A couple of months ago we talked with Tony Easley about his career, about how he's enjoying life in Cluj-Napoca, and about other aspects such as: how he gets his motivation, how he works on his mental and spiritual side, and how different is the European basketball from the sport they play in the USA.

At that time I saw a lot of his friends trying to understand parts of the interview but struggling with it being in Romanian, so we sent him the English version and now we decided to upload it on our website. Being the last day of the year, the first part of the season is over so we can have a short overview of Tony Easley's first games here. In 12 matches, Easley is averaging 9.3 PPG and 4.9 RPG, and in the last game, against SCM U Craiova, he was close to his second double-double of the season (13 points and 8 rebounds). U-BT Cluj-Napoca is currently in the second place, with a record of 9 wins and 3 losses, and the next two games will be crucial, as they are playing their big rivals.

These being said, let's proceed to the interview.

(The Romanian version is here)

Q: Hello Tony. How do you feel the team at this moment and what are your goals this season?

A: I think we will be ok. We're getting there with baby steps. It's a different game each day so we have to do our work every day, get there and see what happens. We have already won one cup, two more left to go and that's the goal so we're looking towards them. I think sometimes we forget that that's the end and every day we have to work to get there. Not every day is gonna be easy work, especially the games which are the toughest for us. I mean, we work hard at practices, putting everything we got, a lot of players trying to figure out what they have to do so we have to take one possession at one until we get where we want. Just focus on each step on our way until we wake up in the championship game and we are used to working hard, playing basketball. I never won a championship so I want that bad. We won one trophy but we need more, we are not satisfied.

Q: I know that you played a lot in Italy and that you consider it as home. How do you like Cluj-Napoca and Romania?

A: I love it here so I would definitely like to stay here for more than one season. It was the easiest transition I've had. I've been in a lot of places, I played for a lot of teams so I had to adapt in a lot of cities with a different culture but this was the quickest and the easiest one. The people help you and everyone is warm and want to help us find things and get used to the city. So it makes me feel like I'm at home, we can just go to coffee shops and sit down and do our work and then walk the city or the park which is nice. I would love to be here for a while. I wish I would have found this place earlier in my career because this is a diamond. I don't think a lot of people understand what they have here. So I hurt my thumb in practice the other day and I had to go to the hospital and a person started asking me questions: You play basketball? I'm like: Yeah. He is like: In Romania? Cluj has a good basketball team. I say: Yeah it has a great basketball team like this is a nice club you should actually come to the gym and see the game to understand what we have here. But as a basketball Club, this is the top, man, the first tier I've been a part of program-wise. We're still trying to figure out where to visit around the area. I have to go to see Dracula's Castle, that's the main thing we have to see. I've heard about Vlad the Impaler and the things he used to do, that's how you impose your will.

Q: Besides Europe, you also played in the United States. How do you see the fact that the NBA teams score so much nowadays?

A: It is crazy to me, the scores now in the NBA are incredible. Back in the day, it was hard to score 100 points and the saying “defense wins championships” is not there anymore. Nowadays, I think it's just who shoots the best wins or whoever plays the best one-on-one wins. It's a lost art like I'm one of those old guys, I pride myself in defense. The main reason for this is that your shot can be off one day, you can miss lay-ups but your defense has to be there. Make sure that your defense is great and aggressive and your offense will be too. Defense is literally a mindset for one to get a stop. Sometimes it takes a little pride to get a stop and I think that everything you do on defense leads to offense. Nowadays, it's like an all-star game, no one wants to play defense anymore and the ones who do are role players now. Patrick Beverley, Tony Allen, Ron Artest, Dennis Rodman those guys were elite defenders on their teams to lead that defensive unit.

Q: Because you mentioned Ron Artest, I want to ask you about the game you played against him, in Italy. How was that experience?

A: He just had a chip on his shoulder. He had that old aggressive mentality to be a bully on the court and that has worked for him. We played against him when I was at Pistoia and in the first three minutes, he and one of my teammates were already arguing. It could have been a little bit of us trying to let him know that this is not the NBA but at the same time, we were realizing that we were jawing with Ron Artest! He just plays hard, man, he knows the game, he knows himself, he is aggressive, he knows how to work with his arms and elbows. Thankfully it was his first game in Italy so he didn't really know how to play there. But seeing him on the TV and playing against him were just two totally different things.

Q: You weren't very far from getting into the NBA. In 2012, you played in Summer League with Minnesota Timberwolves. What can you say about that?

A: It was different, man, the NBA is just a different type of basketball. My first time with them it was in the summer league so I went to Minnesota for a mini-camp and it was though going there and not knowing what to expect. I didn't have anybody to ask to get the know how the things work so it was really tough for my mind. So they evaluate you before going to Vegas and then you just go. It was quick but at the same time it was so much though they throw it at you, it kinda hit physically and mentally all at one in really three days. It was a cool experience to see that: it is a different style of basketball, everything it was different about it. It was finally good to see the NBA from the inside because from the outside it looks like it's the greatest thing in the world. You know, you play basketball, you get money, you get the notoriety, is great but in the inside, it is a different type of work, is a different type of beast. For me, I felt it was more business and politics than it was basketball, more about pulling strings then it is about playing basketball. That's the situation, man, timing is everything: 22 guys in the camp, they took 18 guys to Vegas, 6 guys didn't even play in Vegas and they only wanted to find one player. But overall it was a great experience just to be a part of that, it opened my eyes to the business side of basketball and it showed me a different style. I played in Europe for two years before that so I saw the European style of basketball and the way they do business and then I saw what we have in the States. And I just felt that I like the European style more because here you get more than just money.

Q: What is the main difference between American basketball and European basketball?

A: People play the game for money now which I think is the wrong way to do. When I started playing you didn't play for money you use to play for the love of the game or because it is fun, playing and competing. At some point in time, you have to choose what are you playing for. Are you chasing the money, do you play for the love of the game, are you playing for championships, like what is your purpose of playing? In the NBA it is more about the money, whereas for me coming in Europe I gained more experience as far as living life. I mean these things, this places that I've been that I've only dreamed about or probably didn't even dream when I was a kid but I was able to live through that, through basketball. To know this cultures, to see these things, these countries, this landmarks it all changed me as a man for better and as a player. I mean, who I am now is totally different from who I was in college, I'm totally different than when I was in Minnesota. These experiences change you, man, and there is no price that I would take to trade all my years over here to go back or even go in the league, not at all. I know that everybody's dream is to play in the NBA, but mine is changed. Still living the dream just on a different side.

Q: You always emphasize the importance of the mind in the game of basketball. Why do you think it is so important to be mentally tough?

A: The physical side is the easiest one to focus on because it is the one you see the most results. If you go to the weight room you lift and your muscles are getting bigger and stronger and you feel like you've done something. The mental side it is:

can you go there every day? Like, what day do you break: you go out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and on Thursday you are sore so you stay home. You break it, you take steps back mentally. The mental side of it is where I feel it that most players should do first. Like if they choose to establish themselves mentally and they are fine then it is like a foundation so you are able to get through tough practices. You are at least able to talk to yourself. The hardest part, especially now in preseason is getting out off the bed and having the energy to come to practice and push to do this every single day. You have to be mentally tough, like, for me, your mental makes your body go. So if I can fix this and make sure that this will be ready to go however I have to live, having to get up early, or if I have to listen to a certain song, or meditate or whatever it is you have to do to get your mental side ready each day your body will follow.

Q: From my point of view, the mental side is always showing during hard injuries? What is the connection between these two?

A: You lose the trust that you had in the thing that you are supposed to lean on. Like for me, most of the players wake up when they get hurt. When they get that first injury they understand: Ok, I can't be unbreakable and they start asking questions like Ok, I hurt my leg or my arm. How long will I be far from the game I love? And then even if I come back how long it will be the recovery process? It's like your body is turning up on you. Mentally you have to prepare yourself for the pain, you have to trust the motions of your knee or leg again you gotta rebuild that trust you had in your body mentally and physically. Like in the Achilles injuries, ok, what happens if I step? Can I cut this? And that starts with the mind, man. The fight in that mind is though but it's gotta get you through so many things, so many emotions and thoughts that pop in your head during that time in and it changes you. The physical recovery is faster than the mental recovery.

Q: Do you have any models in basketball?

A: The greats have always influenced me, the first player that I looked up to is Kevin Durant because it was the first player that was built like me. Before that I looked up to Magic, maybe KG, but I didn't see so many skinny guys in the NBA. But Kevin Durant, for sure, I mean he's giving a though time outside there. He can go to an ABA team and I would still follow him.

Q: Do you think it is morally correct to support a player wherever he goes or you should choose a team and stick with it?

A: There are two different categories. For me, I don't have a specific team that I like. I like certain players so I stick with them. So I like the Warriors because Kevin Durant is there, I like the Bulls because I have a friend there, same thing with Phoenix Suns or Minnesota Timberwolves. So I keep up with individual players that I have a connection with and I want to root for them. Or, for example, I have certain soccer players that I like. Now that Zlatan is with the Galaxy I root for them because I like his attitude, man, his personality. He's something different, man. I like Mario Balotelli, the same way, same attitude. But, in Alabama, we don't have a professional team. So it's kinda hard to support something that it's not there. For us, colleges team are where our loyalty is.

Q: This is really interesting for me because I've seen short clips about the duel between colleges. For them, victory is everything. What are the aspects that make the difference between a loss and a win?

A: Small details, that get overlooked a lot when playing basketball. The most important thing is understanding that winning doesn't come easy, we can walk out there and have the most talent in the world and still lose a basketball game. I think that focusing on that work is what gets you that win all the time. The outcome of the game is kinda up in the air but the more work you put in the better your chances are of winning that game. Your percentage of winning grows the more times you defend that pick and roll, the more times you helped the defense your chances get greater so you kinda influence the outcome of the game. What you put into the game is what you get outside of it. You just have to be consistent with it, no days off.

Q: What do you think it's the best way to get that type of focus?

A: The most coaches build the physical part and then they work with the mental side but they don't worry about the spiritual. All this is great you know, physically you just follow routines, that's why you practice every single day so then mentally is muscle memory, when you get a shot is muscle memory and where do we memorize things? In our minds, it's more mental than it is physical. But we always put the physical part first, whereas for me to be a complete player you have to have all three. I feel like the spiritual side is your fighting spirit. If you don't have a fighting spirit you don't care who wins or who loses, you're just a zombie out there. Your mental side focuses on your mental mistakes and then physically your body is gonna follow your mind. But growing in each of these three aspects is gonna give you a different perspective that you didn't have. I feel like the physical is the last one, the focus it should be on spiritual, mental and then physical. The hardest part of the day is getting out of your bed. Once you get your feet on the ground and start going you are like Ok, I gotta do this and I have to go there.

Q: As we talked about the spiritual part, what importance does your faith have in the sport you practice?

A: Your faith, that's your life, man. If you don't have that, it's a tough life to live. For me, that motivates me, just that alone is giving me enough energy to keep on going and thriving to be better. Cause you understand that you are second, you are serving, we're trying to be something more. We're striving to be something better, for me coordinating everything to my faith and encouraging others to do the same is the biggest thing. I feel like that Spirit inside of you is always there for you, in your good times or bad times, that's hope in any situation. Sometimes you meet people who are down and they don't see a better outcome, they don't see the situation getting better. You may be bad today but I hope it's gonna be better tomorrow. And if it is that bad, I know I will go to a better place at the end of it and I still have hope to be there and work to get there. So, it's everything, man, I'm trying to get better so that I get there, I'm trying to go Up not down. We gotta go up there. You can't lose it either man, you can't lose it.

Q: In the end, I know that you started a movement called "Leveraged". What is the goal of this movement?

A: It changes perspective, man. I'm really big on how to see things and situations. You talk about time like your time is a currency. Some worry more about money than they worry about time but for me, to lose time is worse than me losing money. You know, because I can't get that back, but when I lose money I can work hard and get that money back. Having people to realize that time is everything. When they want to make changes in their lives they don't know where to start. It starts with prioritizing your time and your routine, your habits. Being able to change and have those habits every single day it's gonna build a positive routine in your life, it's gonna help yourself grow. Being able to focus that time into yourself, starting with where can I make a change in my life. It starts within you, what have you done until now has given you this result so you gotta change the most of that. For me, this past 4 years I've been really big on trying to get people to focus in on that time: spending more time with themselves and growing spiritually, mentally and physically. I try to focus on these three things every day, you know, maybe stretching, or walking or reading a book or taking a quiet time just to work on these things in your head. Take that time to grow and be better than you were yesterday. And, within that, getting people to do more for others: acts of kindness man. It's not about us, it's not about you, sometimes you can't perceive your situation. Being in Europe, it changed the perspective on my life, sometimes we feel like we are having bad days but we don't realize that probably someone is having a worse day than you but you don't know it cause you don't go by and see them. You don't think about them, because you are so used worrying about your situation. Like you can say: Damn, let me help you up. We have everything we need, we are good. It's like you have the same penny in your backpack for 4 years and then you find it. It was there you just didn't know it was there. Being able to just get outside of your own bubble and try to help someone else. Spend time with yourself: Wake up, pray, conquer, repeat like that's my routine. It's a habit every day. For me, to wake up in the morning and being able to do these things on the three levels: spiritually, mentally and physically. Wake up in the morning, get up. Don't sleep until 2 or 3 in the evening time and expect yourself to get the best out of your day. The most successful people in the world get up at 4 am to get the most out of their day. They need all 24 to be the most productive they can be. Waking up, mentally, spiritually praying. I mean, for me, praying is not so much about little prayers, but take that time where you are quiet and you focus on your inside. Conquer is a mindset a mentality like the Kobe Mentality, having an aggressive mindset to get through the challenges that are in front of you. And then conquer. Come up with a mindset where you are going to get through everything today. I'm not gonna sit here and be worried about, I'm bigger than that and that's a mindset. And then repeating

every single day, repetition is always the hardest part. Being able to have repetition in your process in your habits and routines. And the biggest part is fixing yourself and then helping others. Like we are here to serve, at the end of the day there's someone else you can help out, be a blessing to get a blessing.

Q: Tony, thank you very much for accepting to give this interview and good luck in this season!

*foto: u-bt.ro/Manases Sandor