Codi Miller-McIntyre spoke to Basketball Sphere about Duško Ivanovic, his college days, his basketball big brother, and the fantastic season he’s currently having.
The American with a Bulgarian passport is a well-known face in these parts of Europe. He played for Partizan in a season that was interrupted due to COVID-19. His career can be described in one word, and that is nomadic. France, Russia, Turkey, and even the microstate of Andorra have been his addresses over the years, but it seems he has finally found a home for the long term.
Baskonia brought him in almost quietly, and he found his form with Dusko Ivanovic at the helm. Several crucial baskets, flirtations with triple-doubles, and moves that were talked about for days have marked his season so far. The beginning of the conversation focused on his friends from Serbia, as well as the upcoming match against Crvena Zvezda.
“First and foremost, I’m excited to be with the team I have and to be with these teammates and the coach. We’re playing against a very good team tomorrow, and I hope for a good atmosphere. Regarding Serbia, I have a lot of good friends, and I’m looking forward to potentially seeing them these days, maybe even after the game,” Codi Miller-McIntyre began the conversation for Basketball Sphere.
Before and after Dusko Ivanovic’s arrival, our interviewee seems like a different player. Ivanovic instilled in him a dose of self-confidence that has yielded significant results. When asked about what the experienced Montenegrin coach told him upon his return to Baskonia, the former Partizan player revealed:
“I think he helped, first of all, in leading the team. He gave everyone a specific role, and I think his discipline signaled to everyone that we can play decently and much better according to our abilities. It’s simply that discipline. Everyone knows he’s a good coach, and I really like how he works and what he has brought to the team.”
Joan Penarroya’s dismissal
Chima Moneke recently told our portal that the players were aware of the potential dismissal of Joan Penarroya and that they kept it to themselves. In response to this, the “Wolf” explained his view of the situation:
“I can’t speak for everyone. As far as I’m concerned, I approached that situation day by day, training by training, game by game. I tried not to think about it too much. The coach is very good and a very good person. He gave me the opportunity to play in the EuroLeague and make that breakthrough, but personally, those things don’t interest me. I’m trying to focus on things I can control in my life, and I can’t control that.”
Mental strength
“Faith in myself kept me in tough moments. Yes, that self-belief held me because I know who I am and how anything can happen. I had conversations with people who matter to me, but at the same time, I didn’t pay attention to what people say and write about me. My parents did a great job in making me strong. I think that was the key, that belief in myself as a person and as a player”.
After every victory, on social media, you’ll see a dedication to his grandmother who is battling a severe illness. He spoke emotionally about her:
“She means a lot to me. Sometimes we are so caught up in basketball that we forget it’s just a game. We forget what life is and what it’s like to live. My grandma is fighting cancer and she does it with a smile on her face and in good spirits. I talk to her constantly, and she sets an example for me. The fact that I can wake up and play basketball, and that I can put in the effort where I can’t give a hundred percent physically, but I want to give a hundred percent during the game, especially when it’s not always good, but it’s not always bad.
Triple-Double
Codi Miller-McIntyre had a serious flirtation with this statistical anomaly in European basketball during the game against Anadolu Efes.
“To be honest, I don’t care that much. If you’ve followed my career, you’ll know that it’s normal and not surprising. The goal is for our team to make a push for the playoffs and to progress on a daily basis. If it happens, it happens. It has happened in the past, and in the end, it’s just a game. Maybe two points or a rebound might be missing, but if it happens, it happens—nothing special in the end.”
Nickname “The Wolf”
“That nickname came about for many reasons. The main reason is that this word defines who I am. If I don’t have a clear definition of myself, then I give other people the opportunity to label me as they wish. So I wanted to have a clear label for myself, and that’s probably the second reason why”.
Dee Bost shares the national team jersey with the Baskonia player. They play together for Bulgaria, and that’s not the only thing they have in common. The two of them are from the same city in North Carolina, and he explained to us that it might even be fate.
“I think so. Everything happens for a reason. The fact that we’re from the same city, that we have Bulgarian passports, and that we’re both guards is not a coincidence. I think we’re the best guards from our city who played ‘across the pond,’ and he’s like a big brother figure. We often talk, and when I joined the Bulgarian national team, we spent a lot of time together last year. Everything happens for a reason, and that’s pretty cool.”
Wake Forest and its legacy
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me. It’s cool to play at a university where players like Chris Paul and Tim Duncan played, but I can’t follow in their footsteps, they are Hall of Famers. I think people saw my work ethic from the first to the fourth year during tough times. I thought about transferring many times and whether to go into a situation that is better or worse. But throughout my life, if there’s a problem, I stick with it and see how it can be fixed.”
Codi Miller-McIntyre has done something this EuroLeague season that few can boast about. In the final seconds of the game, he brought down both Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. When asked if those are his favorite baskets in his career, he revealed:
“No. Of course, I was happy to make those shots. I wouldn’t just outright say those are my favorite shots. Those are shots where if you miss, you wonder what people will say about you. You’re from Belgrade, so you know that when I missed an important shot when I was here, it wasn’t my favorite thing when it comes to those situations. What I like is how we came back as a team against Olympiacos and won in the last second. The same with Panathinaikos. I think we stick together very well as a team in those tough moments, and many others would fall apart in such moments, and those games are much more important to me for that reason.”
Pre-game routine
“I have one! It’s basically the same thing for the last five years. I wake up, shooting practice, eat spaghetti bolognese, and then take a little nap. I do a specific technique while sleeping where my body gets more oxygen, and when I come to the arena, I always do the same routine. Sometimes I used to show up two hours earlier, but with Dusko, I have to come two and a half hours earlier! Every year I subtract something, add some small things. Before the game, I spend two to three minutes alone with myself, talk to myself, and mentally prepare.”
EuroLeague quickfire
Codi Miller-McIntyre shared his predictions for the Final Four teams, the EuroLeague MVP, and the most challenging players to guard for an interesting end to this interview.
Final Four Teams
“Baskonia, Real Madrid… I’ll say Panathinaikos. I have to say Barca at the end, I’ ll give it to them”.
MVP
“I’ll say Campazzo. He runs the show in Madrid. Take Campazzo out of that team, and they wouldn’t be as good. Of course, they have great players.”
Most Challenging Players to Guard
“Uh, Mike James, Nunn. Yes, Kendrick Nunn, those two are definitely the toughest to guard.”