Mike James' first European coach recalls crazy stories: 'It was funny to everyone' / News - Basketnews.com

James would only care about basketball and would walk to the gym in shorts and slippers regardless of the weather, his first European coach at Zagreb, Danijel Jusup, says. The veteran coach also recalled a story when James supposedly dunked the ball with two hands from the free-throw line.

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Years before becoming the EuroLeague's all-time top scorer, Mike James started his European journey in Zagreb playing for the city's team, KK Zagreb. Following the guard's record night, the team's coach at the time, Danijel Jusup, recalled what James was like back in the day.

Mike James

MIN:31.62PTS:19.32 (53.4%)REB:4.32As:5.18ST:1.25BL:0TO:1.96GM:28ProfileEuroLeague2023/2024

After finishing his college career at Lamar University, James decided to continue his basketball journey in Europe and signed a contract with Zagreb in 2012.

"He came to Zagreb from a small college through the Italian [agent] Federico Paci. He is the agent I worked with then and [who I work with] now. He recommended him to me. You could immediately see that he was an exceptional player, not only physically, but simply [because of] the way he plays," Jusup told in an interview with Bojan Brezovac from Mozzart Sport. "It immediately catches your eye."

Despite his apparent talent, James joined a struggling team that had issues both financially and logistically.

"At that time, Zagreb fell to the lower division. We had problems, we didn't have a big budget. Mike came to us for a ridiculous figure. It's not even polite to talk about the number, but it's enough for an apartment, food, and [only] a little more. It seems to me that he also expected a little more," Jusup said.

"We played in a school hall. I remember he was not enthusiastic when he entered the hall," the coach remembered. "He knew that I was a demanding coach and that I had difficult practices, and he also had some childhood illnesses that are expected for American rookies who come to Europe. We had to work a lot with him, [we had] to talk."

When James was asked to say a few words to the fans after yesterday's game against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, during which he surpassed Vassilis Spanoulis to become the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer, the AS Monaco guard refused saying that it wasn't his style.

Mike James

Team:AS MonacoPosition:PGAge:33Height:185 cmWeight:84 kgBirth place:Oregon, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Jusup says the player was focused on the game of basketball from early on and wasn't bothered by outside attractions.

"I remember that he didn't go out anywhere. Not for coffee, not to a restaurant, not anywhere. Only his apartment and a hall, and his apartment was 50 meters away from the hall. He always went in shorts and slippers, regardless of whether it was winter. I remember that it was funny to everyone," Jusup recalled.

"He was not used to this way of practicing. I knew he had problems in college as well, but let me tell you right now... When it comes down to it, he's a good guy," the veteran coach said. "He has a strong character, it was not easy to work with him, and he was also a bit slow to get to know people, but it was immediately crystal clear that he had surpassed the level of basketball that Zagreb was playing at that moment."

Earlier this season, James' former teammate in Zagreb, Miralem Halilovic, told a story about how James supposedly fell asleep during a video review and later got fired for it. Jusup says it's untrue.

"Oh no, he wasn't kicked out of the club. These are the diseases I was talking about. He knew how to screw up at those meetings, and more than once. Everything was there. He knew how to be angry often, but that's the way he is apparently. Still, I think he's a good guy," Jusup said.

James left before the season was over due to the club's situation at the time.

"At that time, it was a rule that only one foreigner could be on the court. We had two on the team, Miralem Halilovic and Mike James, the two best players on the team. This is where we come to the biggest problem for me. Miralem led practices, he was always in charge, and he also had a long-term contract," Jusup said.

"A situation was created where Halilovic was the best in practices, and Mike dominated the game. Miralem normally wanted to play 40 minutes in each match, and Mike would have then played 47 minutes if he could have. In the end, I had to part ways with either James or Halilovic. I decided in favor of Miralem because I knew that Mike would easily find a new job and that's how it was," the coach explained.

After a stage in Zagreb, James went on to sign a contract with a team in Israel, Hapoel Galil Elyon, before a stage in Greece ultimately led him to the EuroLeague.

Having been the first coach in Europe where Mike James made his name and became a EuroLeague great must be a wonderful feeling. However, Jusup still has some regrets.

"If I had the mind of today and could turn back time... I would have done something different with him. Certainly much different. Maybe I lacked a little patience and tact. I followed his career, just such a basketball talent... You don't see it often. People are talking about his shot now, but I remember one dunk. He jumps from the free throw line with two feet and then flies to the hoop, it's in front of my eyes now," Jusup concluded.

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