Johnny Juzang: "I’m excited to explore Russia and learn more about the country"
— Johnny, welcome to St. Petersburg! You just landed and already had your first practice with Zenit. What were your first impressions of the team and the gym today?
— Yeah, it's nice to be in the gym, get together with the team, play a little bit, get up and down some. So I'm very excited, you know — meet the coach, meet Sani, meet the CEO, meet everybody. It looks like a great group and I'm excited. I'm excited to get everything rolling.
— Have you already formed your first impressions of the city? In general, what do you know about Russia, and especially about St. Petersburg?
— I landed last night, looked out the window and tried to see something. It’s a little dark at night. I woke up this morning and on the drive over here I got to see the city — it looks beautiful, the people look beautiful. Very nice. I only got to see a little bit so far, but it’s a great first impression. Everybody I interacted with so far around the city or during the medicals seems like very nice people.
— This is your first time playing professionally outside the US. What made the opportunity with Zenit exciting for you at this stage of your career?
— I heard great things about the club. Speaking with the organization and also my great friend Luka, I just heard nice things about the club and about the competitive league — a place where I can still learn, get better and compete. So yeah, I'm excited to play ball, suit up and put on the Zenit uniform. I learned something about the history and I think it's a great scenario.
— You spent several seasons in the NBA with teams like the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves. What parts of your NBA experience do you think will help you the most in Europe?
— Yep, I think a lot. I’ve been fortunate to play for great coaches and alongside great players that I became close with over the years. We always tried to make each other better and push each other to high levels.
So I think bringing that level over and some of the winning habits that I learned — and continue to learn in my career — will help. Playing at great schools, playing at UCLA, and then playing for the Utah Jazz and Minnesota — I learned a lot. They are great programs and I always tried to pick things up, learn and grow. I’ve had lots of great teammates along the way, lots of great coaches, and you always pick up things and continue improving.
— As we know, you had a talk with Luka before signing with Zenit. What did he tell you about the club?
— He said that he’s enjoying it very much here. He loves playing with the group, he loves the style. He said they take care of the players and that it’s a wonderful city, as well as the country of Russia. It’s a great place to experience.
So all these things — he told me a lot of great things. Luka is a close friend of mine, so I trust and respect his opinion and I definitely took it into account.
— Zenit fans love players who play with energy and score the ball. How would you describe your game to people who might be watching you for the first time?
— I mean, look, they're just gonna have to tune in. We'll see them at the next home game.
— You have chosen number 9 at Zenit. Could you explain your choice?
— I mean, I like the number. I wore number three for some time for my older brother, who wore three in his career. I wore it in college and in my first couple of years in the league. Then I transitioned — I started liking number nine a lot. I wore it in Minnesota last year, earlier this season, and now I wear it here as well.
— Your run with the UCLA Bruins to the NCAA Final Four made you a big name in college basketball. How did that experience shape you as a player?
— Yeah, I would say that team and the group we had at UCLA — the level of basketball we played was so pure. Such pure team basketball. To experience something like that, you remember it. You remember that the game can be played in a very pure way — all to win, all together. That’s what we did and that’s what we had. We made a great run. The pureness of basketball is a very beautiful thing.
— Finally, do you have a message for Zenit fans who are excited to see you in a blue jersey for the first time?
— Zenit fans, I'm excited to be here. I'm very excited. I heard great things about the city and I'm excited to explore Russia, to be in Russia and learn about Russia. I have great interest and great respect for the country. And I'm excited to play the game that I love here, for a great club, and play to win each and every night.
