Nicolo Melli spoke to Basketball Sphere about the upcoming clash with Partizan, Zeljko Obradovic’s well-known comments, his relationship with Sarunas Jasikevicius, and several other topics.
One of the EuroLeague’s veterans, Nicolo Melli finally reached the top last season, lifting the trophy with the Turkish club. Now he faces the challenge of defending that success. The start of the campaign hasn’t gone smoothly for Fenerbahce—ups and downs, numerous roster changes, and injury issues have made it difficult for the team to find consistency. After 11 rounds, they sit at a 6–5 record.
“For me, the most important thing is how Fenerbahce is doing, what my team is doing. It doesn’t really matter what I’m doing. I think we are growing. We changed a lot from last season. We lost a couple of important pieces. We now have some rookies in the EuroLeague, in Europe. It takes a little bit of time to adapt and to understand, but I think we’re growing, we’re coming out of a good double week, but the way is still pretty long and there is still much more room to improve.” the Italian began in his interview to Basketball Sphere.
The next test will be anything but simple. Zeljko Obradovic’s Partizan is a serious obstacle, especially considering that Fenerbahce stumbled in the Belgrade Arena just last season. The team will have a chance to respond to that setback at 20:30.
“As always, playing against Partizan in Belgrade is always very tough. It’s always a special game. They are also in a tough spot. For how EuroLeague is now, really every game matters. It’s going to be a very tough game. We know this. The atmosphere is going to be crazy. The team is going to be well prepared for this kind of game. It’s going to be tough.”
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Before he signed with Fenerbahce, it was rumored that Partizan had shown interest in bringing Nicolo Melli to Belgrade. Reports even mentioned a lucrative offer from the black-and-whites, although nothing eventually materialized.
“I know there was some interest, but never anything concrete. Something was written, and then nothing. Then Fenerbahce came. It was pretty soon after Milano decided to not continue. I talked to Saras, I knew Istanbul, Fenerbahce. I wanted to go there. It was a very easy situation, so I know Partizan was interested, but we never got into real talks.”
Partizan was again in the spotlight after the recent EuroLeague round against Asvel. The French team pulled off a surprise on its home court, and Obradovic made headlines with a striking post-game comment, frustrated that some of his players had been using their phones in the locker room. Nicolo Melli played under the legendary coach in Fenerbahce, back when such situations didn’t occur, and he commented on it with a dose of humor.
“I remember we had this no-phone rules with Zeljko and when this statement came out, former Fenerbahce teammates from that time, we reached out to each other and we talked, you know, like – it was like a flashback for us. OK, it was seven years or eight years ago. But, in eight years, a lot of things changed. This is what Zeljko believes in. And, it was the same eight years ago. So I was not surprised.”
Working with Obradovic marked an important chapter in his career. Many still remember the 2018 EuroLeague final, where Nicolo Melli was the standout performer, although he missed out on winning the trophy with Fenerbahce. That achievement finally came this year under Sarunas Jasikevicius—another coach often compared to the nine-time EuroLeague champion.
“I would say they are both very demanding, both willing to do everything it takes to win, of course, in a sport way. They are, I would say, big routine guys. I think this helps you throughout a season like this. They always do the same preparation and you know what you have to do what to expect, when when you’re going to the gym. At the same time they expect and they demand the maximum attention. I met them in two different eras. It’s almost six years of difference between.”
Throughout his career, Nicolo Melli has had the privilege of playing for some of basketball’s top coaches. Among them is Ettore Messina, with whom his time in Milano did not end on the best of terms. What Messina and Obradovic share, however, is a recent run of seasons in which neither managed to reach the EuroLeague’s closing stages, despite being figures who have shaped the history of European basketball.
“I don’t know why. Maybe you were so used for them to be always at the top. That is, let’s say, sometimes strange not to see them there. But this is normal, you know, it’s a cycle. I mean, Milano went to Final Four four years ago. You know how Final Four is, they lost for one shot. And Partizan almost went to Final Four in the playoff series with Real Madrid. So, I mean, I don’t know if there is one reason. It’s just something that is part of sport, part of, I would say, even life. Maybe it’s because we are so used to see them always on the top that sometimes it feels weird, but it’s absolutely normal.”
He also described which team has been the biggest surprise of the EuroLeague for him.
“For sure Zalgiris. For example, Crvena Zvezda is not such a big surprise, but it’s a team that has always been there. You come to Belgrade, it’s not easy. They always have big names and they have a big history. Not that Kaunas doesn’t have it, but the expectations at the beginning of the year were different. When you play in Crvena Zvezda or in Partizan, the expectations in ABA League or EuroLeague are always very high. But I think who surprises everybody the most is Zalgiris. Of course, what Crvena Zvezda is doing is incredible. But as a surprise, I would say Zalgiris“, Nicolo Melli concluded in his conversation with Basketball Sphere.
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