"What attracted me most to the project is that it will allow me to show the best version of myself"

Interview with Menno Dijkstra, pivot of the senior

| Tuesday, 24 September 2019

You don’t need to know much about basketball to know the position Menno Dijkstra plays: his height gives him away. With a friendly character and charming smile, this Dutch giant lands in Fontajau where he will live his first experience in the senior category. He appreciates the inclusion of the group members and loves to immerse himself in the central places of Girona.

Did you know anything about the club before you came?

Not much. Yes, I knew that Girona had a team in the highest category and that it was a very beautiful city that little by little I would like to discover.

Did you choose the Girona option because you thought it was the best or for some other reason?

Both the club and the surrounding were positive. Everything was easy, they can always get you what you need: they know what they are doing. I found it to be the ideal place to develop as a person and as a professional. Along those lines, what attracted me the most was that the coaching staff will try to get the best out of you to be the player you can become.

These first weeks how are you feeling with the group? What do you think you can contribute?

I can teach them some English (laughs). I am very grateful to the group because it is welcoming me very well, it has shown me the city and I have been able to explore its most endearing corners. They are very nice guys and we are sure to have a good time.

I think I can bring to them the vision of American basketball, which at the end of the day is a different perspective that adds up. On an individual level, I have an inescapable factor which is my height and which I can certainly contribute to improving the inner game.

Is American basketball very different from here?

Yes, totally. There, basketball is more individual: there is not so much a collective spirit as it is the sum of the parts. Everyone has their role and must do it as well as possible. In general terms, the tactical aspect is lower and the individual criterion is more prominent, which was better for me. Here I will leave the comfort zone and that stimulates me.   

What are you most grateful for for playing basketball?

What I value most is the opportunities it has given me in life. I have traveled to many countries, been to many places and met many people. It is a phenomenon that encompasses many things and therefore many people. Even if you live basketball away from home, you will find someone who is as passionate as you.

What do you do in your free time?

Playing video games, watching Netflix, going to the beach to disconnect… These days I visited Girona and it is impressive.

And finally, a song.

Brabant, by Guus Meeuwis. It is a typical Dutch piece of music and I have a special appreciation for it.