In the beginning of his new docuseries, “Just a Kid from Sicklerville”, Kyle Hines is integrated into CSKA Moscow’s pre-season training and talks about living far away from his family and friends.
The three-time Euroleague champion’s documentary refers to the sacrifices he has made to reach the top of European Basketball; Through a series of documentaries, his biggest target is to help prospective American players make the decision to play in Europe.
In the opening episode, the 31-year-old player comes back to the Russian capital, ahead of the new Euroleague season. Following a series of medical and fitness tests, Hines begins practising with CSKA Moscow and talks about how hard training sessions are in Europe.
In the meantime, his coach, Dimitris Itoudis, expresses his happiness for the start of the season, mentioning the procedure the staff will follow during the training period and explaining that they need to adopt different individual approaches, given that many newcomers have joined the team.
Later, Hines states he enjoys playing with the younger players (the “junior team”, according to his words), due to their high level of energy and determination, and is always willing to help them better adapt to the team’s playing style.
Despite working during the summer in order to be in shape, the 31-year-old center says the training camp is a completely different situation, namely a hard and demanding process, in which Hines has adapted very well so far.
The three-time Euroleague champion expresses the opinion that preparation games help the players learn the team’s new system and tactics and return to their normal rhythm, adding that the most important thing for him is to play basketball, so he doesn’t pay attention to his stats.
Regarding his current team, CSKA Moscow, Hines mentions that winning titles and competing for championships is what has kept him in the team for many years, while he is willing to sacrifice his personal stats and stick to his role to help the team climb to the top.
Concerning his third Euroleague title, in 2016, CSKA’s big man says it’s the players’ unity that made the difference, as all the roster’s members played for one another, and hopes the same will happen this year, too.
In the last part of the episode, Hines refers to his family and friends, explaining how difficult it has been for him to live without them, however he looks forward to their arrival and always talks with his wife and daughter through social media.
*View episode 1 of Kyle Hines’ new docuseries here.
