The Lokomotiv Kuban forward got into great shape before the break in the championship: he became the team's top scorer in three games in a row, and was twice included in the Team of the Week. We talked with Isaiah about what helped him make a step up, discussed the first part of the season, the upcoming games, and his life in Russia.
- How did you react when you knew that you were selected twice for the Team of the Week?
- I was pretty happy to see that my hard work started to pay off and I started showing the player that I believe that I am. So that was good to finally see and it came at a really good moment.
- How do you think, what part of your current level is skill and what part is motivation?
- I think it's like 50-50. I'm really motivated especially from the slow start of the season. I know I'm a lot better player than I was performing at the beginning of the season. So just that motivation and we've been having a lot of injuries so I know that I need to step up and be a better player for the team to be good and win. So then skill is the skill that I've been working on my entire basketball career. So it's kind of 50-50 but it's a lot of motivation.
- Don't you think it's kind of a pity that you gained such a form and then it's a pause in the games?
- Yes, honestly I wish we would have had a lot more games especially because I felt like I was in perfect rhythm. But it's still good for me and the team because I think personally I'm very confident going into the rest of the season and I think the team is very confident as well and we feel like we can win a championship and be the best team. So I wish we would have kept going but it's going to be good for us that we needed a break.
- Which opponent in the league is the toughest in your opinion?
- CSKA is the defending champion so they know how to win. So I guess you could say them but every team in this league is tough and most of our losses are from teams that are not in the top of the league. So we are an example of how good the league is with how many teams have beaten us and each night you can lose to anyone. But I guess if I had to pick a team I would say CSKA is probably the toughest one.
- And what player is the hardest in the league to play against?
- That's hard to answer. I guess Melo Trimble is pretty difficult and kind of annoying to play against because he knows how to draw fouls. So it's kind of hard to like you got to guard him in a specific way. But if you guard him too softly, he can shoot and score. But if you guard him too aggressively, he knows how to draw fouls. So I'd probably say Melo Trimble.
- You've been to all the cities where the league teams are playing. Which one impressed you most?
- I like Moscow a lot. It kind of reminds me of home in a way. And St. Petersburg is beautiful. It reminds me a lot of Boston back home. But I feel like Moscow impressed me a lot. Just the city, the food and everything.
- And what can you say about Krasnodar?
- Krasnodar is beautiful. I love it. During the break I didn't go anywhere. I just stayed in Krasnodar, explored around and I loved it. It's one of my favorite places. Recently, my girlfriend flew in from America. So now I'm just relaxing with her and just bonding with her and spending time with her.
- How does she like Russia?
- She loves it. She was scared at first. She didn't know if she would like it or not. But she loves it a lot. A lot more than she thought she would. We were in Germany last year and she definitely loves Russia more than Germany. So that's a plus.
- What surprised you most in Russia?
- Just how friendly and nice everyone is back here. You get just the way, I guess, America portrays Russia and media stuff. You think Russians are mean. But when you come here, it's nothing like that. Everybody's pretty friendly. They're to themselves and mind their business. And when they do talk to you, they're pretty friendly and nice. At least that's my experience. So that's been pretty surprising to me.
- Who is your best friend in the team?
- I'm close with everyone, honestly. I don't really have one best friend because I don't really just hang out with one person. Whenever I'm hanging out with players on the team, it's usually in bunches. But I mean, yeah, I don't really have a best friend. I feel like I'm close with everyone, like kind of equally on the team.
- How do you like the crowd in Krasnodar?
- Crowd's good. I've traveled to every city that we play in and I feel like our crowd's the best crowd out of everyone. It's always energy, the crowd's super supportive. Win or lose, they're still supporting us and cheering for us no matter what. Even after the bad losses we've had, they were still cheering for us. So I honestly feel like we have the best crowd.
- After Uralmash and Yenisei, Loko will have three games at home: Zenit, Samara and CSKA. Do you want to say something to the crowd before these games?
- Just expect a non-stop fight and intensity. And no matter what, win or lose, we're going to play our hardest and not take no games lightly. From the bottom team of the league to the top teams of the league because now it's playoff time. And even you can tell coming into the locker room, all the players, they're starting to get in that playoff mode where they start. It's a different level that you get to during this time. Expect us to just play hard against every team and be willing to do anything it takes to win.
- Can Loko win the title this year?
- Oh yeah, definitely. That's the goal. When I came here, I came here because I knew this team was going to be good enough to win a championship. We've had very bad injuries to really important players, but we still have a lot of players left that are good enough for us to win a championship. And we're bringing in a really good, really good player that's defensive minded, that's going to help us. He [Tahjere McCall] could play one, two, and three, and that's going to really help us boost our defense, which we need to improve on as well. He's going to really help us and I think we're still going to be really good, especially when we get Martyuk back, that's going to be really big for us as well.
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