Ermal Kuqo - how to bounce back from injustice

Hello everyone from Sevilla!

Well, here I am to watch - and broadcast - the big game tomorrow. CSF takes Barcelona in San Pablo with a chance to get back to playoff territory. The goal is tough to achieve, but this is basketball and we have a nice roster, featuring an improved Filip Videnov. I am optimistic about this one, I must say.

Anyway, I want to dedicate my blog to one of my favourite players - and a great guy indeed, Ermal Kuqo of Efes Pilsen.

Ermal was born and raised in Albania, where his father and uncle are basketball legends just like he will be once his career is over. he joined Fenerbahce in his teens and has also played for Fort Scott and Seminole State College in the US, Split in Croatia, Pivovarna Lasko in Slovenia before joining Efes Pilsen in summer 2003. He got to the Euroleague when I got there - 10 points and 5 rebounds in his opening game against Tau, helping Efes to get a road win in Vitoria. He has been in the league ever since, just like me, only that he was forced to sit out for 6 months due to an unbelievable doping issue. Ermal was fighting hair loss and that product forced him to miss an entire Euroleague regular season. And this is when he showed his fighting spirit.

Some people would have got depressed, or fat, or just wouldn't have cared about basketball, but Ermal is a one-of-a-kind player and human being, a player who gives all he has for basketball. Instead of just sitting out, Ermal improved his game. Worked on his turnaround jumper, on improving his defense or his post moves and extended his shooting range to the three-point line. He already showed playing for the Turkish national team in the 2006 World champs and is paying off this season in Efes Pilsen, too. He just turned 27 and is about to enter the prime of his career and I hope he opts to stay in Europe as long as he can, because he is a soon-to-be dominant player. In a defensive-minded team like Efes Pilsen, Kuqo averages 9.3 points and 3.7 rebounds playing less than 20 minutes per night. What could he do with more playing time?

Ermal is also a laid-back, cool guy who loves basketball but has other interests in life. You can check his nice website www.ermalkuqo.com to get an idea. He is fluent in at least five languages - Turkish, Albanian, English, Italian, Slovenian - and I believe he can speak some others, too. You don't often see a very privileged mind when it comes to basketball players. And if you don't believe me, just check out his blog in Euroleague.net at this address: http://www.euroleague.net/news/blog/ermal-kuqo

Now that Efes is out of the Top 16 race, it is the best moment  - so that people don't think I always praise those whose teams are doing well - to speak about Ermal, a big guy with big brains - hoping to reach big in the world basketball scene, making a whole country proud of what he is doing.

Keep up the good work, man.