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30 April, 2017
10 Mark Steven Lyons (TUR), 27 Shaquielle O'neal Mckissic (TUR)
04/11/2016
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MVP Shaquielle O'neal McKissic is smaller than Shaq but very big on winning

USAK (Basketball Champions League) - Trying to get Shaquielle O'neal McKissic, the Regular Season Week 3 MVP, to indulge in self-praise is as futile as attempting to meet the Muratbey Usak Sportif swingman at the rim after he has taken flight to slam the ball.

"I wasn't tall like Shaq, so growing up I liked it when they were winning with the Lakers but aside from that I kind of looked up to Lebron James or Dwyane Wade, given my athletic talents." - O'neal McKissic

McKissic can evade talking about his stellar performance in Usak's 74-69 win over Ventspils on Wednesday night, the Turkish side's maiden success in Group C, just as easy as he can posterise any defender who thinks he could block his dunk attempt. All that matters to his is that his team got the victory after trailing the visitors by as many as nine points.

"It was really important to get the first win," McKissic told www.championsleague.basketball. "We'd lost two close ones and we knew that we had to grind it out and keep playing every game like it's a winnable game. The important thing in the Basketball Champions League is to not panic and try to get as many wins as you can every week."

In order for Usak to tick the win column in the Regular Season, McKissic had to come up with a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds, also adding one assist and two steals, for an efficiency rating of 24. When asked which part of this performance he enjoyed the most, the focus once more turns back on the team.

"The part I liked the most was getting the win, fighting, grinding out a tough win with the team. When I found out I was MVP I was happy and honoured to achieve the award," McKissic said. "My mindset was to get the win and if it had been another guy scoring or doing anything to contribute to getting the win, all I would do would be to help out and compliment that effort as much as I can."

McKissic will continue to stand out in the remaining of the Basketball Champions League campaign because of his displays and not because of his name or because of his size. Besides, unlike Shaquille O'Neal, the Usak winger is an average-size basketball player (1.96m tall). One gets the feeling he would not have it any other way.

"I wasn't tall like Shaq, so growing up I liked it when they were winning with the Lakers but aside from that I kind of looked up to Lebron James or Dwyane Wade, given my athletic talents," he said. "Both Lebron and Wade, as well as Derrick Rose, are players that I admire. They are all explosive players that leave it all out there every night and just continue to dig deep even if things are not going well, to put their team in a position to win."

Just like the Gameday 3 MVP, who will always do his best in order to put Usak in a position to win. Stay tuned for more highlights.