pic credit: Brian Laluna

Jaleen Smith is truly one of the real good character dudes playing overseas. Not only to mention his great ability on the court, but overall being a great family guy and humble and correct guy to media folk like me. I have seen all kinds of players over my 20 + basketball career having done 2000 + interviews from the real friendly playing in lower leagues begging me for an interview, to normal dudes playing at good levels, but not interested in promotion to the real studs at the NBA/Euroleague level who can’t be bothered. Jaleen Smith is in my top 5-10 of guys that I have done the most interviews in my career with 35 dating back to 2017 when he was a Pro A rookie in Germany with the MLP Academics Heidelberg. When he was balling in Germany, I would interview him regularly and even in the 2020 Covid time, we had an almost daily interview session I called the Tournament diary when he was competing with the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in the easyCredit BBL bubble in Munich. We hadn’t done an interview in more than 2 years since he had been playing in other countries, when I asked him for an interview during my ‘A little Love From Overseas For Lebron James’ when he beat Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s NBA scoring record, he didn’t hesitate. He even tried to hook me up with ex NBA player Mario Hezonja last summer and Dario Saric last weekend. Unfortunately both guys declined. He has always been there for me when I wanted an interview in the last 9 years and it wasn’t any different the past week. He was in action with Croatia during the Fiba window playing against Germany and I was able to interview him twice before the first game in Croatia and once again after the bitter loss in Bonn yesterday.

Oscar Da Silva and Jaleen Smith

pic credit: Brian Laluna

Smith and Croatia won the first battle in Zagreb 93-88 and it was the first time that he battled Germany with Croatia. ‘It was really nice to win in Croatia. We had a full gym and the atmosphere was great. The feeling was intense, but it didn’t hit me until we played in Germany. I got emotional’, stressed Jaleen Smith. It was a hard fought win for Croatia in their own living room where there were many many lead changes. Croatia just wasn’t able to slam the door shut earlier. ‘I mean Germany is a really good team even without the NBA and Euroleague guys. We knew that it would be a tough game. We stayed tough and showed we had character being able to pull out the win. I think that our fans gave us a real boost and helped us win that game’, said Jaleen Smith. Croatia finally broke away in crunch-time to secure the first win in the weekend series. ‘We made them very uncomfortable and I feel that our experience helped us as well. They were a bit inexperienced at the guard position. Our good rebounding and not allowing second chance points helped us’, added Jaleen Smith. The 2 ex NBA players Hezonja and Saric combined for 44 points. Without the massive production from those 2 stellar players, Germany probably would have danced home with the victory. ‘It was big getting that type of production from them. We always know what we will get from them. But we also had other guys step up for us. It wasn’t just those 2’, commented Jaleen Smith. One of those other great supporters in the scoring department was Roko Badzim who has Spanish ACB experience with Monbus Obradoiro CAB Santiago de Compostela who had 15 points and shot 4/4 from outside. Was he the unsung hero in the first game? ‘Oh yes he was our unsung hero. He hit big time three pointers whenever we needed it when others were struggling. He really stepped up for us’, stressed Jaleen Smith.

Jaleen Smith who played at the University of New Hampshire (NCAA) from 2013-2017 and improved his scoring average each season and was a 2 time All-AEC second team selection had a big battle with rising German youngster Jack Kayil. The ex Vechta guard had a superb game with 15 points and 5 dimes displaying his leadership skills. ‘It was good battle. He had the same type of stats that I had. We cancelled each other out. I told him after the game in Bonn that I really loved his game. He is really coming into his own. He is developing really well. I can’t wait to see how he continues to develop’, stressed Jaleen Smith. For Smith the 2 games was a real Alba Berlin reunion as he faced many of his ex teammates like Johannes Thiemann, Tim Schneider, Jonas Mattisseck, Louis Olinde and Malte Delow. After not having seen them for years, was there an ex teammate that had the biggest impact on you? ‘I think that Schneider and Mattissek impressed me the most. Mattisseck was super aggressive. Thiemann really killed us in the second game’, expressed Jaleen Smith. In the first game, the ex NBA Summer League player with the Phoenix Suns had a very respectable game with 15/5/6 stats. He took 7 shots and got to the free throw line for 9 attempts. Was he content with his game and aggressiveness? ‘It was good, but it could have been better. I was just super excited that we got the win. I will do anything to get that win. I wasn’t getting to the free throw line as much going into these windows, but I knew that my game had to set the tone. I was impressed with my aggressiveness from the start’, stated Jaleen Smith.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Jaleen Smith in Frankfurt in 2023

Both Germany and Croatia only had 48 hours to recuperate from the first game as Germany had the rematch on German soil in Bonn. Croatia led in double digits in the fourth quarter, but sill lost 91-89 in overtime. ‘We had a stretch at the end of the fourth quarter where we just played chaotic. We played out of our system. These things happen. We have to learn from this loss. I think that a loss like this will help build our character’, warned Jaleen Smith. Croatia had the slim 24-22 lead after 10 minutes. Croatia has 16 points from Hezonja and Saric. Was the defense suspect allowing 22 points? ‘I don’t think that it was our defense. Their offensive rebounds hurt us and Johannes Thiemann was getting easy baskets’, said Jaleen Smith. Croatia led 50-41 at the break. Germany had the overwhelming rebound edge, but Croatia still found a way to take semi-control of the contest. ‘We did a good job limiting them to one shot and we got out running. They sent 3 to crash the glass and we benefited getting out on transition. They also got some turnovers’, said Jaleen Smith. Germany kept fighting hard and trailed only 67-62 at the end of 30 minutes. Germany had a 5-0 run in the last minute with a trey from Louis Olinde. Germany’s brutal 15-1 offensive rebound advantage over Croatia was giving them nightmares. ‘It was huge throughout the game. We actually did a pretty good job limiting offensive rebounds in the third quarter. They just did a better job hitting shots. We couldn’t finish them off. You can’t give a talented team like them the opportunity to get back into the game’, commented Jaleen Smith. Germany showed that one can never rule them out as they staged an annoying 10-0 run in crunch-time to dead lock the game at 77-77 and force overtime. Did Croatia already have the game won in their minds? ‘Yes we thought that we had the game won. We played too chaotic. We let the game get away. We should of slowed the game down more. But we continued to miss shots and that bit us in the butt’, added Jaleen Smith. Did Germany want it more in overtime? ‘I don’t think that they wanted it more. They made timely shots and got the key position for offensive rebounds. The way they were playing, it would have been tough for anyone to come back’, stressed Jaleen Smith. He had an incredible game and was so close to a triple double with 12/9/9. Was that his best game for Croatia? ‘I think that this might have been my best game in a Croatian jersey. I have been able to see the game better this past year. I’m just trying to continue to learn everyday . I’m so blessed that head coach Tomislav Mijatovi has given me the keys to the team. I feel like I’m getting better as I get older’, warned Jaleen Smith. It was no surprise that his fondest moment in the loss was seeing old friends. ‘My fondest moment in Bonn was taking a pic with all my ex Alba Berlin teammates. I might get it blown up or framed’, laughed Jaleen Smith. He supplied me with great pics for my article. I thanked him for the great player/journalist working relationship and said until the next time. I wonder what basketball circumstances will present itself for interview #36?