Tobias Borg: "I came here to develop as a player. I go step by step"
Tobias Borg, is a swedish professional basketball player who currently plays for Bilbao Basket, of the ACB in the point guard position. After having played for 4 seasons in Södertälje Kings of the swedish league, in the summer of 2014, he signed up a contract with his actual club.
We had the chance of spending a morning with him last thursday. In this interview, Tobias tells us about his experience in this league and about his personal objectives among other topics.
When and why did you choose to became a basketball player?
- I started playing basketball probably when I was 5 or 6 years old, because my father was a basketball player and he had played for the national team of Sweden for a long time so you know I tried out basketball, but also soccer, badminton... you know, different stuff so that is was not only basketball, and no one forced me to play it because I had my own choices but since it was the most fun, and there is a lot of basketball in my family, I was in the gym when I was a kid, because my father was playing so it was was my choice to practice it.
Which would you say that has been you best moment as a professional?
- Probably was the two championships back in Sweden, I won them in the last two seasons and that was great. To win both of them in my hometown, so it was very nice. And of course the whole season in here is being completely different, and when I got the offer from Bilbao Basket, it was very special to me, so that also is very special, but I have to say that the two championships we won... so far (smile).
How did you feel when you had the offer of Bilbao Basket?
- (Laughs) You know, it was kind of unexpected. I was with the national team, I had a call from my agent and he told me
"okay, Bilbao has come with an offer to you" so I was like
"Wow is this true?" you know, Bilbao Basket is a big club, they play in ACB, you know there is a big step from the swedish league to come to the spanish first league, so for me was so unexpected and you know is fun to hear that, and I thought
"of course I have to go for this one!" so it was not a hard choice to come here, it was great. I felt as if it was an opportunity for me to take the next step, as the last couple of years I´ve been trying to do in Sweden, go step by step and finally come and take it.
Are you happy here in Bilbao?
- Oh yes! I am, I am, the city is nice, is easy to find my way around, Miribilla is close to the gym, so it´s nice. The team is great you know, the teammates are also great I love the atmosphere during the games, That is one big difference, because I had 400 people during every game, and we can´t compare it with almost 10 thousand now (laughs) there is a big difference, and that part is probably the greatest. When you have 8 thousand or 10 thousand people who are cheering for you, it´s one great experience to have.
Do you think that Bilbao Basket is able to fight to win the league?
- Oh, of course, I mean, I´m not gonna say no to that, It´s gonna be tough, it is but you know, it´s our goal to go there, come as far as possible, it was the same with "Copa del Rey", you know when we got there, people didn´t think that we would go so far, maybe not even to the "Copa del Rey" but you know we got there and when we got there, we all thought
"Okay, we want to win this, is a goal" we didn´t but you know, it´s still something we had to fight for and it´s the same with the league now, we are in the 4th place now, and we just try to fight for it.
Do you think that in the basketball league happens something similar to what happens in football, that Real Madrid and Barcelona are the best teams and that is very difficult to beat them?
- Well we have already beat them, so of course there is a possibility, but is very tough you know, they are big teams, they have great players both of them so to beat those teams you gotta have a great game throughout the whole 40 minutes every player has to do their job, and even thouger when it´s in Barcelona or in Madrid. But of course, that´s what we are fighting for, to win that kind of games.
What do you think about Sito Alonso?
- Oh, he is doing a wonderful job with the team, and also with me as an individual player, I can see that he is really caring for the whole team, but also me as I said, having some extra practices in the mornings, to develop what I need, and he is doing an excellent job, getting the team together and getting the best of the team you know, maybe we don´t have the most money, the best players, but we still play as a team, and that´s the way he is making us play, and he is doing it great.
We had a very tough summer, because you know that the team was about to disappear, and he was very nice with the team, because even if he knew that the team could disappear, he said that he had signed a contract with Bilbao Basket, and that he would´t leave the team.
- Yes, he is a great person like that too, I mean, he is a really hard worker, and if he goes for something, he wants to get it, and that´s the mentality that is needed for a team like this you know, with a tough summer, not the most money as I said, so that´s what we need, and as I said he is doing a great job.
Is the Swedish league very different from the spanish one?
- Well it is, it is kind of different, yes, it´s not as physical, all the players here are better, technically, physically, they are better mentally, they are more professional here than they are in Sweden. I´d say that the problem is that in Sweden there are a lot of foreing players, I mean taking the big roles, while here in Spain, the best players are probably the spanish, and that doesn´t happen in Sweden, that the foreing playes use to take the biggest amount of minutes, so that is also one of the differences. And then there is as I said before, the fans, I´m not really sure about what is the average around, but it has to be around 1 thousand more or less, so there is a big difference.
Do you like this league?
- Yes, of course, is fun to come here and play you know, getting this oportunity to come into the ACB and get some minutes... I´m waiting to take the next step all the time, but the league is fun you know, talented players, as I said the fans... There is a lot of interest in the league and in the basketball overall in Spain, so yes, is very fun to be here.
Do you have any reference or idol when it comes to playing?
- Well, right now, in the team, I have to say Raul, because he is so talented, he is 34 years old but he is still playing in a very good level, he is a great man, he is supportive, he is a really good role model. So right now, this year is great to have someone like him for me on the team, so I can look at him, I can see what he is doing, I can talk to him when I need help, you know, he is there for me if I need him and that´s great. It´s crazy, in practice sometimes,he makes the basketball look so easy, he can score 5 times in a row effortlessly, he is great.
If you had the chance of playing for an NBA team, which one would it be?
- Oh... An NBA team... That´s a good question... Probably one of the big teams, like Lakers, Miami Heat... Good cities you know, and play with the best players (laughs).
Which are you personal objetives for this season?
- Well, this is the first year for me and it´s more like coming to the league, to see how it is, at least that was the purpose for the first part of the year, coming to the league, to feel the players, the coaches, the referees, everything around it, to see how it is compared to Sweden, and to develop and show them that I am from Sweden but I can play basketball too, and to get some recognition, to show myself in a bigger scene than in the swedish league, so that´s probably what I´m here for this year, to come here and to develop and always take the next step as I said, always take the next step, so this year is from coming here, gain the experience, the next year is getting more minutes, getting more responsibility, to develop as a basketball player, so that´s what I´m going for.
How is your experience in spain being up to now?
- It´s great, I have my girlfriend here too so I´m not completely alone at least, so that´s very important actually, to have some company at home, my parents have been here a couple of times so I´m seing them too, and I like the country, I like the weather except for the rain, but it´s nice, great people, I´m trying to learn a bit of spanish, even if it is going a bit slow, but you know, the experience is great. I do what I like to do, I came here to play basketball, and this is one of the best leagues in the world, and that´s incredible for me, so the experience so far is great.
Con el comienzo del segundo cuarto, llegaron las rotaciones y la entrada de Latavious Williams marcó diferencias. El pivot estadounidense marcaba diferencias dominando el rebote y muy acertado en la faceta anotadora. El Bilbao Basket había encontrado el hueco que necesitaba en defensa y estaba castigando a un GBC que no encontraba el modo de hacer frente al planteamiento que propuso el técnico local Sito Alonso. Con una conexión letal entre Marco Todorovic y Quino Colom, el BB se escapaba 33-21. Los hombres de negro mantuvieron el ritmo a lo largo de todo el segundo cuarto sin dar tregua a un mermado GBC. Williams no perdonaba en el juego interior dando muchos dolores de cabeza a los visitantes. Finalmente, tras un fallo de Dani Diez, el partido se marchó al descanso con el resultado de 47-35.
El último cuarto fue un periodo de trámite para unos hombres de negro que tenían el partido muy de cara. Tobias Borg se encargó de anular por completo las aspiraciones del GBC por acercarse en el marcador logrando un 2/3 en triples, ene los pocos minutos que estuvo sobre el parqué. Finalmente, el partido finalizó con el marcador de 92-66.
