© photo at Bertani/Ciamillo
Zach Sogolow e Max HorowitzGM of the Varese Basketball, spoke to the press after the announcement of the first signing of this summer transfer market, that of Justin Gray. The first issue addressed is that relating to Italians and in particular Nico Mannion. “We are working for all players on the market, not only foreigners but also Italians. We take the players who we think are functional to the system. We have many players on the notebook, including Italian ones, we have had and are having many conversations with emerging Italian players. For us Mannion is an important part of the team, we are waiting for his decision. Also this morning we spoke with Nico together with Herman Mandole: she wanted to know more about Gray, therefore him to date he feels like part of the team for next yearFor now, however, he is focused on Italy and for now we are not pushing for a definitive answer. We already have several Italian players: Mannion, Assui, Okeke, Librizzi, Virginio and Okeke. We will certainly continue to look for alternatives”.
The Future of McDermott and Brown. “They are two connected situations. We are making evaluations on the market and on them depending on how to build the team. To date we have not yet decided. We have spoken with their agents in recent weeks but to date nothing has been defined yet. We need to grow in some of our team’s game situations, such as the defense, which was too poor for us.”
Interest in Jeff Brooks. “He could be an opportunity but he has a large market. He is definitely a player who can be a leader of the team and an example for others. He has an important presence, it is no secret that we like him as a player but others like him too”.
Justin Gray. “We chose Justin primarily for his defensive abilities. In general we have standards on which we evaluate any purchases and they are the ones that guide us even if we have made mistakes in the past. Every good player who has arrived here is taken on these standards but if we discover some opportunities in the market we evaluate them even beyond these standards. Gray has experience on the pitch and in the locker room. We want to maintain the same level of attack as last year, grow from a defensive point of view and give continuity in some elements to next year’s team. He certainly has great qualities in three-point shooting, mainly he will have the task of hitting from beyond the arc but not only that, he will also have to run and defend. He does not yet have a designated role, in the sense that everyone must earn their role on the pitch from Justin to Assui. It’s not the name or salary that matters but what they do on the pitch.” via VareseSport.
