By Kostas Paraskevopoulos/ info@eurohoops.net
Greg Brown III talked to Eurohoops after his solid debut with AEK, with his side defeating ALBA Berlin in Gameday 2 of the Basketball Champions League Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, Round of 16.
The 24-year-old forward/center, a veteran of 70 NBA games, signed with the Queen on November 12. However, he sustained a muscle injury in the adductor of his right leg and focused on recovery until his debut on Wednesday.
“I loved it,” he discussed his first experience as an active player in the noisy SUNEL Arena. “Even when I was injured, I could feel the atmosphere. In general, the people are very involved and help even when the team is trailing. They make you give it your all on the court. I love our fans. The energy they bring to every game. The love they show us after every game.”
Lasting 19:28, Brown put in nine points with 3/3 two-pointers, alongside five rebounds, one block, and one steal.
“I don’t really care about the stats, because I feel like I bring so much to the team. Defense, offensive rebounds. I can penetrate and organize the game. I just bring what the coach and the team need from me. They ask me for energy and defense, so I have to do it in every practice, and in every game, for the team to win,” he said.
The Dallas native also described how he navigated the process until finally debuting with the Greek side.
“We would be with my teammates, and then we would talk in the locker room. They would ask me when I would be back. I would tell them I still have two more weeks and that I’m waiting for the doctors. Even the night before the game, I had trouble sleeping because I was so excited to play. It was like a dream that I finally managed to play,” he said. “I’m grateful for that.”
With the team coached by Dragan Sakota improved to 2-0 in Group J of the Round of 16, Brown is looking for even more success on the floor.
“I expect and want us to win, to be competitive, to play hard, to give it our all, to play without selfishness, to try. That’s what the coach wants,” he told Eurohoops. “I expect us to play hard as a team. I really want us to win. The BCL is a very strong league, and credit must also be given to our opponents, because they are good teams. It’s not easy to say that you will always win. A battle is expected in every game. I expect us to try, to play as a team, and as long as we follow the coach’s plan, we will win.”
A former BCL champion in 2018, AEK reached last season’s Final Four powered by SUNEL and settled in third place.
“That’s my goal, to win the BCL,” Brown shared his aspirations for the 2025-26 season. “Ideally, I would also like to win the Stoiximan GBL, but obviously, that is more difficult, and I aim to definitely win the BCL. I feel like that would be big for us, both on a team and individual level. To grow AEK even more.”
“I see that I can go far to be honest,” he switched to his individual goals. “This was the beginning. It was a great start. I felt great to get on the court for a game, and it’s important that my teammates helped me a lot to build chemistry. I feel like you can see me going high with this team.”
The Champions League journey continues next Tuesday with a meeting opposite Tofas in Bursa’s Tofas Arena. Before Gameday 3 of the BCL Round of 16, AEK resumes action on Saturday, with Kolossos H Hotels Collection visiting SUNEL Arena in Round 17 of GBL Regular Season. A current 10-4 tally is tied with PAOK in third place, 4.5 games away from leading Olympiacos and 3.5 games behind Panathinaikos Aktor.