— The game against Neptunas (Lithuania) was quite exciting for the Tsmoki-Minsk fans. What stood out to you?
— We lost to Krasny Oktyabr in the final seconds the week before, so it was very important to beat Neptunas. Plus, we were playing in front of our fans. We played well for the first three quarters, but then we let them come back in the fourth. It was good that we could hold on for the win.

— Would you agree that you’re the team leader right now?
— I just do what the team needs, what the coach asks me to do. Everyone on the team is like that. It wouldn’t be right to single out just one person.

— In the game against Neptunas you scored 27 points and made five 3-pointers. What’s your personal scoring record and where did you set it?
— I just felt comfortable and knocked down my shots against Neptunas. But, yeah, I have scored more before. I got 36 points last year in the Bulgarian semifinals against Lukoil Academik when I played for Rilski. That’s my record.

— Let’s go back to the Week 2 game against Krasny Oktyabr. Have you ever played in a game as crazy as that one, with overtime and last-second shots?
— Yeah, I have played in a few games like that before. It’s the beauty of basketball. Going to overtime, last-second shots. That’s what everyone loves about basketball – the exciting comebacks, the drama. It’s just not as fun when your team loses in the end.

— Are you upset that your 3-pointer didn’t win the game? Do you remember the play?
— Of course, it’s tough to forget something like that. We all thought that we had the game in our hands. But we lost focus and didn’t play good defense in the last 3-4 seconds.

— What kind of chances does Tsmoki-Minsk have this season?
— We’re going to try to win every game. Everybody’s playing with a lot of emotion and wants to make the team better. Of course, we want to win more games than we did last season and see how far we can go. But you can’t relax in the VTB United League, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.

— You joined the team recently – who do you hang out with most on the team? How do you spend your free time?
— I get along with everybody. We all hang out together. I don’t want to say somebody’s name, and make somebody else mad. So far, I just go to the malls in my free time. But my family’s coming in December, so I’ll spend a lot of time with them when they’re here.

— Which of the VTB United League teams are you looking forward to playing against most?
— I don’t know. I can’t single out just one team. The VTB United League is a great competition and all the teams are talented, with a lot of talented players I’d like to go against. We just need to prepare and be ready for each upcoming game. Even though we’ve started well this season, it won’t be easy for us.