One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
In just 13 minutes, Christian Koloko rejected five Bayern shots, sending the already electric Belgrade Arena crowd into a frenzy.
Koloko had only joined his new teammates at the beginning of the week. Crvena Zvezda head coach Ibon Navarro even joked that the Cameroonian center didn’t know all his teammates’ names yet – so how could he possibly play?
But Koloko proved to be a quick learner. Navarro put him in the starting lineup as early as Tuesday against Maccabi, and against Bayern, the 211cm center stole the show.
He played just three minutes in the second half. Zvezda had already done the damage in the first. Koloko finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, two rebounds, two steals and five blocks.
“I’m Just Christian Koloko”
What do you make of Chima’s Instagram story? Have you seen it?
I haven’t seen this one yet.
We show Koloko the story.
Oh, that’s funny. That’s my guy, man. That’s my guy. It’s always good to have your teammates cheering for you. I think that just helps me get acclimated to the team.
“That’s Why You Play Basketball”
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Did you expect things to click so quickly for you?
I think I’m somebody who picks things up pretty quickly. For me, when I came here, my goal was to win. I expect to win every time I’m on the court. Things are going well for us right now. We just have to stay focused and continue to execute the game plan.
How does it feel to play in this kind of atmosphere?
It feels amazing. It feels incredible to have the whole arena cheering for you, with everyone on their feet throughout the game. I think it just gives you extra energy. That’s why you play basketball – for this type of atmosphere.
“Sometimes It’s Luck”
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You mentioned that you pick things up pretty quickly. Coach Navarro had a lot of praise for you after your first game. How did you go from not knowing your teammates’ names to learning the plays and everything else? Walk us through that process.
I saw that quote from him online! He said I had to learn my teammates’ names first before I could play. I think I know all my teammates’ names now.
At the end of the day, it’s just basketball. You have to pick up the fundamentals, basically the basics of the coach’s system. After that, when you’re on the court, you just play basketball.
I think one thing that applies to everything is playing hard. If you play hard, it’s going to fix everything. That’s what I’m trying to do every time I’m on the court.
What about blocked shots? Is it all instinct, or is there something else to it?
I don’t know. I think it’s a bit of everything. It’s instinct, sometimes it’s luck. You just have to read the game and be in the right place at the right time. When you’re there at the right time, you’re going to get some blocks.
What’s the better feeling – throwing down an alley-oop dunk or blocking a shot?
It depends on the moment in the game. Tonight, when I caught that alley-oop from Nick (Weiler-Babb), I think that was a nice highlight of the night. But I also had a lot of blocks. I don’t know, it depends on when it happens during the game. I love doing both.
“He’s a Really Smart Coach”
You’ve only been here for a couple of days, but what can you tell us about Coach Navarro’s system?
I like it. I think he knows what he’s doing. It’s always good to play for a coach who knows what he’s doing.
Every game, we have a different game plan. Today was different from the game against Maccabi. We have another game this weekend, and it’s probably going to be different again. It depends on how the other team plays defense, and we’re going to adjust to that. I think he’s a really smart coach.
