Lamonte Turner spoke with Basketball Sphere about the upcoming season with FMP, relationship with Kevin Punter and coach Nenad Stefanovic and his inspirations.
Lamonte Turner is a former student of the University of Tennessee. He was very successful in that college program. With the Volunteers team, he was named the sixth man of the year in the SEC conference. In Knoxville, he played alongside Kevin Punter, the captain of Partizan. The FMP guard revealed that they were roommates and that he called him before coming to Belgrade.
“I spoke with Kevin Punter before I came here. We were roommates in college, and I can say that he helped me a lot to understand how things are over here.” – Turner began.
Then we touched on the beginning of the preparation period. The American emphasizes that he feels great, but he needs to work on overcoming the so-called jet lag.
“I’ve felt good since the beginning of preparations, but I must say I’m still adjusting to the time zone. I’m trying to get my legs moving a bit more after a few weeks of training. It’s fun, I must say. I’m adjusting and learning the plays and the culture present here,” pointed out the young man born in Alabama.
Coach Nenad Stefanovic
Nenad Stefanovic is one of the most promising Serbian coaches at the moment. With the U18 Serbian national team, he won the European Championship held in Nis this year. He emphasizes that he talked a lot with coach Stefanovic and likes his approach.
“The coach and I built a relationship over this summer. We talked a lot. I had some idea of how it would be before I came here. It’s more or less exactly how I thought it would be. He’s a very intelligent coach, young with a lot of energy, and loves this game. He’s very honest and a good person, and it’s easy to play for people like that. He, of course, demands a lot from us and wants the best for us.”
Tattoos with Special Symbolism
One notable aspect about Turner are the tattoos of two individuals, namely Allen Iverson and Nipsey Hussle. Iverson is, as is widely known, one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. Nipsey Hussle, on the other hand, was a rapper tragically killed in 2019. The 26-year-old highlights that he draws the most inspiration from them.
“I didn’t meet Nipsey Hussle before he passed away, but I’ve established a connection with Allen Iverson. Both of them are my mentors. Because of the knowledge they possess and the careers they’ve had.” – emphasized the former player of Arka Gdynia.
“To proudly wear that red jersey…”
“We are still young and trying to figure things out, but we expect wins. Every time I step onto the court, I expect to win. The goal is to execute the things we work on during practice. I’m excited about the opportunity to showcase what we’ve been working on.”
In the end, we talked about the upcoming ABA league season that’s drawing near, and Turner didn’t hide the ambitions that the club from Zeleznik has.
“We want to carry on the tradition that FMP has, which is to play hard and compete with everyone. To proudly wear that red jersey. We’ll try to bring a trophy here and hang a banner. And, of course, to be the best we can be,” Lamonte Turner concluded for Basketball Sphere.