By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
MILAN, Italy – When Milan was suffering in the point guard position at the beginning of last year’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, not having reached an agreement yet with Shabazz Napier and being without Kevin Pangos, sidelined for a posterior ligament tear injury, Devon Hall stood out as a temporary replacement for Ettore Messina.
Shining in his rookie EuroLeague season off the bench for the red-and-white Italian side, contributing to reaching the EuroLeague Playoffs against the reigning champs of Anadolu Efes, providing a solid 16-point performance in the Game 3 losing effort during that series, he rapidly captured attention and affection by the fanbase in Mediolanum Forum.
Missing the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season opener on the road in Istanbul, watching his teammates from the stands due to muscle fatigue, the 28-year-old American guard will suit up for his first European appearance against Olympiacos. Talking to Eurohoops on the EuroLeague Media Day, Devon Hall shared his excitement about continuing the process in northern Italy.
Due to muscle fatigue after the last practice session, Devon Hall will not be available for the EuroLeague game against Feberbahce#insieme pic.twitter.com/kDY68eVLBV
— Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) October 6, 2023
Trusting the process in Milan
In what looks like a similar path to Shavon Shields, who said to Eurohoops to love his “second home” in Milan, the Virginia Cavaliers alumni spoke highly about the Italian club. “You have the experience and the familiarity with the entire organization, with the players, the coaching staff”, he first said. “You know what they expect, so having known the expectations you know what you’re walking into, so you can approach the season with a little more comfortability, trying to help the newer guys who are coming in. You know the guys around you, what they can do, and it’s about learning the new guys to create chemistry with them”, the 28-year-old added about sticking around in Milan.
Recalling last year’s games in which he was running the floor conducting the offense, Devon Hall stated that “Being versatile is important, but also understand that in that situation the team needed me to play point guard for a while”. Despite not being an expert in playmaking, he sacrificed for the good of the whole team. “Part of being on a team is sacrificing, so I want to sacrifice as much as I can. I did the best I could in that position. Naturally is not my position, but if I can do I will help the team as much as I can. I’m up for it”, he also commented.
At the beginning of 2023, when Shabazz Napier still hadn’t traveled to Italy for his new EuroLeague adventure, Olimpia Milano suffered a heavy 20-point defeat against ALBA Berlin, with Maodo Lo shining. Having him on board this season, Devon Hall can count on two German high-level players and World Cup champions, considering Johannes Voigtmann as well.
“We talked about the fact I played in Bamberg“, he said about the first conversations with his new playmaking teammate. “Jo [Voigtmann] wasn’t there when I was playing there, but I was much younger. I played against Maodo [Lo] for my past three or four seasons, between Germany and the EuroLeague. He was in Bamberg as well”, the 28-year-old added.
After departing from Oklahoma City, where he was playing for both the Thunder in the NBA and – way more – with the Blue in the G-League, in fact, Devon Hall decided to make the jump overseas to play with Brose Bamberg in the Basketball Bundesliga and in the Basketball Champions League, where he averaged 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, capturing Milan’s attention.
Having had the opportunity to play in both the German and Italian leagues, the former Cairns Taipans player touched on similarities and differences between the two. “I think there are great players in both leagues, so it’s hard for me to say because I know that Germany just won the World Cup but that doesn’t mean the Italian national team isn’t very good as well”, he first said also giving praise to Italy for their recent performances at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
“It shows the growth of European basketball: it’s respected by both leagues, I don’t think is a knock on one league or the other, but both leagues have some similarities and differences. One might be faster than the other, more physical. When I was in the BBL it was quite physical, and then I came here and the game looked faster”, he then went on to add.
Choosing an easy but fair goal for this season, he said the objective is to “win every game”, and he explained it more later on. “I think it’s important. I’m a very process-oriented guy, so I don’t try to get caught up in results. I try to stay in the process and in the moments of stuff. It’s approaching every day and get better, learn from each other as fast as possible”, Devon Hall admitted.
Facing the Greek red-and-white powerhouse tonight, this team stood out among the best-connected ones in Devon Hall’s eyes. “The best teams learn from each other as soon as possible to get the best connection from it. The best teams are the most connected. You can see it with very good teams like Olympiacos. They’ve had a lot of guys there for a lot of years, and they’re the best connected. They get along with each other, they’re well-connected on the court, and the ball moves. That’s the most important thing for us this season: getting well-connected and on the same page”, he said.
Will Team USA rely more on EuroLeague players?
This will be Devon Hall’s third season in the EuroLeague, and Milan’s shooting guard will find a whole different competition, with many changes during the summer and new faces approaching the European landscape. “It speaks to the EuroLeague in general, you see a lot more NBA guys intrigued and interested to come to Europe”, he first commented before touching on the bomb of the summer, which saw a four-time NBA All-Star moving to the Monegasque team.
“I think the most interesting one so far has been Kemba Walker to Monaco. I know they’re kind guard heavy anyway, but it’s interesting to see such a big name, a four-time All-Star, make a ton of money so you can see that is not about the money for him: it’s about the passion for the game, and being able to have an European experience. That was cool to see both as a player and a fan of basketball. That’s probably the first one that comes to mind”, he commented on the former Boston Celtics guard.
After praising what Germany did in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Devon Hall commented about Team USA’s disappointment, agreeing with what Jordan Loyd stated in a previous interview with Eurohoops. “It’s actually a good point”, he said about AS Monaco’s shooting guard’s take on the American national team trusting more EuroLeague players. “You don’t really think about that, because when you think about Team USA the first thing they’re gonna think about 100% is gonna be the guys who are in the NBA, and that wanna play“, Devon Hall added.
“They’re gonna pick from those guys who are the most athletic and most skilled, or whatever. But that’s a good idea: you should maybe put a few of the EuroLeague guys on that team because they know the game, they think the game a little bit differently, the spacing and physicality are different, and timing can be different. That’s a great point”, he completely agreed before being asked if he would go out on the International stage to represent another country.
His answer is a full no. “I don’t wanna take away the opportunity from a person who was born and raised here and has the opportunity to play for a national team. I don’t wanna do that, and I haven’t been granted the opportunity to play for any national team. I played for the USA in the AmeriCup Qualifier, something small”, he said about that experience in which he scored five points in just one appearance.
“I don’t wanna take away the opportunity from a guy who’s already from a specific country, and it means a lot for them, as it should. If the opportunity comes out, I’ll have to really think about it depending on the country. But I really like to give the opportunity to other people, who are from the country. Because it means the world to them”, Devon Hall finally concluded.
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PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague