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 while I was hurt, I could feel the atmosphere, just watching the games. Even when the games were far apart, the fans were still in it. Just being out there on the floor, I got a whole different vibe of it.”
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 expect stats, because I feel I bring so much to the team. Defense, offensive rebounding. I can slash, playmake. I just bring whatever the coach and my teammates need me to bring. They told me, ‘We just need the energy. We need the defense’. So, I’m just trying to bring that every night, every practice, every game, so we could just win,” he said.
The Dallas native also described how he navigated the process until finally debuting with the Greek side.
“It was funny. I used to have dreams about playing,” he said. “We would talk about it in the locker room. ‘You’re injured. When you’re coming back?’ I got to talk to the trainer. Even the night before, it was hard for me to sleep. I was so excited. Just being out here, it was like a dream. I’m grateful.”
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 want us to win. I expect us to compete, to play hard, give our best, be unselfish, play with effort, and listen to what the coach says. Doing all that, you should come out with a win,” he told Eurohoops. “I expect us to play as a team and play hard. I really want us to win. And the BCL is a really hard league. And give credit to all the other teams, because they’re not bad teams. So, I’m not going to say I expect to beat them, because every team is going to give a battle every night, but I expect us to have effort, to play hard, to play together, and follow the coach’s gameplan, to get us the W.”
A former BCL champion in 2018, AEK reached last season’s Final Four powered by SUNEL and settled in third place.
“That’s what I’m aiming for. I’m aiming to win the BCL. Even the GBL, but the Champions League, I want to win it, because I feel that would be for us as a team individually and us as a team group, just to put AEK on the map even more,” Brown shared his aspirations for the 2025-26 season.
“I see we can go far, to be honest,” he switched to his individual goals. “ This is just the start right here. It was a great start, great feel to get my footing on the court. Even great for my teammates, because they are helping me out too. So, great for us to build chemistry going down the road. So, in all the hard games, we can just be on point. I feel we can see me go far this year.”
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.