Heroes from far away - Stanley Ocitti

First of all, thank you for accepting my request for this interview.

Why and when did you start playing basketball?

I started playing basketball because of my older brother. He got into it first and as a younger brother always wanting to be like my older brother, I started playing as well and fell in love with the game. I was 11 years old.

Who is your role model on and off the court?

I don't have one role model but I would have to say mostly my family. Just because of the hardship they have endured and been able to persevere. On the court i grew up watching Michael Jordan, but i also really liked Glen Rice and Reggie Miller.

You played in NCAA 2 seasons with Binghamton. Do you like to remember for those years?

Binghamton was great, it allowed me to develop my basketball skills physically and mentally. It was very challenging and competitive. If you wanted to play you had to earn playing time in practice. I also made life long friends.

What kind of experiences do you have from the NCAA?

One of my most memorable experiences was after winning the 1998 Championship with my first college team, Uconn, we went to the white house and got to meet Bill Clinton. Talking to the US president was a very memorable experiences in my life, not just from the NCAA.

Which are the most imoprtant skills for a good power forward, and center?

I think the game has changed so much that today as a power forward/center you really have to be able to do everything. Shoot, rebound, pass. For me the two most skills would be playing good defense and rebounding.

How did you decide to come to Europe? What was the best and the worst thing in your first european season?

After college an agent contacted me and offered me a contract to play in the Netherlands. I took it and in terms of playing it was probably my worst year. I was really inexperienced and we had a really tough coach. The best thing was probably my teammates. Some really great and funny guys that I still talk to today.

You spent 1 year at Dombovár? Averaged 14,4 points, 6,5 rebounds. How did you felt yourself?

I really liked Dombovar, the city is small and they have alot of basketball talent. And of course I was introduced to hungarian food in Dombovar. I'm a big fan of hungarian food!!

In 2007 you have signed a one year deal with Körmend. What was your first impression about the city, team, team-mates, coaches and of the fans.

My first impression about the city was that it was really small, my teammates were really cool guys. But I think I liked the Kormend fans the best. They just showed so much passion for the game. They gave us a lot of energy on the court.

You become a favourite of fans very quickly, because you was friendly, made huge blocks and dunks. Was it easy to find a common voice with fans?

I think the fans appreciate you if you just play hard. No matter what. If you are losing or winning, just always play hard on both ends of the court and thats what i tried to do.

What did your team-mates say about big rivalry? How did you experience your first Körmend vs. FALCO match ?

WOW, Falco - Kormend is probably the biggest rivalry I have seen in my professional career. My teammates told me that it would be very intense and that we would have to try and win. I was really surprised by the atmosphere of play though and once again the fans were amazing. You could just tell there was so much history between both teams.

You and your team-mate made a massive 9-0 run from January until end of March. How could you do this good series?

Well the coach just got everyone playing together. So we werent playing selfish basketball. Our main goal was to win the games. So everybody just played as hard as they good and didnt worry about stats. We had great team chemistry.

After you caught the PO you won 3-1 over regular season’s 2nd Dombóvár. Was it an easy win?

Definetly not. But I think we were just so focused against Dombovar. As a team we really enjoyted playing against other teams that were supposed to be better than us. So we just came out focused and tried to show everyone in the league that we could play with the top teams!!

In Semi-final Körmend made a 5 games series with Szolnok and you could win there on 5th game. How do you remember for last game and celebration?

I remember the last game cause it came down to the last shot. Luckily the Szolnok player missed it, but it was a very intense and fun series. After the game I remember trying to leave the stadium and our fans were in the parking lot and they would not let us leave. They were so happy and just wanted to celebrate with the team.

The rivalry continued with Falco in Championship Final, and You scored 10 points, recorded 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals on 2nd game at home. You and JT gave a big hope for Körmend fans. Was it difficult series againts Falco?

Yes it really was a big game. And it was difficult. Falco had great players at each positioon and they were just playing great basketball at the time.

You won silver medal, but fans celebrated the team than the champions. Was it a heavy night for You?

I remember going back to Kormend and having a huge team party with all the fans.

Why couldn’t the Körmend win the Hungarian Championship in 2008.? What do you think about that team?

I think that we could have won the championship if we had home court advantage. I think if we had stayed one more year together as a team we would have definetly been one of the favorites to win the championship.

In 2007/08 You averaged, 14,2 points (46%), 7,5 rebounds, 1,8 steals, 1,5 assist, 0,6 blocks. Nice numbers, very good performance from you. What do you feel, when you remember for this year?

I don’t really care too much about the numbers but more about winning. I remember winning certain games and the celebrations after.

In 2008/09 you played 5 games at FALCO. Why couldn’t make them a longer contract with you?

I was on a try out period with the team and after a month they wanted to extend my contract but I was lucky enough to get a great offer for a team in Japan. It was an opportunity I could not let pass so I decided to leave Falco and they were really good in letting me go.

How did you spend your last 2 years?

After Falco, I went to Japan where I played for the Hammamatsu Phoenix team and we won the regular season championship. The following year I played for a team in the SBL in the US, the Manchester Millrats!!

How do you plan your career in the future? Would you like to play in stronger competition?

I don’t know what the future holds for me but I would like to play a couple more years and get to see more of the world. I think after basketball I would like to work with kids and help them develop their skills.

Do you have some unique rituals before matches, or trainings?

Before games I just try and take a couple of minutes to just relax and think about the game. What I want to accomplish in that particular game. Kind of a visualization process where I see myself doing what I want to on the court. On game days I try and rest through out the day and take a nap a couple of hours before the game and eat properly and drink a lot of water.

Thanks a lot Stan. I wish all of good for you and your family!

Fotó (2.-3.) - bckormend.hu