'Memo sent me to Galatasaray,' says Dee Brown No doubt Galatasaray, an ordinary team in Turkish basketball, is nothing in comparison to the Utah Jazz, a prominent NBA team. People thought it was a joke when they heard the news: "Dee Brown at Galatasaray." Mehmet Okur's teammate picked Galatasaray for a fresh start. He was not the first to leave the NBA to play in Turkey; Zan Tabak, Mahmud Abdul-rauf and Conrad McRae were his forerunners. But what did this 23-year-old, vibrant young American have in mind for his career with Galatasaray? What role did his teammate play in his decision to move to here? Like everybody else, I was curious about these questions, so I decided to head to Darussafaka, where Galatasaray holds its exercises. Dee Brown seems to have been playing with the team for years and is quite impressive. Following permission from coach Murat, we start our chat. After I asked Dee Brown why he left Utah, his response was, "It was a job, and now it is over." He added: "Fans loved me at Utah. They never wanted me to leave. You can see that in my personal blog. But the club did not renew my contract, so I started searching for a new club. At this point Galatasaray made an offer. I also received an offer from the Greek Olympiakos, but Turkey was more attractive." Noting that he knew nothing about Turkey before arriving and that teammate Mehmet Okur helped him out, the young guard remarked: "Mehmet told me to go to Turkey without any doubt. He recommended it; I came here. We have corresponded over the Internet for a long time and he told me: 'Go to Istanbul. You will not have any problem. It is a big city like Chicago and New York. Turkish people are warm and hospitable.' Memo is one of the sincerest players at the team and now I am happy in Istanbul." Stressing that his only concern is winning, he underlines that his outstanding characteristics include speed and stealing the ball. Brown asserts: "Winning is the most beautiful thing in the world and I want to score as many points as I can. I think I will lead the team. I am already impatient to meet the fans. I am sure the games in Turkey will be exciting." Underlining that NBA games were faster, Brown added: "I will work hard and adapt to the system here. Basketball is basketball everywhere." Played football in high school The new transfer to Galatasaray Cafe Crown is also skilled when it comes to football. Noting that he grew ambitious as a result of playing football, the player wore the jerseys of both basketball and football teams during his high school years. Brown, who also has an affinity with music, is also a hip hop vocalist and plays piano. A graduate of the University of Illinois, he played at Utah Jazz with an average of 9 minutes, 1.9 points and 1.7 assists. Storied career Daniel (Dee) Brown was born on Aug. 17, 1984 in Jackson, Mississippi and played at the University of Illinois from 2002 to 2006, receiving many awards and accolades. Brown was selected in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, and currently plays for Galatasaray in the Beko [Turkish] Basketball League. Brown graduated from Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, where he excelled not only athletically but also academically, finishing with a class rank of 16th out of 382 graduates. Brown was a star on Proviso East's basketball and football teams. He played quarterback for the football team, passing and rushing for more than 1,800 yards and 16 touchdowns in seven games during his senior season. His play at quarterback garnered the recruiting attention of many major collegiate football programs, including Florida State University and the University of Nebraska. His play on the basketball court, however, led Brown to be considered one of the best high school basketball players in the United States for his class. Brown was named "Illinois Mr. Basketball" and was a McDonald's All-American, and many recruiting analysts ranked him in the top 20 high school players. Istanbul Today's Zaman 03.10.2007 YASIN TUNCER ISTANBUL http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=123707 --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 219.135.156.135