Olimpia’s general manager Christos Stavropoulos introduced Aaron White to the media. “We wanted him because he’s still young and already is EuroLeague-tested. He will be loved by our fans, thanks to his energy, the fight that he will bring to the court. He was one of the first players we tried to sign and we are happy to welcome him to our family”. “I’m excited by this opportunity. I’m really excited with my family, and we’ll try to win as many games as possible, work as hard as possible for the club and keep pushing the project that we have.”, White said in his first statement. Following, some of his other quotes, edited for clarity.
From Kaunas to Milan – “Obviously my time at Zalgiris were really important for my development as a player, the Coach gave me the opportunity to compete in the EuroLeague, put me on stage and competed at the highest level in Europe. I am grateful for that. The experience with that club was great. Like I said, I’m excited by this next step in my career, I’m looking forward to work for Coach Messina and a great club like Olimpia. I’ll have the same mentality, I will come to work every day for my teammates, my team and the results will follow. In my mind if you work hard that’s the best thing you can do, as a player and as a coach.”
Olimpia’s point guards – “I’m looking forward to play with both Shelvin Mack and Sergio Rodriguez. They both see the floor well, they are great playmakers and as you can see this is beneficial to my game. At Zalgiris, we played at a little slower pace. I’m excited by the opportunity to use my strengths, running the floor, using my athleticism. Now and for the whole preaseason, leading up to the season, I will try to improve my relationship with all my teammates, but particularly with the point-men, get their rhythm, their feel for the game, so by the end of September, October we’ll be ready to go”.
The mindset – “Me, any time I go to the court, I have the same kind of mentality, whether I’m expecting to win or being the underdog, my mentality is to work hard, play as hard as I can to try to win. I will have the same mentality and use it, and I expect it will be the same, here we have a group of character guys, with a team mentality, not individual. This is the most important thing: basketball is a team-sport, we need to be on the same page, work together to achieve the ultimate goals, which is making the EuroLeague playoffs and win as many games as possible.”
The European style – “When I came to Europe, I had to adapt. After my first and second year, I really adapted. I love the way we play in Europe, playing together, we are really five on the court. In the U.S. is a little different, there’s more one on one, the stars are really dominant, they score a lot of points. I love it here, it’s my strength to play with my teammates and play basketball the right way, in my mind.”
The decision to come – “Yes, I had different options, but when it was time to sit down with my wife, with my family we really wanted to be in Europe. I’ve been asked this question before, but I like Europe. Milan was a very attractive city for me and my family. Me and my wife thought this was the best step for my career.”
The role on the team – “If you look at our team, Coach Messina picked different players that complement each other, can do a multitude of things on the court. For my role, we never really sat down and talked specifically, but he will use my strengths, cuts at the basket, my athleticism running the floor, rebounds and team play. Regarding the other bigs, the only one healthy is Kaleb Tarczewski. Watching him since college, he’s athletic too, rolls over the rim, he’s a great rebounder, I’m excited to work with him. When we will be both on the court, we’ll be on the glasses, use our athleticism and try to be distruptive in the paint.”
The small-ball line-up – “The way basketball is going it is almost a position-less game. A small line-up can be successful. It’s early to say, two practices are not enough to say which line-up can be successful in the future, but in a small line-up I will be comfortable playing outside, making plays and having another guy like Jeff Brooks who can the same things. He can shoot, he can pass, he can drive. I think it can be very successful, but the key defensively is we need to understand what the Coach wants, switching or which ball screen defense he wants, stuff like that. Offensively, it can be great, defensively too, but we need to understand what the Coach wants.”
The right arm tattoo – “On the top of my arm there’s the house I was born. I never really lived here, because my parents split up, so it is an important place for me, for the changes and where I went with my life. At the bottom, there’s the Capitol of where I went to college, Iowa, a big state building, inside the college campus. They symbolized my road, from where I was born to where I went to college. It’s not finished, but it stays, from where I was born and where I went. In Europe I have been in too many places, but when I finish I will look for something symbolizing my journey.”
The new EuroLeague – “It’s great for the EuroLeague. More great teams, great players and it’s better for everybody. Many teams made noise in terms of names or NBA histories. But on the court, there’s going to be one ball and they will have to play as a team. They will have to find the right chemistry, find the players accepting their roles. Coaches who are going to coach the right way those players will have success. But it’s positive for the EuroLeague, great teams, great players, it is good for the brand and to have a great league.”
