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By:
Tahir Sopi
- November 6, 2023 21:55
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The American basketball player, Jacob Calloway, is not at all surprised by the good form that Peja is showing at the beginning of this edition, both in the Kosovo Super League and in the FIBA Europe Cup.
Calloway is pleased with his performances as well, but insists both he and the team can play even better and are improving game by game. In the Kosovo championship, Peja is the only team without a loss. The current championship has seven wins in as many matches played. Meanwhile, in the FIBA Europe Cup, he recorded two victories against one defeat in the three duels within Group H.
Calloway (202 cm) is one of the main players in Peja. He plays with an average of 12.7 points and 5 rebounds in the Kosovo Super League. While in the FIBA competition, he has 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
"I wouldn't say that I am surprised with this good start, as we have a fantastic team, made up of good players and a great coach. We work hard and from the first day of preparations this was our goal. So far we've done good things both collectively and individually, but we have to improve some things because we're playing better from game to game," Calloway told TIME on Monday.
"We are getting to know each other better and we also have talented local players who are helping us a lot to win each game."
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After the elimination in the FIBA Europe Cup, Peja aims for the title and the Kosovo Cup
As for the championship, Calloway says that Peja's goal is to win each match so that at the end of the season he can successfully defend the title. In the FIBA Europe Cup, he emphasizes that advancing from the first stage of the groups is like a kind of obligation and all the players of the Pejan team have this in mind.
"In Kosovo, the goal is to win every match in order to win another championship title. Meanwhile, as far as European competitions are concerned, at the moment when I signed with Peja in June, I had a conversation with the coach and I was informed that reaching as far as possible in Europe remains the goal. So of course we want to get through the group after the last two wins we've had, which were very important," added Calloway.
The next game in the FIBA Europe Cup could be decisive for Peja's fate in the group. Even Calloway admits this. On Wednesday night, Peja will host the German Bundesliga team, Niners Chemnitz, at the "Karagachi" gym.
Niners Chemnitz has three wins, while in the first round they triumphed over Peja in Germany with a convincing result, 98:72. Peja has one less point and a win on Wednesday night would greatly increase the chances that the Kosovo championship will advance further.
"I think it's a very important match, which can be decisive in how things will go in the group. They had a very good performance in Germany, but we can win at home. We play in front of our fans, who with their strong support can help us a lot. "I'm not sure if Chemnitz has played against a team that has fans that create a fiery atmosphere," Calloway added.
Before joining Peja, the 27-year-old has played in various European countries and has a lot of experience. Initially, in the first edition as a professional, Calloway played in Colombia, before making a career in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Iceland. He was part of teams such as Pully Lausanne Fox, Ostrava, Ose Lions and Valur. In Iceland, he won the title of champion in the 2021/22 edition and was declared MVP of the final series.
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Te Peja believe that with the help of the fans they will defeat German Chemnitz
"I have played in many countries, such as Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Colombia and Iceland, and the experience I have gained has also helped me in Peja. In Iceland I won the title and was declared the best of the finals. I came to Peja for the second title and I think we have the team to achieve such success", said Calloway.
Within Group H of the FIBA Europe Cup, Peja won 99:84 against Heroes Den Bosch of the Netherlands with a score of 99:84. Last week, they beat Spojnia Stargard in Poland with a score of 83:79.
