Courtesy of The Japan Times Ed Odeven:
ONE-ON-ONE with NBA veteran Satterfield
The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Kenny Satterfield of the Osaka Evessa is the subject of this week’s profile. Pride of New York City: Guard Kenny Satterfield began the season with Saitama Broncos, but joined the Osaka Evessa after the Tohoku earthquake.
Position: Point guard
Age: 30 Ht: 188 cm Wt: 79 kg
Hometown: New York City
College: Cincinnati
Noteworthy: Satterfield was the 53rd overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, and he played for the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers between 2001 and 2003. Since then, his career has included stops in a number of other countries, including France, Argentina, Cyprus, Venezuela and Lebanon. Satterfield was a McDonald’s All-American while playing for Rice High School.
Satterfield averaged a team-high 19.9 points in 37 games for the Saitama Broncos, who canceled the remainder of their season after the March 11 earthquake. He then joined the Evessa for the season’s stretch run while playing on a temporary relief contract (only valid for this season with another team), which several Broncos and Sendai 89ers players also did.
He averaged a league-best 6.5 assists, including the final eight games with Osaka. In last weekend’s Western Conference semifinals against the Rizing Fukuoka, Satterfield had a nine-point, eight-rebound, seven-assist effort in Game 1 against the Rizing Fukuoka last Saturday and scored 12 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter of Osaka’s series-clinching win a day later. . . . Evessa teammate Lynn Washington has called Satterfield the “best guard in bj-league history.”
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In your own words, how would you describe your style of play?
Playmaker. I try to play smart, try to run the team the right way.
What’s been the biggest challenge for you in switching teams in April? And, entering the Final Four, how do you rate Osaka’s chances to win the title?
Making the switch from the Broncos to Osaka, it’s a big difference. On the Broncos I had to score more. On this team, we have a lot of (established) scorers, so I can be more of a playmaker.
We have a great chance to win the title this season, with a lot of good players on this team.
Evessa forward Lynn Washington has been recognized as one of the league’s top players since Day One. How committed is he to winning and working hard day in and day out in your view?
(Regarding) his work ethic, he comes to work and does the same thing every day. He wants to win. As a veteran leader, he’s everything you would want from one of your main players.
Is Washington more intense in practice than most guys, and does that attitude carry over to games?
Yes. That’s who he is. That’s the makeup of him. That’s what makes him good.
Looking back on your NBA career, were you simply fired up each day to be in the NBA, thinking, “Holy cow! This is my job?”
No. I have a relaxed mind-set just like I have now. I’m just kind of laid back.
The full story can be found here.
