CIELS MEETS CHAMPIONS: JEFF BROOKS

ENTER THE FIELD AS A PROTAGONIST!

JEFF BROOKS TELLS HIMSELF TO CIELS MILANO

Raise your hand if you have never dreamed of meeting and talking live with a famous person! I bet many of us want it, I have no doubt... never as today CIELS Milano students have had the opportunity to realize this dream through the organization of the promoting event for the Sport Management course; they will be able to interview the basketball player Jeff Brooks in a pleasant and interesting interview coordinated by Mr. Bonacina and Professor Brenna.

Do you want to know what he reserved for us? Let's enter the field with him then!

First of all, let's put a magnifying glass on the athlete.

Personal informations 
Jeffrey Brooks, also known as Jeff, is an American basketball player - naturalized as Italian by marriage - born in Louisville on June 12, 1989, who plays as a power forward (the offensive position on the outside of the parquet, that of Giannis Antetokumpo, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Draymond Green or Kristaps Porzingis to be precise) for Olimpia Milano and, since 2018, for the Italian National Team. He is 2.03 meters high and has a very strong relationship with Italy: he wants to know and acquire its culture (as he explained in an interview with CANESTRI PRIVATI), both because he started his career and he met what would soon become his wife.

Career in a nutshell: 
His career - in which he has won a Scudetto, an Italian Cup, three Italian Supercups and an Eurocup - began in his native United States, where he started playing at Doss High School in Louisville, then for four years at Penn State University where he scored 13.1 points per game with 40.3% in three-point shot and 6.3 rebounds per game.

However, his professional career began in Italy the following year at Aurora Jesi, in Serie A2 (17.0 points with 6.9 rebounds), before moving on to Serie A at Lele Molin's Pallacanestro Cantù. He made his EuroLeague debut - comparable to the Champions League in football - with an average of 8.3 points and 4.9 rebounds, winning the Super Cup; after a short experience in Caserta, he moved on to Dinamo Sassari (where he played his second EuroLeague season, scoring an excellent average of 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds) and won the Italian title, the Italian Cup and the Super Cup.

In the 2015/16 season he leaves Italy and arrives in Saratov, Russia: the short experience ends immediately: the following year he moved to Unicaja Málaga where he played for two seasons, winning the Eurocup in 2017 with an average of 7.3 points and 4.1 rebounds.

In the following season he recorded 8.8 points per game in EuroLeague with 39.5% from three.

In the summer of 2018, he left the Andalusian city to move permanently in the regional capital of Lombardy at the court of Giorgio Armani's team, under the direction first of Simone Pianigiani and then of Ettore Messina, keeping the 6 points average and winning the Super Cup in 2018/19.

He made his first appearance in the Italian National Team (because of his naturalization by marriage) on September 14, 2018 in the match valid for the 2019 World Qualifications against the Polish National Team, scoring 16 points.

He was then selected to play the World Cup in China where he maintains a fair average of 4.4 points per match.

And now let's enter the field!

Following a brief introduction, the interview begins, which will be fully reported here in this article.

Mr. Bonacina's first question relates to the period we are living in:

- "Hi, Jeff... first of all, how are you? How much you miss basketball right now and how is the quarantine going?"
- "Luckily I'm fine, even if I'm not playing right now, I'm trying to enjoy good times as much as possible... obviously it is not at all delightful not to see my teammates, but we just have to be patient. Quarantine is like a blessing for me! Oh, yes, it seems so strange, but finally I can enjoy the moments with my son and my wife, which is not possible during the normal season - also because of the various trips we are used to do. Life is short, so enjoy it fully." 

The second question is dedicated to the situation in the native country:

- "Even in the United States people are forced to stay at home, I know. You have your family and your friends there, how is the situation?"
- "Well, for sure I am not a doctor, so it's hard for me to outline the situation... I don't know how to outline it perfectly. It is like in Italy: people are obliged to respect forced quarantine, for example my mother is involved in the situation because of work, it's her duty to help people to have a job even though she's constantly at risk, she knows it very well but she wants to do it."

Let's talk about basketball in the third question, in its form as a connection:

- "Jeff, could basketball be considered as an aggregation tool?  You know, in the U.S. this sport is life - something on everyone's lips - what do you think about that?"
- "Basketball is in the DNA of the population: it is a way to connect everyone: it's like there is some chemistry between each one of them. Every person talks about basketball, watches the highlights of the games, at the pub/bar/restaurant someone discusses about basketball, well, every occasion is a good occasion to start a debate on the subject. Moreover, basketball has become more and more global, take for example athletes such as Doncic or Antetokumpo that are in the top 10, it's very nice to see: people love this game and they love to watch it."

Therefore stands out a comparison with European basketball, a subject that will be addressed in the fourth question

- "Why do you think we are so far away from the NBA game model?"
- "First of all, it should be said that the way of playing is totally different: in Europe, unlike in the United States, every game does not matter like all the others, but it is decisive. There is a completely different mentality. Moreover, in Europe you don't look too much at what your teammates do, in fact individualism emerges much more, an element that is much less present in the NBA."

In the fifth question, we begin to describe the professional career:

- " I reconnect myself with previous questions: your career started there. How was to move on from Kentucky to Jesi?"
- "Well, although Jesi is my favourite place, I admit that it wasn't as easy as it sounds. The situation is one of the most difficult ones in life: you know, I had to leave my comfort zone, where I feel "safe", to land in a new reality where I knew neither the language, nor the food, nor the culture. Obviously, this situation has made me a better and more mature man, probably all this would never have happened if I had not landed in Jesi and had not met Benedetta (the woman who would later become his current wife, ed): this was a crucial element.

Then, I moved to Russia and Spain - in this country I was playing for myself as well, but people were so kind as in Sardinia that even my wife was confused when I greeted them with a simple "hello"; in Russia, on the other hand, although I enjoyed the experience, it was really cold, just like the population (it is well known that Russians are cold and rough as opposite to Italians for example, ed)... we also struggled to communicate with each other and all this gave me the feeling of wanting to go home.."

Our students at CIELS are also interpreters: the sixth question that is has been asked concerns the importance of English:

- "How much does English help in this context?"
- "English is absolutely essential, because it is universal. Even if I keep working on my Italian (everyone on the team speaks this language), English is the easiest way to understand each other, whether you are on the field or not. In basketball, as in volleyball for example, unlike sports such as football, English is the most used language by everyone. It also helps us all work together."

The seventh question is put by a member and is quite interesting, concerning the NCAA (a non-profit organization managing athletes' sports activities who participate in the sports programs of 1268 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada).

- "What do you reckon about the NCAA? Let me clarify, NCAA has undergone various changes during its existence and I wanted to ask you what is your position regarding its development, do you think it could develop better than it does now?"
- "That is an interesting question, very interesting. The association has changed a lot and one of the main changes concerns the money, many years ago millions of dollars were paid and what was generated - despite the fact that it is a non-profit organization - kept the money for itself. Fortunately, this situation is changing, thanks to the use of web, propaganda and social networks which have an important role in showing the efforts that have been made. After saying this, I hope that money will be given to the franchises."

Let's move on to eighth and ninth questions, both asked by two female students, concerning some professional characteristics:

- "What was the most significant moment for you in your career?"
- "Oh, definitely in Sassari when I won the cup and the Scudetto. It is a fabulous feeling and what impressed me the most was the way we dominated the game: there were only us and we demolished every opponent. That's how dreams are made of!"

- "I have a question about life as a pro... how do you deal with stress?"
- "We thought that the easiest way is using various support systems in order to calm anxiety and performance stress, but the best way to fight it, is to have someone at your side who support you, someone you trust: family, teammates, etc."

The tenth issue relates to an episode quite common among black people: racism.

- "Have you ever witnessed any racism episodes against yourself?"
- "First of all I have to point out one fact: how someone can  be so bad just because is different from me? As far as I am concerned, however, no, I have never dealt with episodes of racism, mostly for what it is related to sport, it probably happened when I went to the disco: when it happens it is difficult to have a discussion with such people who act only in a violent way: of course, you can't always say that everything is okay - the only solution to get out of this bad circle is to ignore. Strongly ignore."

At this point, here comes the eleventh question from the author of this article, a little more technical, concerning the way his coaches train in Armani's team

- "Hi Jeff! Actually, I have more than one question but for the moment I'm just going to ask you one and it's a little more on a technical level. You arrived in Milan two seasons ago and you had two different coaches: Simone Pianigiani and Ettore Messina; first of all, what are the differences between the two and which do you prefer? Then, Messina, we know, comes from a team like San Antonio, certainly not of low prestige, as an assistant coach of Popovich and, I don't know how to explain it... he should make a breakthrough in order to get closer to the NBA model, but I still see many mistakes. Why is the reason?"
- "You see, they are two completely different coaches, Pianigiani's approach was more peaceful and his preparation was more physical while, on the contrary, Messina focuses on mental preparation which is absolutely more important than physical one. By far, I prefer Ettore because you always learn something while playing and he is much more successful. Again, I repeat, in my opinion, NBA reality is completely different from the European one: in this continent every single game count and every day is vital. Apropos, Messina is much more emotional and full of it, he always finds a way to be confident; this is a great team to work with and we will see what will happen in the future, I really hope he will stay with us."
So Mrs. Brenna add: 
- "If I'm not wrong Jeff - I don't remember who it was - you already had a coach like that in Jesi, right?" 
- "Yeah, I can't remember who he was... uh... here is, Stefano Cioppi. He taught me how to become a real pro and I will always be grateful to him, every day he pushed me to improve - the same has done Lele Molin - and this mental attitude is just like Messina's one."

Mr. Bonacina's twelfth question deals with the regret of not playing in the NBA:

- "You have played in a World Cup which is obviously a priceless experience. Did not this make you feel sorry you had not the chance to play in the NBA?"

- " Honestly, it does not bother me. I would not have had the opportunity to meet my wife and playing the World Cup was a really great experience! It is something really priceless... you do not always do something that makes you happy, but in my opinion, it is essential to find your happiness as soon as possible. What would have happened if I had not enjoyed this experience? Who knows... and then, let's face it, I am 30 years old and I am an accomplished player, currently the NBA is for young guys aged 19-20, as Doncic or Young."

We move on to a nostalgic recall in the thirteenth question asked by a participant…

- " You have met legends like Riva, Marzorati and Meneghin. What have they taught you?"
- "Well, although they have played in Cantù I did not have time to meet them unfortunately, I was only 23 when I played there, I heard about them though. I was able, however, to meet and talk with Dino Meneghin here in Milan. I have to say that he taught me how to improve my defense."

The fifteenth question as the sixteenth are asked by the same students who had asked before, they are about something personal:

- "How did your parents react when you told them you wanted to become an athlete? Did they give you any advice?"
- "Obviously, as everyone would do, they have advised me, but it is the first thing I have always wanted to do... despite this, I did not get the impression that they did not want to support me, on the contrary, they have always encouraged me! They always told me to do what I wanted to do: are you happy? Then do it!"

- "If you had not become a basketball player, what would you have done?"
- "Probably I would have become a vet if I was not a basketball player. I like the idea of taking care of animals... it is like having kids, and if you do not have them, it is absolutely boring. It could have been worse, and without basketball, in my life (which I consider as a crib) I would have probably become a vet."

The last question has to do with the Italian language:

- " How is your Italian, Jeff?"
- "Ah, it could certainly be better! I am using a lot of applications as for example Babbel to learn it and start speaking it even within the team. Even if when I speak Italian it is like... I feel like something is wrong."

The interview comes to end with the greetings of Chairwoman Matteucci who hopes, as soon as it will be possible, to directly host the athlete in the university when everything will be over.

A heartfelt gratitude for the collaboration from all CIELS - from staff to students, Jeff!