From Lakeville, Minnesota, to the Italian province: J.P. Macura's path to success / News - Basketnews.com

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American guard J.P. Macura has been one of the most positive stories of this season's Serie A. Signed by Derthona Basket during the offseason, the Xavier alumn has played a really important role in the success of the newly-promoted club.

J.P. Macura

Position:SGAge:26Height:196 cmWeight:93 kgBirth place:Minnesota, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

So far, he's averaging 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in Serie A, while shooting 36% from three-point.

He was also one of the main factors in leading Derthona Basket to the final of the Italian Cup, averaging 19.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist per game during the competition, shooting 43% from deep.

"The midseason cup was amazing, and I'm so happy that the team played so well together," Macura told BasketNews during an interview.

"Everybody in the team played with great confidence. I think it was a great tournament for us, we gained so much confidence, and now we can focus on the rest of the season and making the playoffs," Macura explained to Basketnews.

This is the second season in Europe for Macura. He played his rookie season in Turkey with Afyon Belediye, where he averaged 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 37% from deep.

However, the player admitted that his adjustment period to Europe wasn't easy, especially during the pandemic.

"Last season in Turkey was tough," Macura revealed to BasketNews. "We were in the middle of the pandemic, so it took me a little bit to get adjusted to European basketball. Now, after a year and a half here in Europe, I feel much more comfortable and in a good spot."

Despite the difficulties during his first European season, Macura also found some support, especially from American point guard Chris Wright, who was his teammate in Afyon and recruited him to Derthona.

Wright, 32, is a veteran in European basketball, he played in many countries, including France, Turkey, Israel, and several stints in Italy. A Georgetown alumn, Wright, has been able to play for most of his career even though he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis right after college.

Arrived in Europe in the middle of the pandemic and with few references to look up to, Macura stressed how important the presence of Wright was for him while in Turkey and how the connection that they created was one of the main factors in convincing him to sign for Derthona Basket this summer.

"I really enjoyed playing with Chris last season because he's a great point guard that helps me, he sees me every time I do a backdoor cut, he's a great passer and gives me a lot of confidence," Macura told BasketNews. "He has been playing this game for several years, and he's a role model for me."

"This year in Tortona, he helped me to get into the team," the American guard explained. "He called me during the summer and asked me if I wanted to play again with him but in Italy, this time, and my answer was absolutely yes."

And that was a good decision for J.P. because so far, he's really loving his Italian experience and has found a great environment surrounding him in Tortona.

"Italy is amazing, it's an awesome country, and I love it," the American guard told. "The food is great, the people are amazing. I haven't picked up too much of the Italian language so far, but I want to eventually, overall my experience has been amazing."

And part of the reason for such a great time in Italy is coach Marco Ramondino, the head coach of Derthona Basket. The 39-year-old became the head coach of the team back in 2018 when the team was still in the second division.

He created a very positive culture and gradually improved the situation until last summer's heights when the team was promoted to the top division.

"Coach Ramondino is a phenomenal head coach, everybody loves him, and his coaching style is really great. He gives his players a lot of confidence to play the game," Macura explained. "I believe he's a players' coach: he let everybody have their freedom, but he also holds everyone accountable."

"I have a great relationship with him. Off the court, he's a great person to be around, he's always happy and positive," he added.

"Italian basketball I believe, is a little bit more tactical compared to the type of basketball that I played in Turkey," Macura added. "Turkish basketball seems to be more run up and down with fast pace versus a more tactical approach here in Italy."

While the good season that Derthona Basket is living might come as a surprise for many, Macura and his teammates were pretty sure that their group could have been capable of achieving great results since this pre-season camp.

After all, their offseason moves were impressive for a newly-promoted team, and the feeling was that the team's potential could have been really good.

"Ever since the pre-season and getting this team together, coach and everybody said basically that our goal is to do the best to win as many games as possible," Macura said. "From the beginning of the season, everybody had the vision to try to be one of the best teams in the league. There's a lot of work to do to be there, but everybody plays with a lot of confidence, trusting each other, and this is really a fun group to be around".

After his college career at Xavier, J.P. Macura went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft. He was picked up by the Charlotte Hornets with a two-way contract but ended up playing only two games with Charlotte in the NBA, spending most of his time in the G League.

The following season he played once again in G League with the Canton Charge and then signed a 10-day deal with the Cleveland Cavs, playing only one game with the team.

After that, he decided to play in Europe, but he hasn't closed the door to a potential return to the NBA yet.

"My main goal is always getting better," Macura explained to BasketNews. "Every day getting better and continue with hard work and become a better overall player. NBA is always a goal for me, whether now or down the road, it'd be nice to play again in the States in front of my family and friends, but for now, the goal is to keep getting better and becoming a better player."

If the main goal is getting better, it looks like J.P. Macura is accomplishing the target and ended up in the perfect place for him: a great environment, a coach that completely embraced him, and a fun team to play with.

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