Darius Thompson discusses chances of joining Italian NT, season with Baskonia / News - Basketnews.com

Darius Thompson talked to BasketNews about the reasons that have led Baskonia close to an early exit in the EuroLeague season and his meteoric rise as one of the league's top point guards. He also addressed the possibility of playing with Italy in the near future.

Credit: Roberto Finizio/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Europe Credit Roberto Finizio/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Europe

With the EuroLeague future of Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on the line and outside the limits of what the Basque team can control, players and staff have no other option but to sit and wait if Bayern Munich beat Zalgiris Kaunas on Friday night.

Darius Thompson

MIN:26.89PTS:12.56 (55.39%)REB:3.24As:6.71ST:1.68BL:0.44TO:2.65GM:34ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

If things turn out the other way around, the Lithuanians will get the last playoff ticket, and Baskonia will be reduced to their ACB obligations, where they have excelled so far.

In contrast to their domestic track, which has brought them to the first spot in the table, the team coached by Joan Penarroya has had many ups and downs in the European competition.

Spectacular wins were followed by letdowns and meltdowns, especially on the road, and their latest loss to regular season winners Olympiacos Piraeus did little to increase their playoff chances. Still, if you expected Darius Thompson to cry over spilled milk, you're mistaken.

"We just had to win games," he told BasketNews at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.

"Now, we have to wait and see what happens. But to put it in our own hands, we had to win games throughout the season," he added. "Now, we just sit and wait."

One can safely assume that the entire Baskonia organization will be glued to their TV sets and screens when the Bayern-Zalgiris duel tips off, just as the Lithuanian side watched the Spaniards coming up short in Greece on Thursday.

One of the EuroLeague's recurrent topics is the perennial question of why last-round fixtures aren't scheduled on the same date and at the same time.

Penarroya, for one, called the situation "not normal" and added that it's a EuroLeague rule.

"It would be better [for all teams] to play at the same time and on the same day. But it didn't happen," the Catalan coach said in the postgame presser.

Free throws this season

77%14,2Points made:14,2Accuracy:76,8%Place in standings:7Record max:28Record min:3Most made FTs:Markus HowardTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

However, Thompson doesn't think EuroLeague's scheduling is a real issue.

"It's a tough competition, and every game matters, as the slogan says," the 27-year-old point guard pointed out.

"Some of the games we lost early in the season, we should have won. That put us in the position we're in now," he reflected.

"It's been fun. A lot of people didn't expect us to be where we are now. But it's been good. We got to continue to keep fighting and play to the end."

Thompson, born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, thinks the EuroLeague is a very competitive league, top to bottom.

"I think the No.1 team can easily lose to the last team," he argued.

Baskonia finished the regular season on a 19-15 record that might not be good enough for a playoff spot. However, the American guard has been enjoying the ride in his debut EuroLeague season.

He has become one of the most prominent and talked-about players almost overnight, averaging 12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.7 steals.

He's among the top six players in three categories (PIR, assists, steals) and has a solid case, along with his former Lokomotiv Kuban teammate Johnathan Motley, for a hypothetical Rookie of the Year award.

"I just wanted to go out there and compete. I wanted to show everyone that I'm capable of playing, and hopefully, I'm doing well," Thompson comments.

Despite the prejudices sometimes held against American guards in Europe, Thompson has proven to be Baskonia's mastermind, showcasing a great understanding of the game and being capable of making the right decision. When the ball passes through his hands, his team's offensive game flourishes.

Since he arrived in Vitoria, Thompson has made clear his preference for passing rather than scoring.

"Team basketball. A beautiful thing," the player posted on his social media account in response to a video compilation of the most outstanding assists of a game against Valencia Basket.

If one adds his commitment and sacrifice in defense and a pleasant personality that has made it easier for him to connect with a demanding audience at Buesa Arena, the formula rarely fails.

Thompson has been able to thrive in transition, playing for a team that clearly facilitates his virtues and style.

"It's good because we play up and down, fast. We try to get and look for open, quick shots. For me, to have the ball in my hands and make plays, it feels great," he said.

Thompson's career seems to be on a constant rise. Over the course of only three seasons (2018-21), he's gathered no less than 11 individual and team accolades: FIBA Europe Cup Top Scorer (2019), Dutch League MVP and Top Scorer (2019), Dutch Cup winner and MVP (2019), All-Champions League Second Team (2021), and All-Italian League Team (2021).

Thompson, who finished his university stage at the University of Kentucky, played in the first Italian league in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons with Happy Casa Brindisi. In his senior year in Italy, he averaged 13.4 points and 5.6 assists in the 25 games he played.

His two-year stint with Brindisi did not only propel him to the next level but also garnered him an Italian passport and an Italian wife in Chiara Pacifico.

Chiara and Darius were married on August 22, 2020, and are now happy parents of a two-year-old daughter.

Initially, the Italian citizenship would help Thompson secure a job in Spain as an EU player, as the ACB allows only two Americans on teams' rosters. But another path has opened up for him lately.

With Paolo Banchero seemingly taking his time to choose between the US and the Italian national team, Baskonia's point guard has emerged as a viable alternative for the naturalized player's vacancy, previously held by John Petruccelli.

Banchero was born and raised in the United States. Still, as of 2020, he also has an Italian passport, which would allow him to be eligible to play for the Italian national team. Paolo's great-great-grandfather was Italian and later moved to the United States for work, later starting a family.

Thompson, as opposed to his famous colleague, has developed some strong ties with the country over the past four years.

Since FIBA allows one naturalized player to be on the roster of a national team per game and Banchero's case hasn't made any significant progress, watching Thompson in the Italian jersey isn't a far-fetched scenario at this point.

In fact, the player himself addressed that scenario in an interview with Backdoor Podcast last February.

"Maybe it's a possibility in the future," Thompson said.

"But for right now, I'm not sure. If there's a possibility, I'll take it for sure. I'll be excited to play."

After two months, Thompson is still unsure whether he'll be joining Italy. However, he admits that his side has laid the ground for that to happen.

"There's no decision yet," he told BasketNews.

"I'm focused on the season with Baskonia. But maybe there will be some talks in the future," he added.

"I haven't had any conversations with them personally. That's with my agent. I've told him that we focus on the season right now. I don't want to focus on that."

Thompson admitted that the possibility of joining a European national team had never crossed his mind.

"I had never thought about that. I'm American. But with my lifestyle now and my wife being Italian, things have changed," he stressed.

That lifestyle is stationed in Vitoria, which Thompson calls "a great, common-life city."

"Not too much going on, not too busy. But for me, it's a laid-back, relaxed city, very similar to my character."

Not exactly the description that matches Gianmarco Pozzecco's explosive personality, but one can assume that Thompson will adjust. He always has.

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