Darrun Hilliard was amazed by a play he saw by Vassilis Spanoulis and convinced him of the Greek coach’s genius. The shooting guard names his EuroLeague winner and MVP and reveals the three coaches he would love to get a call from. Darrun Hilliard was amazed by a play he saw by Vassilis Spanoulis and convinced him of the Greek coach’s genius. The shooting guard names his EuroLeague winner and MVP and reveals the three coaches he would love to get a call from.
Hilliard posted 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 13 BCL games. However, the Turkish side came up short and missed the playoffs following three losses in as many road games in the Top 16.
With one fixture left on the schedule, Pinar currently rank 4th in the BSL, having won 20 of their 29 outings. Still, Hilliard has not been a member of the squad since early March, when he traveled to Athens for the game against Peristeri.
Even though he’s still under contract, his season seems pretty much over. Hilliard says he’s not sure why he’s been left off the team.
“Honestly, I didn’t look for an answer either,” he adds. “Everybody knows what I bring to the table with my talents and my experience, also with being as professional as possible. I’m not really sure or given a reason or explanation as to why I wasn’t welcome on the team anymore.”
Even though Hilliard would like to return to the top level, be that the NBA or the EuroLeague, his brief BCL experience gave him the chance to catch up with some old acquaintances.
Facing Peristeri in Izmir, Hilliard recorded his best game with Pinar Karsiyaka. He scored 18 points on 5/8 from distance, in addition to 3 rebounds and 5 assists as Karsiyaka won 93-88.
However, there was a detail about the opponent team that caught his attention.
“Peristeri is a well-coached team,” he came to notice.
“[Vassilis] Spanoulis is a genius. He’s very, very intelligent. Not in the sense of just drawing plays and putting guys in the right place. That comes second nature to him because he was a player and knows the game inside and out.”