The month of March has ended, and in the Lithuanian Basketball League (Betsafe-LKL) the leader of Kėdainiai “Nevėžio-Optibet” won another MVP trophy Zane Waterman. He averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 27.4 assists in March. “I feel very good, it’s a great honor to achieve such an award in such a strong league like Betsafe-LKL.” I am very happy about it, but I would not have achieved it without the help of my teammates and coaches – I am grateful to them,” Z. Watermanas told LKL.lt. This is not Z. Waterman’s first prize for the most useful player, the guide from Kedaine already received it in December. “It’s a similar feeling, I never play to win individual awards, I just want to win games and MVP trophies come with that and the help of my teammates.” Although the MVP awards are not my goal, it is really nice to receive them”, he smiled. The 28-year-old 203 cm forward has shown exceptional stability throughout the Betsafe-LKL season, being among the most efficient and productive players in the league. For this, the legionnaire would like to thank the entire Kėdainiai team. “I should turn to my teammates and coaches again, I will be honest. It is they who create good situations for me, allow me to receive the ball in time, all this is teamwork, without those other four guys on the field, we would not be able to play, no matter how stereotypical this statement of mine sounds,” said Z. Waterman. He is an undoubted “Nevėžio-Optibet ” a guide on whose shoulders rests the great responsibility of leadership. True, the legionnaire himself tries not to emphasize that. “I just don’t think about it, I try not to burden myself with responsibility and not to think of myself as a leader, although I try to lead my teammates forward. If I can, I try to make the work of others as easy as possible. I think it comes naturally, I also try to communicate with the team with words, talk about how we can better accomplish something in defense or attack,” said Z. Waterman. His most impressive performance in March and the entire season took place against Uniclub Casino – Juventus in Utena, when he scored 35 points, had 9 rebounds and collected 46 utility points in 35 minutes. “I didn’t feel special, it seemed like a normal day to me. Utena and I have met countless times this season, including the Citadele KMT tournament, I knew what to expect from these opponents and that made the game easier for me. I didn’t have to think too much because I knew what I was going to get,” he says. Z. Waterman, who lacks confidence, says that he tries to keep this quality of his at the highest level throughout the season. “You won’t play well if you don’t have confidence. There will be days when you will do worse or miss a shot – it is unrealistic that everything will be equally good all the time, but you always have to keep the right attitude so that such moments do not break you”, says Z. Waterman. There were players who left Betsafe-LKL during the season clubs, but the leader of the Kėdainiai team did not even consider such a possibility and did not delve into the possible offers. “During the season, I am not worried about it and give the agent a rest, I just want to concentrate on the season in Kėdainiai and aim for the playoffs. Winning here is my only focus. I’ll think about the future in the summer,” he smiled. It’s true, the playoffs are a tough challenge for Nevėžius-Optibet. Currently, the team is ninth in the standings (6-17), and its closest competitor is CBet Jonava (8-14). The Kėdainiai team still has seven games left before the end of the regular season. “We can definitely achieve it. We have had a difficult start to the season, but we can see that it is still realistic to reach the playoffs, which we will aim for. This is our main goal. We work hard for it. If we don’t achieve that, we will be disappointed, we are not even thinking about such a scenario for now. I hope everything will be fine,” said Z. Waterman. Still shining, Z. Waterman does not hide that his immediate future goal is to reach the highest level of European basketball. “I want to reach the Euroleague, but I don’t know if it will happen next, next season or when . I just want to make the best possible chance I get, no matter what tournament it is. I don’t put pressure on where I don’t control the situation. I just hope for the best. Yes, I would really like to play in the EuroLeague or the European Cup, hopefully it will happen next season. If not, I will continue to fight for it,” he says.
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