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A rookie in name only, Darius Songaila has been a steady frontcourt performer all season for CSKA Moscow. Now, he comes to the Final Four as any number of young talents - including a couple more on his own team - who will soon be very well-known throughout European basketball. Songaila, from Lithuania, took his career to the NCAA at Wake Forest University, but after being selected in the second round of the last NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, returned to Europe to join a team turnaround at CSKA. That rebirth has led all the way to the Final Four, here in Barcelona, where Euroleague.net met up with Songaila for a video interview. "In the beginning of the season maybe I was surprised how well we were doing," Songaila said. "But now after a while, we've been together a few months, so it's not a surprise to me that we made it so far. You know, we're a pretty good team."
Euroleague.net is here with Darius Songaila, forward for CSKA Moscow, one of the revelations of the season. Welcome to Barcelona.
"I am very excited to be here, it's my first year in Europe, and my first time making a Euroleague Final Four, So, you know, it's a lot a good experience for me, hopefully."
A lot of people, including some in Moscow, are surprised at the level of the team's success this year. What about you?
"In the beginning of the season maybe I was surprised how well we were doing. But now after a while, we've been together a few months, so it's not a surprise to me that we made it so far. You know, we're a pretty good team."
How does a newcomer to the Final Four prepare himself mentally for what is coming?
"With the attitude that we don't have nothing to lose. Coming in, obviously, a European Final Four is a big deal. But I think every player has been in situations like it somewhere, maybe not exactly the same ones, but something close to it. You just have to put the big things behind you and concnetrate on the little things like basketball."
You went from Lithuania to university and back to Europe for your first year as a pro. What are your impressions of the quality of basketball you found in the Euroleague in your return?
"It's fun. It's a little different than the United States. Tthe season is longer. We play a lot of different teams between the Euroleague and the Russian SuperLeague. It's been fun."
Let's talk about your opponent, Barcelona. What do you know about them?
"It's a very good team. They've been doing extremely well all thoughout the year. It's a good team for us to play against."
Do you think Barcelona has a homecourt advantage that can affect the game on Friday?
"They're still playing in their own city. Obviously, maybe they'll have a little more confidend going in, but as you said, they are not playing on their own court, so we'll see when the game gets here."
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