ATHENS (Greece) - Sometimes, it takes you way more than one single shot to knock down all pins at a bowling alley. You don't hit a strike straight away.
You can get away with some spares, postponing celebrations. But at the end of the night, you'll come out on top only if you perform perfect runs, some 10-out-of-10 shots in front of your friends.
Or in front of some rivals, let's say.
Hunter Hale is big on bowling. It's one of those sports that relates to basketball; hitting down shots, waiting for the ball to get down, and conquering the jackpot.
When he was at a bowling alley last year, taking some time off in a season full of hoop appointments, both in Greece and in the Basketball Champions League, wearing Promitheas Patras’ jersey, he had a fate-changing meeting.
"You should come to AEK."
One fan from Athens approached him with such an extravagant proposal.
"I was like - no way," Hale opens to the BCL website.
"There was no chance of going there just because we had played each other so many times already that it felt like a rivalry in a way."
He's not making this up: they truly squared off numerous times throughout last season.
In just a three-month span, from December 2023 to March 2024, the two Greek sides played each other four times, both domestically and in the BCL.
Promitheas won all of them, not only positioning better in the Greek standings. They were the ones taking down AEK Betsson BC in the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League Round of 16 - two defeats that tasted like rotten cherries on a winless cake for the Queen.
Over those two games, Hale was in hunting mode, dropping 25.0 points and 3.5 assists on average, shooting 8-of-15 from beyond the arc.
Whenever you are the one deciding your team's winning outcome against a domestic rival on the International level, you get an even more strengthened sense of belonging. That's why he wasn't keen on the idea of eventually moving to AEK.
However, something changed for him once the season came to an end; the rivalry between Promitheas and the black-and-gold side was only a (fresh) memory.
"Over the summer, I had a really bad injury to my foot, and it slowed things down for me. AEK was pretty much the one team that really stuck and were patient with me. They respected my situation, understanding it," he explains.
The honeymoon was sweeter than a baklava.
"It felt like a good fit. When I got here, it felt good. I was supposed to be here."
It's a full-circle moment heading towards the Basketball Champions League Final Four, powered by SUNEL, set to be played in Athens from May 9-11, in front of his and their fans.
Especially for how things came to an end in the Spring of 2024.
It was supposed to be Unicaja, once again
While AEK concluded last season's BCL Round of 16 on a losing note, at the bottom of Group L as the only team without any wins - with Hapoel Holon, UCAM Murcia, and Promitheas Patras tied at 4-2 - their Greek opponents advanced.
Having to go up against the only unbeaten team at such a stage, and an eager one, trying to get revenge after losing at home in the 2023 BCL Final Four, they were ready to go to Malaga.
Starting the Quarter-Finals without home-court advantage, the team guided by Ilias Papatheodorou - who was AEK's head coach when they last played in a BCL Final, back in 2020 - contained Unicaja to a season-low 67 points scored in Game 1.
Hunter Hale struggled shooting-wise, but still had 14 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in his team's defeat, demonstrating they did have opportunities to come out on top.
In Game 2, he was even better, putting up 31 points over 9-of-13 from the field, including 6-of-8 from deep, and 7-of-9 at the line. But it wasn't enough for Promitheas to upset Unicaja.
If the joy was at a peak in previously advancing, he couldn't be satisfied once that loss came later on.
"There’s a bad taste in my mouth from last year for sure. I didn't like how things ended," AEK’s show-stealing guard remembers.
"Now it's like a full circle moment where I can help lead another Greek team to this part at this point of the season and then also play against Malaga again."
While he's not the only one somehow linked to Unicaja, as the former head coach of both sides, Joan Plaza, was in Athens to start the 2023-24 campaign, and Mindaugas Kuzminskas played in Malaga too, he knows how to deal with them.
"I do have some history with them. They're the favorite for sure, after winning last year and then going to the Final Four two years ago as well," he first says.
"They just have a really good complete team, from top to bottom, anybody can play. When they all play 18 to 25 minutes a game, you kind of have to prepare for everyone equally. And they don't really have a weak link on their team."
While Unicaja are full of versatile defenders and players who can all shoot pretty well too, Hunter Hale is perfectly conscious that the Queen will be ready to not be overthrown.
"I know their style play. They're super-fast and super talented. They can switch with anybody. They all play super hard, so it's going to be a challenge, but I think it's a challenge that we're ready for, that we're excited about."
"It's a difficult thing to prepare for when you know you have to be ready for at least 12 guys stepping on the court," the former Promitheas Patras player adds.
In the hours leading up to the biggest game of the season, Hale will naturally think about last season's matchup. Knowing there could be a difference-maker this time.
"It's cool to be able to have this experience again, but now play them on a bigger stage in front of all of our fans; it'll be extremely loud in the arena. Hopefully, that'll give us an advantage as well."
Only a few months have passed since he thankfully rejected that fan's proposal in Patras, but tons of things can change in a few months. Hunter Hale now loves AEK.
"I really wanted to return them to where they had been before in the past. That was really big for me. I was telling a lot of people I wanted to get to the Final Four, especially after losing in the Quarter-Finals last year."
"It'll be fun for sure, but I'm just very happy. I'm very happy to be healthy first of all, and just happy to take this group of guys to this point in the season. It's incredible."
From star power to selfless strength
In the Basketball Champions League, there are often stories of self-revenge, with teams rewarding themselves with satisfaction following heavy defeats.
The same couldn't be said for AEK, if we sharply define the focus on the way the club moved on the market after losing in the 2022-23 BCL Quarter-Finals; after losing to then runner-up Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, they wanted a complete revolution.
Star power was everywhere in Ano Liosia in the summer of 2023, bringing over to the other side Jordan McRae, alongside other assets like Justin Tillman, Mfiondu Kabengele, and Ben McLemore - Brandon Knight would have joined later on.
But, as mentioned already, that wasn't enough as they ultimately found themselves with their backs against the wall without even reaching the competition's Elite Eight.
Hoping to redeem themselves once more, they opted for a different strategy in the summer: fewer shining names on paper, more cohesiveness and selflessness.
With the team's #77 ready to deliver when his name would have been called.
They've done a good job of just putting a group of guys that are really selfless, high-character guys that just want to play for each other.
"Early in the year, we were still trying to figure things out. Everyone's trying to play their style of basketball and figure out just how they can fit on the team. But I think as the year was going on, we just continued to get better and better," he follows.
"We made some different changes with the rotation, which was important for us as well, just to get the right fit on the court. That's the biggest thing: just having guys who are just open to it," Hale adds.
Nobody was excluded from getting their body hydrated in a bath of humility, as everybody put the common goal ahead of the team's different egos.
"For me, it was going from a starting role to being a sixth man, which is something that I was okay with because I just want to win. My thing is just being able to bring something to the table that can help, impact winning at a high level."
"Everyone took on that same role and mindset; we just do our job. It was interesting coming into the season because I think no one really knew how good we could be. A lot of people kind of doubted us because of how we looked on paper. We've done a good job of playing better and better - I think we're picking it at the right time."
Most importantly, as the whole AEK fanbase really understood how dangerous and powerful the black-and-gold side could have been, they found extra energy and motivation from the sixth man off the court. In the stands, better phrased.
"Especially in these last few weeks where we've had sold-out crowds, it's just been beautiful for me. That's something that I really wanted to experience coming here. Now that we've had the opportunity to experience it, we're going to experience it again in the Final Four. It's just surreal. It's something that I couldn't really imagine."
"Every time I get back home from a game, I'm just sitting on my couch and I'm just thinking - 'That was crazy!' Just to be a part of that is incredible. Seeing a crowd like that, so many passionate fans just yelling the entire game, nonstop. Even when we get in the locker room, they're still yelling; it's crazy," Hale feels it.
"I'm just super blessed to be a part of it. That was one of the bigger reasons I wanted to experience AEK as well. Especially seeing what they went through last year, too."
"I really wanted to bring them back to the place that they have been far too long ago.”
As he continues to describe the non-stop affection that the die-hard fans of AEK have been dedicating to him since the start of the season, his emotions don't stop flowing. Hunter Hale has really tried to "relish on" and "embrace" this kind of love.
"When I see the sea of black and yellow in the crowd, it really makes me want to play even harder. It gets me even more locked in. I feel like I'm at my best when there are 8,000 or 9,000 people in the stands yelling and screaming. It's fun."
"For fans, sometimes it's like life or death. 'This means the world to me.' At the end of the day, it is just basketball. But to be able to experience it, it's just super cool."
At the same time, playing over the edge with this kind of push coming from their own people can be stressful. That naturally raises the level of expectations, mainly because Dragan Sakota's team really don't want to disappoint their fans.
"I'm not gonna say it doesn't get overwhelming because in the same breath, it does, it could put a sense of pressure on you to perform. They want to see you do well."
But "it's a good problem to have," according to who's been, statistics-wise and not only that, the most important player of the team throughout AEK's trajectory in Season 9 of the Basketball Champions League.
"I think it goes hand in hand. It's 100 percent better than having no one in the stands or maybe 10 people watching your game. I enjoy it, we all enjoy it."
Getting guided by black-and-gold OGs
The evergreen - or everblack-and-golden, we should say - love and support shown by their fans isn't the only cornerstone when it comes to basketball and AEK.
In every single season at the starting grid of the Basketball Champions League - and they have been there since the birth of the competition - they have always had one American combo-guard ready to deliver and help.
It happened with Kevin Punter, who won the trophy in Athens at the end of the 2017-18 season, in one of the most memorable BCL Final Fours in history; it happened to legends of overseas basketball like Keith Langford and Tyrese Rice.
Hunter Hale has already captured the hearts of the Greek powerhouse, ready to give freedom and room to their joyful emotions, seven years in the making.
"I played against Kevin Punter when I was in Serbia, when he was over at Partizan. That was a great challenge for me. And then one of my buddies is really close to Tyrese Rice," the Michigan-native mentions.
"Coming to AEK, I obviously knew some of the history. I've heard about the guys that came through here. I know the impact they left here, winning the BCL is not easy at all," he says ahead of the biggest event of their campaign.
"To be able to do that, especially for this type of club with the history that they have and just the type of fan base, that was the most important thing for me."
When it comes to history, you know AEK are the right choice for you.
"[I wanted to] come to a club that had that history, that had those diehard fans who really enjoy seeing the club do well. And I've never been a part of that."
When Kevin Punter contributed to lifting the trophy in Greece, beating AS Monaco at the OAKA, Dragan Sakota was there. This season, he decided to come back home.
A few weeks ago, in the middle of the biggest challenge of the season at that time, overcoming Nanterre 92 to come back participating in the BCL Final Four, AEK's head coach said he is "emotionally attached to this organization."
Hunter Hale can't do anything but confirm that such a statement really isn't a stretch, or the veteran's exaggeration. He truly feels at home. In Athens.
"Every time he speaks, I feel like he just demands attention. Whenever he talks to us, you can see it's from a deeper place. It's more of just an Xs and Os, wins and losses. He really cares for AEK. He really loves to be a part of this team, this club."
"Seeing him speak like that and seeing how close he is with the people here honestly just makes us want to play harder for him."
"It makes it deeper than basketball. Every time we get a win, I feel like it's just super important.”
That has translated not only into strengthening the team's and players' closeness every time they have stepped on the court. But also, on an everyday basis.
"Individual success is amazing, but it's really embodied through him that our team's success is the most important thing. I feel like every single day we come into practice ready to practice," Hale explains clearly.
"This is probably the one year out of my career where not only I, but everybody is just extremely excited to come to practice, to compete, and get better. We'll have a day or two off, and we'll come back; everyone's just like super excited to see each other," he touches on the locker room's unity.
"He's also helped keep us accountable. When things aren't going right, and even when things are going right, coach tries to keep us levelheaded and just in a good frame of mind. I feel like our coaches have created that good environment for us."
Having the experienced 72-year-old head coach guiding them from the sideline is like meeting on Christmas' Eve the uncle who can share so many experiences.
"I think we're just really blessed to have him as a coach, especially with his knowledge of the game. He's been around everywhere, and he has so many stories to tell. From the first day I got here, we just had so many different conversations."
"I pretty much talked to him about anything, from family, basketball, to relationships; just anything. He's just an open leader, and he has an open mind."
Just like it happens on other teams such as La Laguna Tenerife, with Marcelinho Huertas reflecting on the court not only his experience, but the guidance of head coach Txus Vidorreta, there's another experienced asset on this AEK's team.
"I call him OG. He's been around the block for a while. He's played everywhere. He knows everybody. You can't even put the respect he deserves into words, because he has a lot of knowledge for the game," Hale says of Mindaugas Kuzminskas.
"His experience is super important for us. We trust him and we listen to him, because we feel like a lot of what he says is very important. It's profound. He embodies AEK. He's the last person in the locker room, taking pictures with all the kids and all the fans. He has the loudest voice. Everyone just loves him."
"I'm just very fortunate to be able to share the court with him. It's different from going head-to-head with him last year, a lot. We talk about it all the time. But now that we can share the court together, it's been special."
It's profound. He embodies AEK. He's the last person in the locker room, taking pictures with all the kids and all the fans. He has the loudest voice. Everyone just loves him.
Kuzminskas helps AEK's #77 specifically as well.
"Just as we listen to [Dragan] Sakota, just because they've been around for a long time. Being able to be in the same locker room with somebody like that is really important for me," he expresses.
"This is only the fourth year of my career, and I'm still trying to get my feet wet and learn the ins and outs about European basketball. I've learned a lot from him."
The Lithuanian forward, who announced his retirement from the national team in February, is the only foreigner who decided to stay around Ano Liosia from last season's exodus. And he's reaping the benefits now, fighting for the big prize.
In a matter of just a few weeks, he welcomed everybody on board, from RaiQuan Gray to Grant Golden, from CJ Bryce to the latest arrival, Rayjon Tucker.
He welcomed also the shining stars of AEK's backcourt: Hunter Hale, of course, and Prentiss Hubb - also known as one of the biggest one-two punching duos of the whole Basketball Champions League in Season 9.
"Our relationship has gotten so much better throughout the year, on and off the court. We're able to talk about pretty much anything. And I think that just takes time, but learning how to play on the court together has been good for our team."
"Obviously, if I come off the bench, it helps bring a different dynamic to the game as well, something different for teams to prepare for. We've really learned how to mesh well throughout the season. It wasn't easy, of course, but I think that's super important for any team," Hale comments on his chemistry with the other lefty guard on this roster.
"Guard plays are really important for any team because you're the ones getting the people organized on the court. Being able to have that Batman-Robin, 1A-1B type of connection takes the purpose of you having to make all the plays."
"Prentiss has done a really good job. We've had different conversations about how we can help each other on the court, obviously with our coaching staff as well. We have been there for each other, even through mistakes," he praises his teammate.
"We're a very difficult team to beat, especially with all the offensive weapons we have, too. Our fans also create a sense of what we need to get this done. We need to do this for our fan base."
And now, Hunter Hale will fight for the first professional title of his career, in front of the crowd he considered hostile only last season, as the leader of both AEK's units.
Thinking he became left-handed by just watching his older brother play, being doubted for his whole life, leading up to college first, and then moving overseas, ultimately finding his place to be, that's pretty impressive.
Who knows if the 27-year-old late bloomer would have still chosen black-and-gold shades to paint up his second year in Greece, not being at that bowling alley?
"It took time, a lot of work, effort, and strength building. Over the course of time, I've embodied what a late bloomer is, and now I'm competing against some of the best players in the world, somewhere where no one would ever expect me to be."
One thing's sure: he wouldn't have had his family visit him on the most important weekend of his career, in front of 10.000 diehard, tireless, and ardent AEK fans.
Just to come back to his couch, sit back, relax, and think - "That was crazy!"