Ike Iroegbu: "I’m excited to meet the fans, see the city, and get to know my new teammates"

New Zenit point guard Ike Iroegbu on his first moments in Saint Petersburg, his mindset heading into the new season, and his main goals.

— My flight overall was really good, except for my bags not being here. But they said they'd have my bags in a few hours, so I'm not really worried about that. It was really long from LA to Istanbul, and from Istanbul to St. Petersburg. But I was treated fine. Everything was good. 

— Sounds like a really long time.

— Yeah, it's a long flight, but I've been playing professional basketball for a long time, so I'm pretty used to long flights.

— We're glad to see you here in St. Petersburg. Do you know anything about the city, about the club, about basketball in St. Petersburg?

— When the opportunity came to play for Zenit, I asked around, and everyone that I asked had nothing but great things to say about the organization and the city. I've heard the city is a really good, outside of it getting cold in the winter.

— But it's really warm in summer!

— Yeah, that too. I'm excited to meet the fans, to see the city, and to meet my teammates and everyone in the organization. I'm sure it's going to be great.

— You've already played in several countries. You were a leader and showed yourself well, including in Spain. What goal do you set for yourself in Russia?

— My goal here is just to be myself every day, be the best version of myself every day, and get to really know my teammates and the coaches and just take one day at a time. I know everyone wants to win championships, win a lot of games, but I believe in just taking care of the present moment, and surely the goals that you want, they'll come.

— You said that you consulted with friends before coming to Russia. Do you know any basketball players who played for Zenit?

— Not before I signed, but when I did sign, Andre Roberson and I got close. We messaged each other. I asked him about the city. He told me a lot of great things. Alex Poythress, he told me a lot of great things as well. So I'm excited to just meet my teammates and really get to know everybody.

— Sounds great!

— Yeah, everything is good, everything is good. Outside of me losing my bags, everything is good (laughs).

— You're an excellent basketball player, fast, sharp. How would you describe your game and your strengths?

— I would describe my game as you said fast, but at the same time, I'm patient as well. I like to use my athleticism when it's necessary, but I also like to think the game and make the right play at the right time.

— You arrived in St. Petersburg alone. Maybe in your plans, you want to introduce the city and the club to your family?

— Yeah, I have a lot of friends, cousins, my parents, brothers that want to come visit me.

— Before winter?

— Before winter, yeah. Before winter for sure. So I'm sure at some point this season everyone will see them.