Shaquielle McKissic talks fending doubters off, dreams of exciting Greek playoff derbies / News - Basketnews.com

Shaquielle McKissic explains why he's looking forward to Olympiacos and Panathinaikos facing each other in the EuroLeague playoffs and expresses a rather unusual hope for the Final Four. He also comments on how he perceives Giorgos Bartzokas' trust and reveals how he got Moses Wright ready for the derby in Piraeus.

Credit: Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images) Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images)

Shaquielle McKissic has no doubt thatOlympiacos Piraeushave managed to reach the pinnacle of their performance chart at the exact right time.

Shaquielle McKissic

MIN:14.41PTS:5.75 (49.62%)REB:1.2As:0.85ST:0.65BL:0TO:0.65GM:20ProfileEuroLeague2023/2024

"A hundred percent," he tells BasketNews.

"The season has been better as of recently. It was tough at the beginning to just work. I think it's happening how it's supposed to be. The last two seasons kind of felt too easy, like everything was going according to plan. But now we're going through trials and tribulations, through ups and downs," he adds.

McKissic contributed to Olympiacos' win in the Greek derby against rivals Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens with six points, as the Reds captured their sixth straight EuroLeague win.

The veteran guard-forward points out that his team has been battle-tested. After having gone down to the last shot in the games against Fenerbahce and Baskonia, they had to struggle to get their groove together.

Just a couple of months ago, Olympiacos were 12-11 after 23 EuroLeague rounds. Following the February break and the additions of players like Moses Wright and Filip Petrusev, the Greek champions and EuroLeague finalists have almost turned the tables, joining Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce on a three-way tie for 4th place.

"We fought through adversity and through fatigue, and now we're here. It's still tough because we need Niko [Milutinov] back, get Nigel [Williams-Goss] and Larry [Giannoulis Larentzakis] back healthy. I think this can be a scary team," the 33-year-old warns.

In the 71-65 win over PAO, Olympiacos recovered Thomas Walkup and Nigel Williams-Goss, who were highly doubtful before the derby. McKissic thinks that the main thing his side had been lacking was just players staying healthy. However, the in-season additions have provided coach Giorgos Bartzokas with as complete a roster as any Olympiacos have had in recent years.

Shaquielle McKissic

Team:Olympiacos PiraeusPosition:SGAge:33Height:196 cmWeight:96 kgBirth place:Seattle, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Moses Wright, who shone in the Greek Cup final against the Greens, came off the bench and became the difference-maker once again. The former Mavs big man scored 19 points on 9/9 from the field in less than 16 minutes. In the two months, he's been with Olympiacos, the Reds are yet to lose a single game. Their unbeaten streak with Wright currently stands at 15-0 across three competitions (Greek Cup and league, EuroLeague), before the three-time continental champs take on Anadolu Efes in Istanbul on Tuesday night.

"We went out there, played together and we had fun, especially in the fourth quarter,"McKissic comments. "Moses was here smiling, having fun. It was amazing."

Every locker room is operating on certain principles and acording specific rituals. The initiation process regarding newcomers joining Olympiacos revolves around building intimacy and togetherness, even if that involves pointing out one's weak spots.

"I think when we make fun of him before the game, he comes out and he plays amazing," McKissic says of Wright.

"So, we were joking with him about how he sometimes can't play the first half. But he stayed in the game and he played amazing. It's different when he doesn't fear any player. He takes it straight to the chest and it's hard to deny a guy like that."

Being one of the older players in the locker room, as he joined Olympiacos in February 2020, McKissic has taken on a leading role in getting Olympiacos' latest entries acclimated to their new environment.

"It's the same with me," he reflects.

"I'm going to drive a hundred times and you have to stop it. I'm all for with him and Filip Petrusev. 'Be aggressive, don't worry about me or Nigel [Williams-Goss] getting our rhythm. You guys go out there and do what's you're supposed to do.'"

McKissic made several heads turn with amazement when he scored 22 points in a EuroLeague derby against PAO on March 3, 2020. It was only his second game in the red-and-white jersey and first before Olympiacos' roaring crowd. Wright had already two rival games under his belt when the two sides locked horns in Piraeus last Thursday night.

McKissic says he did share some piece of advice and recollections with Wright, even though he can't specify exactly what he told him.

"I expressed to him how important these games are. He understood it and he answered the call every time," he stresses.

"In the Greek Cup, he was phenomenal. In this game, where we needed to propel ourselves in a better position for the home-court advantage to try to get to the Final Four, he answers the call. That's amazing because if we get Niko [Milutinov] back and we have Mous [Fall] at full strength, I don't think anybody's going to be able to step into the lane."

McKissic can't forget about his debut in front of Olympiacos' fans four years ago. The way most derbies have turned out for the Reds ever since he became part of the squad and especially his inaugural appearance at the Peace and Friendship Stadium have rendered the Seattle-born player aware of all the particularities surrounding those games.

"The difference is that there was nobody there for me to tell me what it was going to be like," he recalls.

"So, I walked in, I saw the arena and the net. I knew I had to play basketball. Moses had been here for a month and a half. So, I'm able to drop little bread crumbs here and there and say, 'This is how it's going to be like. Make the people remember your name.'"

Following the contract extensions with Alec Peters and Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos seem to have made their home work ahead of next season while the current one is still underway. So, on the one hand, the team from Piraeus is coveting a TOP4 spot and the home-court advantage in the playoffs. On the other, the club is working towards the future, making sure the main contributors are kept on.

On April 11, 2023, Shaq McKissic had his own contract extended until 2025. The new deal is set to keep him in Piraeus until turns 35. Still, he wouldn't be averse to getting another extension.

"Since Mous and Alec extended, I'm waiting for mine," he laughs.

"Can't be too greedy, but it's all about keeping this core together. Every time we get new guys, I'm always the first one in there to be the glue guy and tell them what to expect -- especially from coach, and what the team demands.

We have a lot of good individual players playing together. And hat's off to the coach for teaching us that because that's not easy to do at every spot. But you come over here and you understand that this is a team game," McKissic maintains.

Last November, and as Olympiacos had a rough start to the season, a shadow of doubt was cast on several players with regards to their physical condition and their ability to help the team. Some managed to pull through, like McKissic, others (like Luke Sikma) just exited the rotation.

McKissic missed the better part of the summer period dealing with a knee problem. And his lack of readiness at the start of the season generated much speculation on how he'd manage to respond to the high pace and intensity of another demanding season. Olympiacos had added Ignas Brazdeikis, but the main issues were still there.

At one point, Bartzokas decided to come forward and defend McKissic. "Just because he has been out for a month, that doesn't mean I'm going to replace him. I'll never do that. He is important for Olympiacos and I will not sell him out."

McKissic remembers that statement and how he perceived the criticism thrown at him in the early months of the season.

"I never had any doubt," he clarifies.

"People in the media have to talk, it's their job. There were a lot of articles that weren't necessarily true and came out. I just laughed about it, there's no hard feelings. If anybody wants to do an article or video, they can just call me, and I'll happily tell them everything they need to know instead of jumping into conclusions and making things up.

I come back, I do my thing and no one has anything to say. I don't know where all the critics went. It's a few games that we shouldn't have dropped, but they made us as hungry as we are now," he comments.

Even though he can't tell what the future might hold for Olympiacos, he knows that his team set out on a mission to win the remaining games a few weeks ago. In this vein, it's six down and five more to go.

"If we do that, it will put us in a really good position. There are a lot of good teams in the EuroLeague, like Monaco, Fenerbahce, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Panathinaikos," McKissic holds.

In January, McKissic was looking at the EuroLeague standings, thinking that a possible 4-5 matchup with Panathinaikos in the playoffs "would be nice." On the other hand, Ergin Ataman has openly declared his wish that the two Greek powerhouses avoid each other in the Final Four-deciding series.

So, why would McKissic want to play PAO in the playoffs?

"I'm glad that you remember that!" he exclaimed before elaborating.

Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

"It's a dream come true. The biggest basketball on the biggest stage? Who wouldn't want that? We didn't get the easy way with Monaco or Fenerbahce. So, why would we want the easy way now?" he wondered.

"PAO are our hardest opponent, whether we win or lose. It's a different kind of feeling and every single point counts throughout the entire series.

Do you imagine that going to five games? The country will have to take a week off after that. But I hope that whoever does [qualify], the opposing fanbase roots for them in the Final Four. Why not?"

One can assume that McKissic has been in Greece for quite some time, but apparently not long enough for him to get caught up in the animosity and the endless tug-of-war Olympiacos and PAO are often too eager to engage in.

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