Nate Mason: "I’m happy to be here and get to work"

Zenit Basketball Club guard Nate Mason has arrived in Saint Petersburg and given his first interview, discussing his playing style, expectations for getting started with the team, and the main goal.

— Nate, we are glad to see you in St. Petersburg and at the Zenit Basketball Club. Have you followed the club? What do you know about the city? Because you came to St. Petersburg before.

— You're right, about seven years ago I played with Avtodor, so we came up here to St. Petersburg to play against Zenit.

— Do you remember that time?

— Yeah, for sure. Unfortunately, we lost, but I'm glad to be on this side now. I know a little bit about the club. I know it's a very serious club, you know, they're very serious about what they do, and I'm excited to get here and get to work.

— If you could describe your playing style in three words, what would they be?

— Calm, poised and in control.

— How do you feel about competition within the team?

— Oh, man, we've got a pretty good team. We've got a lot of talent. I feel like if we gel together and put everything together, we'd be a team to be reckoned with.

— Do you know anything about your new coach and your teammates?

— Yeah, I talked to a couple of my teammates, obviously. I followed Alex Poythress a lot, you know, just growing up in high school. I know he played with the Georgia Stars, and I'm from Georgia. So he was older than me, but I was able to see him and watch his game. I'm very familiar with his game. And I talked to a lot of the players that played here a couple of years ago, even last year. They gave me great reviews about the coach and also the team.

— You have already played in several countries: Israel, Russia, Germany, China, Puerto Rico, France, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Nate, where have you found the most passionate support, and why do you think it will be St. Petersburg?

— St. Petersburg, hopefully (smiles). But previously, it had to be Puerto Rico. I mean, just their fans out there, just the culture out there was all about basketball. They really embraced me while I was out there, so I think I was out there for three years, and that was probably the best three years of my life, for sure.

— Your next best three years?

— Three years, for sure. St. Petersburg!

— Do you know any of the basketball players who have already played for Zenit?

— Yeah, Dwayne Bacon, obviously. I played with him last year in Dubai. Trent Frazier and Jordan Loyd as well.

— What is your goal here in Russia?

— To win as many games as possible. Just bring as many games, as many wins to the city of St. Petersburg.