When BasketNews connected with Kyle Wiltjer for this interview, the American-Canadian forward was relaxing on his couch in Tenerife, basking in the afterglow of his team's second Basketball Champions League title win.
However, Lenovo Tenerife's triumph over BAXI Manresa in Sunday's final in Bilbao was to be succeeded by a demanding ACB League game against Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Celebrations were over, as players and coaches had to dry out as soon as possible to catch up with the team's next goal.
"It's classic European basketball. You celebrate, and then you got to get back to work. I'm used to it at this point," Wiltjer cynically remarks.
Besides, this is his fifth overall season in Europe. It's also his first continental title, which makes the feeling all the more intense. For someone who's had to bounce back after painful losses and eliminations, winning his first trophy can whet his appetite.
"We're excited about that, but the ACB League is very important to our organization. We're trying to win another one, that's for sure," Wiltjer stresses.
The 29-year-old former NCAA champ with Kentucky went for 17 points in the BCL final. He averaged 11.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in the 2021-22 season.
Lenovo Tenerife have announced a one-year contract with Canadian big man Kyle Wiltjer. After four seasons in the NCAA with the Kentucky Wildcats and Gonzaga Bulldogs, Wiltjer went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. However, he did get a crack at the NBA by playing one year with the Houston Rockets and their G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Wiltjer appeared in 14 NBA games, averaging ...
When BasketNews connected with Kyle Wiltjer for this interview, the American-Canadian forward was relaxing on his couch in Tenerife, basking in the afterglow of his team's second Basketball Champions League title win.
However, Lenovo Tenerife's triumph over BAXI Manresa in Sunday's final in Bilbao was to be succeeded by a demanding ACB League game against Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Celebrations were over, as players and coaches had to dry out as soon as possible to catch up with the team's next goal.
"It's classic European basketball. You celebrate, and then you got to get back to work. I'm used to it at this point," Wiltjer cynically remarks.
Besides, this is his fifth overall season in Europe. It's also his first continental title, which makes the feeling all the more intense. For someone who's had to bounce back after painful losses and eliminations, winning his first trophy can whet his appetite.
"We're excited about that, but the ACB League is very important to our organization. We're trying to win another one, that's for sure," Wiltjer stresses.
The 29-year-old former NCAA champ with Kentucky went for 17 points in the BCL final. He averaged 11.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in the 2021-22 season.
Lenovo Tenerife have announced a one-year contract with Canadian big man Kyle Wiltjer. After four seasons in the NCAA with the Kentucky Wildcats and Gonzaga Bulldogs, Wiltjer went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. However, he did get a crack at the NBA by playing one year with the Houston Rockets and their G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Wiltjer appeared in 14 NBA games, averaging ...