Nate Sestina recalls NBA teams' feedback, likes to be the loudest man on the court / News - Basketnews.com

Nate Sestina opens up to BasketNews on his season with Turk Telekom, his NBA Summer League takeaway, and how he came to be the most vocal guy on every team he's played.

Credit: Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Nate Sestina will turn only 26 next May. Even though he's far from his retirement days, he's got an undergraduate degree in geography from Bucknell, which he thinks his overseas career will enable him to put to good use.

"You know what? I told my mom when I was younger, 'My goal is to never have to use this degree.' People at Bucknell who dive into their studies would probably have a heart attack if they hear me say that," Sestina reflects with a chuckle from his apartment in Ankara, Turkey.

The American forward is sure about what he'd like to do after his playing time is over. He's eager to get a job in basketball.

"The things I studied at Bucknell were people, place, and space. Being overseas, in a completely different place and space, around different people, has shaped me into a more well-rounded person," he stresses.

Sestina has stayed in Turkey after playing for Yukatel Merkezefendi last season. His current team, Turk Telekom, is having a great season in the domestic league and the EuroCup, but over the past month, basketball is hardly a priority in most people's lives.

On February 6, Turkey was hit by a series of major earthquakes that shuttered the Eastern part of the vast country. The death toll stands at more than 45,000, according to Turkey's disaster management agency, making it the worst national disaster in a century.

"It's still just saddening," Sestina laments. "Because every day the death toll rises and more and more news reports would come out about people being trapped under rubble. Truly is just so terrible."

The Pennsylvania-born athlete points out that he doesn't think the disaster has taken a toll on the team and its members but adds that the situation calls for some serious thought and prayers.

"We're trying to do just that. All of us are actively searching for ways to help. Even though not all of us are Turkish, we want to help out in any way we can - and our team and staff know it," he explains.

The COVID-19 pandemic cost Sestina his first professional opportunity overseas, but he was able to make a stop back in the United States shortly after. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Brooklyn Nets in November 2020 and later played for the franchise's G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.

However, he didn't stick and eventually wound up in Israel in March 2021, where he would help Hapoel Holon win the Balkan League championship.

Sestina averaged 9.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 30 Turkish League games with Merkezefendi while shooting 45.5% from beyond the arc on 4.1 attempts per outing, although his team finished the season with an 8-22 record.

Currently, in his third professional season, Sestina can evaluate his progress since he first set foot in Europe.

"I struggled at first - with spacing, timing, and playing the post. Last year, I came in knowing I was going to be here for 10 months. I'm not a one-foot-in, one-foot-out kind of person in anything I do in life."

Sestina admits that watching European basketball more than the NBA helped him get a grasp of how veteran players in the Old Continent make a living.

"A guy that I thoroughly enjoy watching was Nikola Mirotic. Just how patient he is with the ball, how patient he's in the post, how he plays, and his pace," he describes.

Another player Sestina looks up to is Sasha Vezenkov, whom he calls "unbelievable."

"I played against Adrien Moerman last year, and I hope I can rebound the ball like him," he adds.

"I'm 25 years old, and hopefully, I'll have a long time in my career to keep taking these steps. But if I keep chipping away and taking those strides, I can make it."

Sestina is the second known former Kentucky player to sign with Turk Telekom after Kyle Wiltjer, who had an excellent two-year (2019-21) stint in Turkey.

Wiltjer is now playing in China after winning the Champions League title last year with Lenovo Tenerife. His game bears a strong resemblance to how Sestina operates on the court.

The current Turk Telekom player didn't speak with Wiltjer before or after signing with the team, but he's watched a lot of his predecessor, especially in the BCL.

"It was a big thing for me. I'm trying to find players I'm similar to or guys I can get to eventually. He was one of those guys," he notes.

With the passage of time, Sestina has come to terms with the fact that a player must excel in his role.

"Do what you do and do it well," is his motto. "Find your role and buy into that. I'm not going to try to play one-on-one and dribble all the time," he clarifies.

"I'll do my best to knock down open shots and be a product of great guards. That's what I tell Tony Taylor, Jerian Grant, Axel Bouteille, and all our Turkish guys.

'I'm trying to be a product of you guys being great. I'm going to be the next guy over. If you have one more pass, I'll do my best to knock it down.'"

Credit Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Erdem Can, 42, had been a long-time Zeljko Obradovic assistant coach before moving to Utah. He also got to coach Sestina in the 2022 Summer League. The American stretch forward admits that the Turkish tactician was actually a big reason why he came to Turk Telekom.

He still recalls that Can would come up to him at practice and discuss post-up moves. That came as a surprise to Sestina because "in the NBA, there's not really any post-up players anymore."

Can knew Sestina was going to sign with Turk and told him, "If you can add this, you can take your game to the next level."

That was only the follow-up to a meeting that didn't happen when Merkezefenti played Bahcesehir in the last game of the 2021-22 regular season.

"He was there, and I wanted to meet him but didn't have the opportunity," Sestina recounts.

"So, I texted him and said, 'Coach, I'm sorry I missed you. I saw you were in the stands, and I wish I could have talked to you.' He was like, 'Hey, don't worry about it. Keep me posted on what you'll be doing this summer.'

I thought he was going to be back with Utah, doing his thing. But a month later, he calls me and says he took over Telekom. I was like, 'Hey, I'm in right away. Hold on, I'll call my agent.'"

Credit Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Sestina thinks the influence Can had from his year with the Jazz, who led the NBA in scoring, was important. The league's emphasis on shooting 3-point shots helped Can build his roster at Turk.

"You have a lot of guys that can score one-on-one, but if a guy runs at you and tries to double-team, you can throw it over and shoot open ones," Sestina argues.

Obviously, it's hard to have spacing in European basketball because there are no defensive three seconds. But it's important to play wide on offense.

"I think we do a great job of following through with what he's asked of us. He holds everyone to a high standard. Being in great shape, running the floor, and switching 1-5 are big for him," he continues.

"I feel confident and comfortable in the flow of the games. He'll also yell at me during games, but he'll explain what he's saying. He's a great teacher, and this year, I feel like I can take the next step."

We're already halfway through the season, and Turk Telekom currently stand second both in the Turkish BSL and the EuroCup standings.

They have won 25 of their 32 games across all competitions, while Sestina is averaging 9.9 points on 50.7% 3-point shooting in Turkish league games and 10.8 points on 40.3% from behind the arc in international contests.

The team has already qualified for the EuroCup TOP 16 and has a good chance of staging an upset on the domestic front. Sestina thinks it all starts with Erdem Can and GM Onder Kulcebas.

"They put together a roster full of guys that want to win, who're young and hungry. They've found guys that complement each other, whether they're Turkish or foreign. Everybody gets along. That's something we take pride in - being close off the court.

We still have that first-day feel. That's an incredible thing for European basketball."

Sestina thinks Can is Turk Telekom's biggest advantage when it comes to facing more talented squads.

"He was a coach at Fenerbahce for a long time; he won a EuroLeague title and had arguably the best mentor in Europe ever," he stresses.

"We have guys that want to listen and win because everyone wants to take the next step. It might look a bit corny or silly, but it starts every day in practice. There are no lax days. He's very structured and focused."

Sestina is on the same page with those who feel that this year's EuroCup trophy is up for grabs and reveals that he spends a big chunk of his free time watching EuroCup and EuroLeague games.

"There are some really good teams in the EuroCup, but we're a good team too. We can do something special this year and make a run for that trophy," he argues.

Both of Sestina's parents are teachers, while his two older brothers served in the US Marine Corps.

That's why discipline is a virtue highly valued in his household. But that principle has translated to basketball to the extent of helping the player of Turk Telekom while living overseas.

"As I've navigated through life, I learned that the most important thing is to lock in and find your role. It's good to step out and expand yourself, but don't ever lose that core thing that you do well," he explains.

So, as Sestina was navigating through overseas basketball, he knew he had to take care of his diet, put in extra work, and have a good sleep. He credits his brothers for having done "an incredible job" of instilling that discipline in him because they would wake up at 4-5 a.m. every morning for 10+ years.

"I'm the youngest of five kids, and I've grown up in a family of givers. I already ask what I can do to help somebody else," he continues.

Sestina spent one season at Kentucky as a graduate transfer in 2019-20, following his impressive four-year career at Bucknell.

He appeared in 28 games for the Wildcats, including seven starts, where he averaged 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per game. He also went 40.7% from the distance while playing in Lexington.

"Playing as a grad transfer at Kentucky prepared me physically and mentally for what's next," Sestina said back then. "It's hard. You get a lot of stuff thrown at you at once."

Kentucky coach John Calipari once gave him a book to read. It was called '10-Minute Toughness: The mental-training program for winning before the game begins.'

"That book is great, by the way," Sestina remarks before elaborating on how he prepares himself in a basketball environment like the one in Europe, where every game matters.

"A lot of it is mental preparation. I'm naturally an excited person, especially on game days," he says.

"But I speak with a sports psychologist back home two times a month. I was trying to keep it quiet for a long time because there's a stigma around that. But he's incredible. He and I put together tactics, tools, tips, and ways to relax."

Sestina describes those phone sessions as one of the best decisions he's ever made.

"I don't have to wake up to watch NBA highlights and get pumped up for games. I'm already excited: breathing techniques, the way I sleep and travel - I even bring house slippers from home just to have that sense with me everywhere I go. I do my best to meditate on game days just to get into a flow. I don't want to get too high or too low before games," he points out.

Despite the 2020 NBA Draft being postponed to the fall, Sestina was set on starting his pro career overseas way earlier. He explains that his decision wasn't based on the premise of his not getting drafted but because his top priority at the time was to get some pro experience.

"Everybody's kid dream is to be drafted. I wanted to be a professional basketball player. My ultimate dream is to play at least one game in the NBA before I retire. It's on my bucket list," he confesses.

Credit Michael Hickey/Getty Images

"But I'm going to work every single day to get there. I wanted to see what a professional player does on a daily basis. I was able to work out in Las Vegas for the majority of the pre-draft process, and I was in the gym with high-level pros. Those guys were incredible, and I thought I had to take my game to a new level."

Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year deals worth the minimum salary but don't come with compensation protection. The contract can include an optional bonus in the range of $5,000 to a maximum of $50,000 if the player does not make it to training camp but signs with the organization's G League affiliate.

"I had done some pre-draft interviews with the Nets," Sestina remembers.

"Matt Ricardi is an assistant GM and also the GM of the G League team. He's an incredible person, and we have a great relationship to this day," he adds.

Sestina says the feedback he got from the Nets focused on things he couldn't pull off at the time.

"They told me, 'In Kentucky, you shot the ball and spaced the floor. In the NBA, you should be able to guard 1-5.' That was everybody's feedback: 'Can you guard guards? Can you hit corner threes, be physical and rebound the ball?'

For a long time, it was a mental thing. I'd switch on to a guard and then think about what they'd told me. I'd think I'm slow, and I can't do it."

Sestina maintains that the confidence he's built from his teammates and coaches in Europe has helped him improve a lot.

"You can't feel sorry for yourself," he comments.

Apart from his high-energy offensive skillset, highlighted by a strong transition game, polished touches in the paint, and the ability to stretch the floor, there's another trait that makes Nate Sestina a special case.

It's his reputation as the team's most talkative player that's been following him since his college days.

"It's nice having a veteran that talks," said head coach John Calipari. "I mean, he overtalks. He tries to get the guys to talk."

"I try to be the loudest guy in the gym," Sestina commented. "If one of the coaches says, 'Oh, I don't hear anybody,' I want them to be able to hear me."

Being one of the younger players on Turk Telekom's roster hardly makes any difference. Sestina is there to talk - all the time.

"My teammates probably tell me to shut up behind my back because I can't stop talking off the court, too," he jokes.

"My coach at Bucknell, John Griffin, was on my case every day about talking. Back then, I wasn't in good enough shape to talk and do what I was saying. But when I went to Kentucky, I was in one of the best shapes I've ever been, and I was able to talk through anything."

Sestina believes that, even if you yell the wrong thing, people can't be mad at you if you put in the effort. But that's true only at the collegiate level.

"As a pro, that can cost you some games. But by the time you're a pro, you're going to know what to do," he observes.

Credit Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Being the most talkative and loudest guy - especially in gyms that are very noisy - is a hard task. But Sestina says Erdem Can is one of those tacticians that value good communication on the court.

"If I'm calling for a ball screen, you're going to hear it. If you didn't hear me, I will scream even louder next time," he warns.

"Coach Can holds me to that standard because he knows what I was like in college. When we play against some of the EuroCup teams, they have guys just as big as Semih Erden. If a guard gets hit by any of those screens, he has every right to get after you for not talking," he stresses.

In one of the funniest BCL videos of the season, Galatasaray's Tyrus McGee appears to be talking to everyone (teammates, opponent players, coach) all the time during a game. The American guard was mic'd up for the entire duration, but Sestina is sure he'd make a better video if somebody put a microphone on him for that long.

"I was actually Tyrus' teammate in my rookie year in Holon. That's him, he's hilarious. He's always talking during games," Sestina comments.

"If I was mic'd up, you might have to censor it sometimes because, occasionally, I have a pouting mouth. It would be fun, although we wouldn't be allowed to put that out for people."

In general, Sestina mostly tries to keep things light because games in Europe are super intense, and people get focused.

"I'm not going to mess up with their mental state or flow," he says. However, that doesn't mean he's not having a good time - quite the opposite.

"When Tyrique Jones catches an alley-oop, I'm going crazy. If Tony Taylor is getting somebody on the iso at the top of the key and scores a three, I'm going crazy. When Axel Bouteille scores four 3-pointers in a row, I have a lot of fun.

Playing with them has been a breath of fresh air. I'm lucky and grateful to be their teammate."

As long as Turk Telekom carry on like that, no one's likely to ask Sestina to keep quiet anytime soon.

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