Ilyasova's Favorite Word "Steak" <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">When he joined the Bucks last season, Ilyasova could speak three languages: Russian, Turkish and Serbian. He could barely speak English. But Ilyasova took English classes in Milwaukee and then in Tulsa, Okla., and he has made substantial improvement. Once relatively introverted because of his inability to speak English, Ilyasova is now somewhat outgoing, capable of putting sentences together. Ilyasova admitted the communication barrier hindered his development as a player in training camp last year. "I can't understand him (Stotts) and he can't understand me; it was hard,'' Ilyasova said. "But I took English classes and I speak better now. I went four or five days a week, two hours a day.'' And he also got help from his girlfriend, Julia, whom he met in Milwaukee last year. Julia, a native of Belarus, has lived in Milwaukee the last 10 years. While Ilyasova learns new words in English every day, there is one word that he likes to hear the most. "Steak,'' Ilyasova said smiling. "That's my favorite word. I like steak. We don't have steak in Turkey. I like filet mignon the best.'' Living in Milwaukee, Ilyasova won't have a shortage of steak houses to frequent. And, if this training camp is an accurate barometer, he'll be living in Milwaukee for years to come. "At this stage of his career, he needs to get better,'' Stotts said. "And he's done that.''</div> Source You gotta like a guy who loves to eat steak.
