Kyle Guy, Henry Ellenson break down similar paths that crossed in Badalona / News - Basketnews.com

Kyle Guy and Henry Ellenson join BasketNews to discuss their career paths that eventually met in Spain and Joventut Badalona, as the Catalans strive for success on the domestic and the European front.

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

Kyle Guy and Henry Ellenson had always followed similar paths in their careers. However, their trajectories had always been separate until the two of them were united last summer at Joventut Badalona.

Henry Ellenson

Position:PF, CAge:26Height:208 cmWeight:110 kgBirth place:Wisconsin, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

"We're both from the Midwest. I'm from Indiana, he's from Wisconsin. He's from way up north, but the lifestyle's similar. We have a lot in common, we get along, and we're roommates on the road too. Being from similar backgrounds is helpful."

That's Kyle Guy's description of his relationship with Henry Ellenson when BasketNews brought the two teammates together for a joint interview some weeks ago.

After starring at the University of Virginia and becoming an NCAA champion in 2019, Guy went on to play for Sacramento, Cleveland and Miami in the NBA, in addition to the franchises' G League affiliate teams. He averaged 3.9 points on 35% shooting from three-point range in 19 NBA games for Miami last season, while with Cleveland he averaged 23.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 14 G League matches.

He was a late second-round pick by the New York Knicks in the 2019 draft at No.55 in 2019, as opposed to Hellenson's selection at No.18 three years earlier.

During his only season at Marquette, Ellenson averaged a near-double-double with 17 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, with 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocks in 33.5 minutes of action over 33 games. As a result, he earned several accolades and forewenthis final three years of college eligibility.

In a similar fashion, Guy was named the Most Outstanding Player of the in the 2019 college tournament, capping a three-year cycle with the title, and was instrumental in the finals with 24 points.

"We're in the same agency (Excel Sports Management]. I obviously knew who he was. We knew each other, but we had never met before this," Guy, 25, continues.

In fact, the age gap between the two American players is only seven months. Ellenson was born in January 1997, while Guy in August that same year.

However, one essential disparity can be traced if one looks at their resume. Regardless of their draft selection and their NBA stint, which in Ellenson's case lasted for two more years, the blonde-haired big man has been playing professionally for seven years already.

Ellenson started his basketball career with the Detroit Pistons, and went on to appear with the jersey of the New York Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets and the Toronto Raptors. Guy, on the other hand, appeared in 53 games over the course of his three seasons in the league with Sacramento and Miami.

"It's crazy because I feel like I've been doing this for a while now, but I'm only 25," Ellenson reflects.

"I know my best basketball is yet to come and I'm lucky enough to have a lot of experience as a professional athlete. For me, it's hard to look too much into the future because I know how much everything can change and I try to focus on what I can control."

Things work the same way for Kyle Guy as well.

"If I start thinking about where I want to be basketball-wise in three years, then I'm not going to pay attention to what's going on right now," he says.

"I do have the tendency to do that with all the things I want to do in my life. I can't control how much somebody's going to pay me next year, or if they're going to offer me a contract."

So far, the organization that's helping the Indiana-born sharpshooter pay his bills is situated in Spain. His adjustment to Europe and Badalona has been smooth and one of the reasons for it is Guy himself. When he first came to Badalona, the Indiana-born guard admitted to being very curious and constantly asking questions.

After almost six months in the city, he's definitely gotten more comfortable. Even the language barrier has ceased to be an issue anymore.

"I'm speaking a little Spanish and I understand Catalan and Spanish too," he points out with joy.

"I understand the culture over here, but I still ask a lot of questions. If you ask my teammates, they'll tell you I'm super annoying because I like learning things. I'm still trying to fit in."

Fitting in is hardly an issue when it comes to Ellenson, though. The American power forward, who inked a two-year deal with Joventut last summer, arrived in Spain in 2021 to play for Monbus Obradoiro, where he averaged 11.0 points and 4.9 rebounds in 32 Spanish League games last season. He boosted those numbers up to 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in two games against Joventut, winning both of them.

Ellenson isn't the only player to start or build a career in Obradoiro and then move to EuroCup or even EuroLeague clubs. He only stayed for one year there, but still, managed to get a good taste of how their system operates.

"We had a good group of guys that helped me out. I was proud that our team was able to stay in the league because anyone could have dropped out [last year]," he says and recalls his experience with coach Moncho Fernandez, longtime Obradoiro head coach.

"Playing for a guy like Moncho, who's very tactical, I was able to learn from him. For every certain play, there's a different reaction you have to do offensively and if you mess up in practice, he'll blow the whistle and you'll start again. He's very demanding, but I got better throughout that year," Ellenson comments.

On the other hand, Guy's first contact with Spain was back in 2016, after his freshman year at college, when Virginia traveled to several cities to face local teams in scrimmages.

"Every college takes a foreign trip once every four years. So, we went to Badalona, Valencia, and Madrid. We stayed for three days in every city and played five games there too. So, I didn't get the full experience but I had some prior knowledge of Spain," Guy recounts.

"I remember everyone was a lot older than I was. I had just turned 19 at the time. If they were bigger and stronger than me over here, then they were definitely the same in college. I knew I had some things to work on," he admits.

For Guy, the toughest part about playing in the ACB can be summed up in one word: spacing.

"There are no driving lines. There's a lot of help side and it's really hard to get to the paint," he stresses.

"Especially for Kyle in his first year overseas, there's a lot to figure out and get used to," Ellenson thinks and reflects on his own experience.

"I had the same thing last year and he's doing a good job adjusting. I know how hard it is because back in the States, the court is wide open and guys can't sit in the paint all day. Here, you definitely get the packed defense. Kyle's driving to the basket and he's got three guys hanging on him."

Ellenson felt like his biggest adjustment was the pace of the game.

"There are not as many open shots. Guys are always right there and closer. So, you have to play faster. With them sitting in the middle of the paint, there's nothing easy down there."

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Guy has said Badalona reminds him a bit of Indiana because of the fans, the community, and the basketball tradition. But the Catalan region seems to evoke a feeling of familiarity.

"We were driving to Girona, where there's more open land and farming and agriculture. It was similar to some parts of Indiana," the guard of Joventut Badalona makes the comparison.

"But mostly it's different than Indiana in how the city is. I like how the fans react and how seriously they take basketball. It was nice to have that feeling," he adds.

Even though his first impression of Spain didn't turn into a culture shock, it didn't take him long to notice some basic lifestyle differences.

"People are more laid-back here than in America. Here, they like to enjoy their food, talk, and go out to dinner late," he points out.

"I'm not saying that either way is right or wrong," he clarifies. "I enjoy going to different cultures and learning things. I'm a big foodie and I'm trying everything, from paella to empanadas."

Apart from food, Guy has an affinity for another cultural expression - cinema. In a video interview with the club, the former NBA guard said his dream is to direct a film. Asked about who he'd want to direct or star in a film based on him, Guy takes a few more seconds to think it over.

"That's a good question!" he exclaims while putting on a big smile and looking at Ellenson who's sitting next to him.

"Are there any good actors that look like me you can think of?" Guy asks his teammate.

"Hell no!" Ellenson replies.

"My favorite director is Christopher Nolan," Guy continues.

"He did 'The Dark Knight', 'Inception', 'Interstellar', so he'd definitely direct my film. I can't think of any actors off the top of my head. Tom Holland, maybe?" he suggests.

Ellenson bursts into laughter.

"I like him a lot. Mark Wahlberg is one of my favorites, but I don't look like him," Guy admits.

Nevertheless, far from the spotlight and the bright side of a career that has recently been extended to another continent, Guy has been a player who had to negotiate with pressure, anxiety, fears, success, failure, and other unpleasant situations.

After the Cavaliers fell to tiny Maryland-Baltimore County and became the first-ever No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the 2018 NCAA Tournament,Guy’s world nearly collapsed. The anxiety he had tried to ignore for years threatened to consume him.

Death threats that forced the team bus to be diverted on the way back to the hotel only compounded the confusion. Subsequent hate mail and social media criticism from angry fans didn't help matters either.

With the help of his support system, including his parents, five younger siblings, his fiancée at the time, but also an anti-anxiety medication, Guy came through.

Since deciding to speak openly about his struggle with anxiety, he had heard from numerous fellow student-athletes, in basketball and beyond, who thanked him for his honesty. That includes several young athletes in the Indianapolis area.

Living overseas, away from family, and friends, for almost ten months requires some mental preparation, especially for an athlete who has gone through similar situations in the past.

"I always attribute most of my success to my failures or shortcomings," Guy says.

"Everything that has happened to me since I was a kid through college and high school, I carried that stuff with me and I'm very grateful for everything I've been through, good or bad. All that definitely prepared me for this long and tough season."

Certainly, Guy has never played for ten months straight. It's not as many games as the NBA, but it's more difficult in certain areas - in terms of the rules of the game, physicality, and the length of the season. But there are some rewards that make the experience all the more exciting and worth while.

"There are so much more achievements you can have here; cups and tournaments in the middle of the season or in the preseason. You're always playing for something," he observes.

"I like the aspect that if you're last, you get dropped out. You never want to get that road," he notes, echoing Ellenson's words about what Obradoiro did last year.

As it turned out, Guy's collegiate accolades didn't align with how scouts perceived this translatability to the NBA. After he barely snuck into the back end of the second round of the 2019 Draft, the Heat took notice of him after he put up 21.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in 11 G League contests. He was called up on a 10-day contract and suited up for his first game in a Heat uniform the next day.

Guy dropped 17 points (including four 3-pointers) and added four rebounds, four assists, and three steals in a victory over the Houston Rockets.

So, the question remains: How is it possible that anexcellent college career that culminated with the NCAA title and the MOP Award didn't translate in the NBA?

"That's a question for the NBA executives," the player responds.

"I think I played as well as I could with the minutes I got. I played my way into the NBA with some of the opportunities I got with the Miami Heat. I thought it was a good situation for me, but it's a business," Guy concedes.

"I know the Miami Heat like me a lot, but they felt like they had a chance to get somebody else. There are no hard feelings, I'm not mad at anybody. I still think I'm an NBA player and that I can help an NBA team.

Why it didn't work out? I'm not sure, but I know I gave everything I had to and I got a great experience of playing over 50 NBA games and in the G League for a while."

Of course, Guy's case isn't the exception, but the rule in the MOPs' inability to stay in the league.

For every Kemba Walker and Anthony Davis, who grew into NBA All-Stars, there has been several other players, like Luke Hancock and Kyle Singler who mostly excelled in Europe (Spain). Others, like Shabazz Napier and most notably Mario Chalmers, a two-time NBA champion with Miami, had a solid NBA stint before moving to the Old Continent.

Guy says he can't find a correlation between former NCAA Most Outstanding Player award-winners and their inability to turn into NBA stars. But he thinks the nature of the accolade allows for non-stars to emerge and win it.

"Most of the time, when you're giving out MOP or MVP of the Final Four, there's not much politics involved. It's about voting for the most outstanding player, which isn't the same as the best player," he clarifies and provides an example.

"I think De'Andre Hunter probably deserved it over me because he's a freak and he was the fourth pick, while I was No.55. The best player doesn't always get the MVP award."

However, Guy is optimistic that the scenario might be played out differently for him in Europe. He thinks his game meshes well with any type of style.

"If you play slow or fast, distribute or shoot the ball, I can do that. I take pride in being able to fit in in different systems," he maintains.

That's why his time in the NBA can be helpful when playing overseas.

"I had to guard De'Aaron Fox a lot in practice. Then, I had to guard Kyle Lowry and Gabe Vincent. My G League experience of being able to play point guard a little bit goes hand in hand with guarding some of the best players in the world, like Dame Lillard and LeBron James.

Even if it's only for two minutes, that still prepares you for anything else life throws at you," he thinks.

Credit Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Guy was a 42.5% 3-point shooter in college and had a decent 36.1% from range in his NBA days. With Joventut Badalona, he's shooting 37.5% over the team's first 14 EuroCup games, where he's also averaging 11.6 points and 2.1 assists.

Outside shooting has always been one of his big weapons. The blocker-mover offense that coach Tony Bennett implemented at Virginia was one of the contributing factors to him becoming the shooter he is.

"I definitely miss Virginia. I haven't been able to go back very often, which is unfortunate," Guy reminisces.

"Coach Bennett was great, one of the best ATO play-design coaches that I had played for. He always had nice quick headers to get the shooters up, which is obviously a strength of mine," he confirms.

Now, both Guy and Ellenson are facing some serious challenges as Joventut embark on the Spanish Copa Del Rey adventure, in addition to being placed second in their EuroCup group with a 9-5 record.

"We've had a couple of rough patches, and a lot of new players had to step up in their roles. We're trying to find a stride now," Guy describes the process.

"We've won a few games on the road and we're doing well in every competition. I feel like we're growing every day and will be at full strength by the end of the year.

In the preseason, we had a losing record against good teams. But we've made a lot of strides since then and we want to chase our goal of winning the EuroCup title."

The American sharpshooter believes the trophy is up for grabs and any team can win it.

"I've been paying attention to the teams and players on the other bracket. [Turk Telekom's] Jerian Grant, Sam Dekker... they've got good players over there," he notes.

For Henry Ellenson, the best is yet to come.

"I'm getting married next summer," he puts things in perspective and sets his priorities straight.

Credit Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Basketball-wise, the Wisconsin-born player is excited about the position his team is in.

"I know how tough every ACB game can be, and how you have to scratch and claw for every win. We'll try to reach our goal of winning the EuroCup."

Last year, Joventut were the No.1 seed, but saw Ratiopharm Ulm hand them their first and only home loss in the season, which was a fatal one.

"A lot of our guys still have that taste in their mouth," Ellenson holds.

"When it's tournament-style, one-and-done games, anything can happen. You're building your team so that you'll be firing on all cylinders by the end of the year."

In his opinion, the team coached by Carles Duran has shown someimprovement defensively, while gelling more offensively.

"It's nice that we have a bunch of guys who can score every other night, we have a lot of talent on that side of the ball. So, the biggest thing for us is figuring out the defensive side and being able to get stops against physical and talented teams," Ellenson thinks.

Guy says it's important to be able to win ugly because you're not going to play a great game every night.

"We've also figured out a way to go on runs a little bit longer than everyone else. We have a lot of firepower on our team," he adds.

When domestic titles will be decided, Joventut Badalona will have to showcase their strength against European powerhouses Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, who have been monopolizing all competitions.

If that's something the Catalan team's fans might be concerned about, Guy is a guy who literally couldn't care less.

"I've been an underdog individually on every level I've ever gone to," he remarks.

"So, that's nothing new to me. I'm being like, 'Yes, Barcelona and Madrid have been the best two teams in Europe for a while, and they deserve that respect.' But when we step on the court, it's the same to me."

Beating Barcelona or losing to Madrid didn't feel better or worse for the EuroCup and ACB rookie because his team had to move on to the next one- and that's precisely the type of mentality he'd like his team to adopt.

"The quicker Badalona normalizes that, the quicker they'll get more wins," he points out before moving on to the next team video session, taking Ellenson with him.

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