By Cesare Milanti/ info@eurohoops.net
Brandon Davies has been one of the most important signings by EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in a summer transfer market that saw also the additions of Kevin Pangos, Johannes Voigtmann, and Billy Baron, among others.
And the time has come in Round 5 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to face Barcelona, for the first time since he left the Catalan club.
The 31-year-old center spoke to Eurohoops during the pre-season media day of his new club about his decision to begin a new adventure in his career with the Italian team.
“I loved my time in Barcelona and we had some great seasons. We won a few titles, not as many as we would have liked. I really enjoyed my time and my teammates there especially. When you become a free agent, you kinda want to give a feel for what’s out there”, he said.
Ettore Messina played a big role in his decision process. “After speaking with Messina, his goals for this team and for me individually, how could I help this team, expressing what he needed from me, it was something that helped me decide that it was time to start a new chapter”, Milan’s center added.
The Italian coach hasn’t been the only great figure to coach Brandon Davies, since he found Sarunas Jasikevicius both in Zalgiris Kaunas and in Barcelona.
“They’re both very decorated and very smart coaches. They know how to utilize their players and how to put together a strong team. They have a lot of similarities in that aspect and after being with coach Messina for a while, he expected you to be yourself. He wants you to become a better player by working hard every day”, he said about his two coaches.
Brandon Davies has been playing with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan only for a couple of months, but he’s already used to the Italian life: “Italy is great, so far everything has exceeded my expectations. This is a very professional club, and Milan is a beautiful city. It’s nice to be here after playing in Varese five or six years ago”.
In the locker room, he found a EuroLeague living legend Kyle Hines, who made his debut in the competition when Brandon Davies was playing as a sophomore with the BYU Cougars. “I’m happy I don’t have to go up against him anymore. He’s one of the best defenders in the league, but fortunately and unfortunately I have to go against him every day in practice and I think he will make me an even better player overall. He’s a great person”, the American big said about his teammate.
Since when he left Varese to join AS Monaco, Brandon Davies has won at least one trophy in each season he has played with three different clubs. He lifted the Leaders Cup with the Monegasques in 2017, he won two Lithuanian championships and one Lithuanian Cup with Zalgiris Kaunas, and he added to his collection an ACB League and two Copa del Rey with FC Barcelona.
Now, he hopes to bring some more titles to Milan. “It’s what this is about, winning titles. Obviously, all those games that I didn’t win are the ones that stick to my memory. I would have wanted to win a couple more with each team I’ve played in. Hopefully, Milan can be the team that I can win my most with”, he said.
Brandon Davies is currently averaging 9.8 points and 2 rebounds in the 2022-23 EuroLeague, and he had his best performances in Milan’s last two games against Partizan and Bayern Munich. He will try to spoil the party for his former club in Round 5 of the competition.
PHOTO CREDIT: EA7 Emporio Armani Milan