Jaron Blossomgame: A story of how dedication can send you to the top / News - Basketnews.com

Jaron Blossomgame went from NBA to a team that now plays in the Second Division of Israeli Basketball. After just two years, he's now in the EuroLeague. The forward tells his unique story to BasketNews.

Credit: Michele Nucci/IPA/SIPA, Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee - Scanpix | BasketNews illustration/M.Bertys Credit Michele Nucci/IPA/SIPA, Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee - Scanpix | BasketNews illustration/M.Bertys

Two years ago, he played for a little-known team in Israel. Now, he's guarding Vasilije Micic and Will Clyburn in the last moments of a EuroLeague game. He scored 20+ points in one of the biggest stages of European basketball just last year. Now, he's part of a team that aspires to win it all.

Jaron Blossomgame

MIN:22.57PTS:5 (45.45%)REB:4As:0ST:1.5BL:0TO:1GM:2ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

Jaron Blossomgame went from competing in the Israeli Basketball League with Ironi Nahariya to playing in the EuroLeague in just two seasons. And he's not just an end-of-rotation element, he's one of the main pieces in constructing a well-balanced offensive and defensive system with AS Monaco.

Blossomgame came into the European basketball picture seemingly out of nowhere. However, the player admits that everything was part of a larger perspective.

"Me and my agent, we had a plan for me," Blossomgame told BasketNews. "I had success playing a little bit in America, I played a little bit in the NBA, I played 27 games with the Cavaliers in 2019 on a two-way contract, I won the G-League championship before, then I got drafted by San Antonio, so the whole goal for me was to get to the EuroLeague."

"I understand how it works in Europe. You have to build yourself up and prove yourself all over again, and that's what I did," he explained.

Nahariya is a city in Israel of just around 60,000 people, a number which doesn't crack even the Top-25 of the country. Nevertheless, that's where Jaron's European journey started.

The start wasn't the sweetest either. Ironi Nahariya doesn't play in the top Israeli Basketball League anymore. The season the forward played for the team was the club's last in the top division.

Furthermore, COVID-19 hit the world in the middle of the season. Blossomgame admits that it was tough to get through all the obstacles that life threw at him but admits that the time in a small city helped him improve his craft.

AS Monaco / Schedule

AS Monaco Anadolu Efes Istanbul95-92 Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv AS MonacoTue18:05 Panathinaikos Athens AS MonacoFri18:00

"We struggled. It was a crazy year considering COVID and what happened with the team. Me being the only American not to get cut, it was a tough year," he says. "We won three games that year. I really used that year to keep building and working on my game."

Following a year of competing in unprecedented conditions, Blossomgame was noticed by a club in Germany, ratiopharm Ulm. That's where his career in Europe took off.

"I had a lot of success in Ulm. We had the EuroCup as well as BBL, I had some great scoring games in both leagues last year, I was able to establish myself more on the European side as far as the international schedule goes," Blossomgame remembers.

The architect of the forward's rise - legendary player-turned-coach Jaka Lakovic.

Blossomgame admits - Lakovic might not be the easiest coach to play for but the effort he requires out of you helps reap tremendous benefits.

"I like coach Jaka a lot. He's not the easiest to play for at times, but he's a really good coach. He knows his stuff, he's very demanding," the player explains. "He holds players to a very high standard on and off the court, which I definitely appreciate.

Sometimes you don't see eye to eye with your coach, but it's easier to understand him when he's a guy like Jaka who has the career that he's had and has been in the same position as you."

Lakovic was known as one of the greatest at his position in Europe. He's a EuroLeague winner, a two-time Spanish League champion, and he's held a Greek League MVP statue as well as multiple other championships in his career.

Being a former player and really good at it helped him reach the players on a deeper level than just on-court tactics, Blossomgame says.

"He's a guy that myself and a lot of players looked up to. When he would talk to us and give us life lessons and talk about basketball, we would really listen. It's coming from somebody who's had a lot of success here in Europe," Jaron shared his experience with the Slovenian specialist.

"He's a very demanding coach. I think it was good for us. We were a very disciplined team. Our identity came from him as a coach. We were a very serious, very locked-in team all the time," he continues. "It's good to see him in the ACB with Gran Canaria now doing great things there."

Although he was demanding, Lakovic could also bring out the best in each player, Blossomgame says.

"With Jaka, we had a lot of freedom. He let me be me. I had a lot of freedom to do what I want offensively within the offense and what we had planned. I had no pressure, I didn't feel like I had to be a robot," the Monaco player explains.

"He put me in areas where I could be successful and drew a lot of plays for me where I'm getting cross screens so I can post up, he would draw pick and pop plays for me. It was a lot of different actions he would put me in, I had a lot of freedom," Blossomgame remembers.

Credit imago images/Nordphoto - Scanpix

Jaron Blossomgame is now in the EuroLeague. Even though he hadn't played in the top European basketball competition before this season, the forward was preparing for his debut long before the day actually came.

"When I played in Israel, I had no idea what the EuroLeague was, I was so far removed from it. Obviously, I knew Maccabi Tel Aviv, they won the league every year. I didn't understand why they were so good and the league they played in," the player says. "As the years went on, I kept watching EuroLeague games on TV, and I started enjoying it. It's a really high level of basketball."

Playing for Ulm, Blossomgame got the first taste of more EuroLeague-level competition than just Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. When we interviewed him last year, Jaron was getting ready to compete against several EuroLeague teams in a friendly tournament.

Without even mentioning it, the player remembers the experience.

"Last season, I had a great feel for the EuroLeague. We played against Panathinaikos, Efes, and Partizan in a preseason tournament. I remember seeing my agent there and him saying to me to start getting acclimated to those teams, [to start] knowing the history of these teams and the players there," he recalls.

"Last season, I had EuroLeague.TV to watch the games and all that stuff. I was watching games left and right - Maccabi, Bayern, [ALBA] Berlin. I got acclimated to the EuroLeague pretty fast."

This year, Blossomgame is coached by Sasa Obradovic, a specialist who got Monaco back on track last season and guided the team to be a shot or two away from competing in the Final Four.

Even though Obradovic did not reach the levels of Lakovic during his playing years, his style of managing the team and the players is similar to that of the Slovenian legend.

"He's very similar to Jaka. I told him at the end of last year that I was planning to come to Monaco, and he said, 'You think I'm crazy? Wait until you get to Sasa'. They're similar. They're both very demanding," Blossomgame says.

"Once I got a chance to be around him and hear him talk and listen to things he takes seriously and how focused he is all the time, I like him a lot, I really do," the player says. "He's an outstanding basketball mind, he understands the game. There are things off the court you can learn from him as well."

Even though Obradovic pretty much always seems very focused during the matches, Blossomgame admits that this is just a part of a person the coach is.

"I like his coaching style, I like how communicative he is with the players," the forward continues."He never takes anything for granted. He doesn't take games for granted, he doesn't take any possessions for granted, and he expects his players to be the same way. For players, it's inspirational to see that the coach cares so much. It's definitely contagious."

The Monaco team is built around its biggest superstar - Mike James. Many rumors have been flying around the basketball world throughout recent years about the star guard. However, Jaron is ready to deny every single one of them, and it all comes from personal experience.

"Mike is an outstanding teammate, probably one of my favorite guys on the team. Great locker room guy, funny, and well-respected as a player on and off the court," the forward explains. "He helps me a lot, to be honest. He talks to me here and there, he teaches me some things."

"You can consider Mike as a veteran too. He's playing his ninth year in the EuroLeague, he's seen a lot of the EuroLeague," Blossomgame continues. "As a rookie, he's one of the guys you look up to and want to be a fly on the wall and soak up any information he can give me."

Led by Mike James, Monaco faced reigning EuroLeague champions Anadolu Efes Istanbul last week. Even after winning the trophy the second time in a row, the Turkish team signed probably the best player in his position, Will Clyburn.

Besides Clyburn, the current league MVP Vasilije Micic handles the ball, while former Maccabi star Ante Zizic handles the post. It's a team full of stars, a team Blossomgame had to face in the second week of his EuroLeague career.

"It was great! Obviously, we understood the challenge ahead of us. Playing a team like that the smallest details become very big. We had to focus on the small things," he says. "We had a great environment. Very tough game, to be honest. There are a lot of veterans who can hit shots, who make you pay for your mistakes."

"It was a very fun game to watch and to play in. Guarding some of those guys felt great. I was matched up with Clyburn a lot, we switched during the game and in the overtime where I got the chance to guard Micic sometimes and Elijah Bryant [as well]."

Blossomgame became a crucial part of capturing an important win against a top team at home. 17 minutes in a game with overtime don't seem like a lot. However, when you look beyond the numbers, the newly-signed Monaco forward played bigger than the stats indicate.

He got the crucial rebound in the overtime after Amath M'Baye missed both his free throws. His help defense was key in limiting Vasilije Micic's chances to drive to the basket with the game on the line.

"It was awesome just to get out there and play well and showcase myself and my team," Blossomgame shares. "Fortunately, my team, as well as myself, had a lot of success. Hopefully, we can continue building off of that win, [off the] win in Bologna as well, and continue the momentum into the double week."

The day after the win, the team was seen celebrating the victory on a yacht, just spending some time cruising in the Monte Carlo bay.

The team's bond is getting stronger with each day that passes, the player says.

"Me and Jordan [Loyd] planned something for the team to go out and spend some time with each other. It's been a very tight group so far. We enjoy spending time with each other. It was a good way to continue building our friendships and relationships off the court as well," Blossomgame explains.

Being a fan of the game of basketball, Jaron admits that having a full arena in Monte Carlo helps tremendously. With the team competing in the EuroLeague for the second year in a row, more and more people are getting familiar with the fact that one of the best teams on the continent plays basketball here.

"People in Monaco love basketball. They're learning about basketball more," the player says. "We renovated the inside of our arena, and it was nice to see fans come out and pack it up for the game against Efes. I'm really enjoying it so far."

As passionate as Monaco fans can be, Blossomgame admits that they are nowhere near the level of fans in Greece or Serbia.

"I've heard some stories about Belgrade, I'm definitely looking forward to playing there," he says.

At the time when Blossomgame was still a draft prospect, lack of shooting consistency was viewed as one of the main shortcomings of his game. Scouts also saw issues with his decision-making on the defensive end of the court.

Now, Blossomgame is a confident shooter from beyond the arc, converting threes at a solid 41.9% rate in the EuroCup last season. Now, he's being tasked with defending key players during game-deciding minutes in the EuroLeague.

Asked about areas of the game he would still like to improve, the players stumbled a bit but quickly found an answer.

"The next part of my game I'd like to progress on is creating off the dribble. A lot of my stuff last year was pick-and-popping, creating off the block, and not so much playing off the dribble.

The next major thing I want to improve is handling the ball in different situations. I think it would be very beneficial for my career being able to play as a bigger three in the EuroLeague and playing as a four as well," Blossomgame explains.

Jaron comes from a family where only his brother played any kind of basketball. Despite not taking a traditional route, he managed to get drafted and play in the NBA, a dream only very few people achieved.

Following the NBA years, life sent him to a small city in Israel to pursue a new dream. Once again, he had to start from the beginning and prove his worth to each and every one who doubted him.

"Everybody's journey is different, everybody has a different path. That's the journey I chose to take. I'm here now, I'm still improving, there are still some areas of the game I want to improve on and continue to showcase. With the new team now, I'm definitely being able to showcase that," Blossomgame says.

Jaron Blossomgame is now in the EuroLeague, a tournament he dreamed of playing in just two years ago.

"You can't look too far ahead in the future. You have to understand where you are and continue to work," the player says. "We had that plan going in, and so far, everything is going according to the plan."

Life did not give Jaron Blossomgame lemons, life gave him challenges he had to overcome as a professional basketball player. Dedication, commitment, and daily work earned him a spot in the EuroLeague, a place he is set to stay in.

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