship later, Coach Popovich, R.C. Buford and the Spurs basketball operations staff have done it again, using the 28th pick of the 2004 Draft to select another young point guard, this time from Slovenia, by the name of Beno Udrih (BAY-no OO-drick).
While Udrih may be viewed as a work-in-progress, the Spurs have high hopes for his future. The Spurs have been praised for the discovery of Parker when other teams seemed to overlook him, and now Udrih joins the team under similar circumstances, having failed to arouse the interest of many other NBA teams. Udrih, who is a mere two months younger than Parker, sees this season as an opportunity to justify his team’s choice.
“I think it’s a good thing because [Popovich] gave me a little bit more confidence than I had before,” Udrih said. “I just need to keep on with hard work to give back to him. He believed in me, so I need to believe in myself and do my job.”
Udrih comes to San Antonio as part of the ever-growing wave of international talent in the NBA, and he jumped at the chance to join one of the best teams in the world’s best professional basketball league. And it doesn’t hurt to have one of the NBA’s most respected coaches behind him.
“It feels great to see that such a great coach has such confidence in you and everything, so I’m going to work even harder to show everybody out there that he was not mistaken,” Udrih says. “I’ll do my best out there.”
Udrih began his professional basketball career at the age of 15 in Slovenia’s secondary league, and went on to play for teams in Israel, Russia and Italy before making his first trip to the United States to play in NBA pre-draft camps. Now, he’s reunited with Rasho Nesterovic, his former teammate with the 2004 Slovenian National Team that qualified for next year’s European Championship. Nesterovic’s presence is a comfort for the younger Udrih as he settles into his new environment with the Spurs.
“We are a team, so we need to have all of the players be equal, but it’s good that [Rasho] can explain if I don’t understand something,” Udrih said. “He can tell me, you know, so that’s good. But everything’s perfect for me with every one of them.”
Tony Parker is another familiar face on the Spurs roster for Udrih as the two point guards played against each other in qualifying games for the European Championships with the junior teams of France and Slovenia. Now that they’re playing on the same team, Udrih hopes to learn alongside Parker and replicate his successful entry into the league.
“When we were playing against each other, we were the leaders on our teams and we always played great games against each other,” Udrih said. “We both understand basketball very well, and I think he can help me a lot because he has some experience here in the NBA already. So I think we will be great here together.”
After playing in his first two preseason games, Udrih said he had to work out his nerves while running a new team in a completely new environment for him. However, with a relaxed attitude and character so typical of Spurs players, he’s had no trouble finding his place in San Antonio.
“Before a game, I’m always a little bit nervous, but when I come on the court, I’m not nervous anymore, I’m just cool, playing my game and trying to do my best,” Udrih says. “I just need to get used to it, and I think I will do that.”
Perhaps being “just cool” has helped Udrih make a smooth transition into the life of an NBA basketball player. Although the European game has become more Americanized in recent years with rule changes including a 24-second shot clock and four-quarter games, Udrih does see several differences to which he’ll have to adapt.
“In the NBA, it’s more run-and-gun, they play fast basketball and in Europe everything is slower, they call plays,” Udrih said. “Also, here it’s many more games than in Europe. In Europe, every game counts, but here it’s different.”
As part of that long, grueling regular season schedule, Udrih is also in the process of adjusting to life on the road, traveling all across the country to play games, but that’s a change he’s willing to welcome.
“Here everything is different. In the NBA you’re traveling a lot, and I think that’s a good thing even for the foreign players,” Udrih said. “If they were home alone, they would think too much about back home, and that can be frustrating, so I think traveling a lot is a great thing.”
Now that Udrih has found a spot in the NBA, he hopes to quell rumors about “nagging injuries” that have supposedly kept him from reaching his full potential in recent years. At the age of 15, while practicing over six hours per day with two teams in Slovenia, Udrih says his ankle began bothering him. Ever since, he’s been labeled as injury-prone, and many NBA teams may have lost their chance at the young guard for fear that his body wouldn’t hold up. Udrih says he’s in great health and the injury story has been exaggerated throughout his career.
“I missed one month and a half when I got hit on my right shoulder, but that was four or five years ago,” Udrih said. “Every time I get hit, they talk like I’m badly injured, like I broke my hand or something, and it’s not true. I was still playing every game even when I was hurt. Somebody hit me really hard with a knee and I rested three days - so they said I was injured when it was really just a little hit.”
For Udrih, playing for the Spurs is the fulfillment of a long-time goal. It’s a safe bet that this talented Slovenian, who says he just likes to “chill around” when he’s not on the court, will make the most of his new opportunity with the 2003 NBA Champions.
“That was my dream when I was a little boy, to be in the NBA, and I made it, so now I just need to do my job,” Udrih said. “I can learn a lot of things from Tim Duncan and from all of my teammates who have experience. I just need to listen and be focused.”
For now, Udrih says he will leave the season predictions to his more experienced teammates, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be throwing his body all over the court for the Spurs this year, helping the team reclaim the title of World Champions.
“I’m a rookie, so I shouldn’t talk about the expectations,” Udrih says. “I should let somebody else do that. I just know that I’m going to try hard and give 100 percent and that’s it.”
January 31, 2005
Beno Attention: Udrih Slides Quietly Under The Radar
by Grant Fuller, spurs.com contributor
http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/bedo_feature_050131.html
After five years of Euroleague basketball, Slovenian point guard Beno Udrih made an impression on Coach Popovich and earned his shot at the NBA.
In 2001, the Spurs used the 28th overall pick in the NBA Draft to take a chance on a 19-year-old French point guard named Tony Parker. Three years and one World Championship later, Coach Popovich, R.C. Buford and the Spurs basketball operations staff have done it again, using the 28th pick of the 2004 Draft to select another young point guard, this time from Slovenia, by the name of Beno Udrih (BAY-no OO-drick).
While Udrih may be viewed as a work-in-progress, the Spurs have high hopes for his future. The Spurs have been praised for the discovery of Parker when other teams seemed to overlook him, and now Udrih joins the team under similar circumstances, having failed to arouse the interest of many other NBA teams. Udrih, who is a mere two months younger than Parker, sees this season as an opportunity to justify his team’s choice.
“I think it’s a good thing because [Popovich] gave me a little bit more confidence than I had before,” Udrih said. “I just need to keep on with hard work to give back to him. He believed in me, so I need to believe in myself and do my job.”
Udrih comes to San Antonio as part of the ever-growing wave of international talent in the NBA, and he jumped at the chance to join one of the best teams in the world’s best professional basketball league. And it doesn’t hurt to have one of the NBA’s most respected coaches behind him.
“It feels great to see that such a great coach has such confidence in you and everything, so I’m going to work even harder to show everybody out there that he was not mistaken,” Udrih says. “I’ll do my best out there.”
Udrih began his professional basketball career at the age of 15 in Slovenia’s secondary league, and went on to play for teams in Israel, Russia and Italy before making his first trip to the United States to play in NBA pre-draft camps. Now, he’s reunited with Rasho Nesterovic, his former teammate with the 2004 Slovenian National Team that qualified for next year’s European Championship. Nesterovic’s presence is a comfort for the younger Udrih as he settles into his new environment with the Spurs.
“We are a team, so we need to have all of the players be equal, but it’s good that [Rasho] can explain if I don’t understand something,” Udrih said. “He can tell me, you know, so that’s good. But everything’s perfect for me with every one of them.”
Tony Parker is another familiar face on the Spurs roster for Udrih as the two point guards played against each other in qualifying games for the European Championships with the junior teams of France and Slovenia. Now that they’re playing on the same team, Udrih hopes to learn alongside Parker and replicate his successful entry into the league.
“When we were playing against each other, we were the leaders on our teams and we always played great games against each other,” Udrih said. “We both understand basketball very well, and I think he can help me a lot because he has some experience here in the NBA already. So I think we will be great here together.”
After playing in his first two preseason games, Udrih said he had to work out his nerves while running a new team in a completely new environment for him. However, with a relaxed attitude and character so typical of Spurs players, he’s had no trouble finding his place in San Antonio.
“Before a game, I’m always a little bit nervous, but when I come on the court, I’m not nervous anymore, I’m just cool, playing my game and trying to do my best,” Udrih says. “I just need to get used to it, and I think I will do that.”
Perhaps being “just cool” has helped Udrih make a smooth transition into the life of an NBA basketball player. Although the European game has become more Americanized in recent years with rule changes including a 24-second shot clock and four-quarter games, Udrih does see several differences to which he’ll have to adapt.
“In the NBA, it’s more run-and-gun, they play fast basketball and in Europe everything is slower, they call plays,” Udrih said. “Also, here it’s many more games than in Europe. In Europe, every game counts, but here it’s different.”
As part of that long, grueling regular season schedule, Udrih is also in the process of adjusting to life on the road, traveling all across the country to play games, but that’s a change he’s willing to welcome.
“Here everything is different. In the NBA you’re traveling a lot, and I think that’s a good thing even for the foreign players,” Udrih said. “If they were home alone, they would think too much about back home, and that can be frustrating, so I think traveling a lot is a great thing.”
Now that Udrih has found a spot in the NBA, he hopes to quell rumors about “nagging injuries” that have supposedly kept him from reaching his full potential in recent years. At the age of 15, while practicing over six hours per day with two teams in Slovenia, Udrih says his ankle began bothering him. Ever since, he’s been labeled as injury-prone, and many NBA teams may have lost their chance at the young guard for fear that his body wouldn’t hold up. Udrih says he’s in great health and the injury story has been exaggerated throughout his career.
“I missed one month and a half when I got hit on my right shoulder, but that was four or five years ago,” Udrih said. “Every time I get hit, they talk like I’m badly injured, like I broke my hand or something, and it’s not true. I was still playing every game even when I was hurt. Somebody hit me really hard with a knee and I rested three days - so they said I was injured when it was really just a little hit.”
For Udrih, playing for the Spurs is the fulfillment of a long-time goal. It’s a safe bet that this talented Slovenian, who says he just likes to “chill around” when he’s not on the court, will make the most of his new opportunity with the 2003 NBA Champions.
“That was my dream when I was a little boy, to be in the NBA, and I made it, so now I just need to do my job,” Udrih said. “I can learn a lot of things from Tim Duncan and from all of my teammates who have experience. I just need to listen and be focused.”
For now, Udrih says he will leave the season predictions to his more experienced teammates, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be throwing his body all over the court for the Spurs this year, helping the team reclaim the title of World Champions.
“I’m a rookie, so I shouldn’t talk about the expectations,” Udrih says. “I should let somebody else do that. I just know that I’m going to try hard and give 100 percent and that’s it.”