Arrival quotes: Brancou Badio, Ethan Happ and Nate Sestina

15/08/2024

With the start of the preseason just around the corner, this festive Thursday has been a flurry of arrivals at the Manises airport of players who have committed to Valencia Basket for the next season, with the three latest additions arriving in our city today.

 

The earliest was guard Brancou Badio, who was “very excited to be here and I'm going for this challenge. I hope the fact that I was playing with Pedro for almost two years and a little bit helps my adaptation. I would say that I understand how he plays, how he wants to play, and how he wants us to defend. We will go little by little, to see how it turns out. But I am delighted to be here.”

 

The Senegalese forward assures that from the outset he comes to provide “a lot of aggressiveness and a lot of defense” and that he is ready to help in point guard duties if he is needed due to Chris Jones' injury: “We can change. Both Montero and I are let's say combos, I think it wouldn't be a problem. We are going to adapt with our teammates and we hope to win all the games we can and improve a lot.”

 

Also in the morning, the North American center with a passport from North Macedonia set foot in Valencia, Ethan Happ, commented “Obviously Valencia Basket is a great Club, they have goals of winning the EuroCup, it's not just compete to compete the EuroCup. So I'm looking forward to contributing to that. I'm sure we have a lot of goals inside the locker room for day to day but I am sure we are looking at the EuroCup as something that we can potentially win”

 

The interior emphasized that “It feels great to be here in Valencia and I can't wait to get it started. The Club has been great to me even I first signed” and that other players who have already been under Pedro Martínez have told him that “he expects a lot from us, such as we expect from him. We know that he is a demanding coach, he's going to expect the best from us on a physical and mental level and you have to be ready to perform every day.”

 

Happ will meet again in Valencia with a university classmate like Nate Reuvers, whom he has asked for references about his new house: “We have been talking because he stayed here the whole summer because he is having his firstborn. He has told me how much he loves the city, the coaches and the PT staff. Everyone has been very great to him. I hope we see him grow as well. His role was quite limited at the end last year but I'm looking forward to grow together and hopefully win some games”

 

Ethan notes that fans can expect from him that “I will give everything I physically can on the court. Being a positive teammate, that's something I pride myself on. Those two things are always a given. And hopefully, I can also explain some new skills and hopefully, excite the fans.”

 

A delay in the connection of his last flight left power forward Nate Sestina as the last addition to arrive in our city, who commented that opting for the Valencia Basket option “it's an opportunity to continue grow and develop. I am still young in the European eyes, it's my fourth full season. I am super grateful for the opportunity I had to play in the Euroleague with Fenerbahçe with coach Saras and coach Itoudis. But the relationship I have with our coach Pedro Martínez is a good starting point. He was there in Sacramento when I played with the Kings in the NBA Summer League and he offered me to play for him when I was in Manresa, but I was already committed to Turk Telekom. He told me whenever I'm a head coach again if we had the opportunity, I would love to coach you. This opportunity presented itself. What he has done with bigs, with guys who can space the floor, can set a standard for myself.”

 

The North American interior abounded in its reasons for opting for Valencia Basket, emphasizing that “the acb is a monster. I am really excited to play in this competition, the best domestic league outside the NBA. And I think Valencia Basket is one of those teams that can really compete for championships. The EuroCup is obviously number one but we have to see across the team and see if we can compete for other titles like the Copa del Rey at the end of the year”

 

Sestina confessed that he hopes “to have a major role, but whatever happens, happens. I'm the kind of guys that embrace anything that comes my way. Increase or decrease, I'm gonna go out and do my best to do my job. One day I might be gone on both sides of the floor and in another game, somebody else is. Be a good teammate though the entire season and embrace whatever comes doing that"


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