Vitto Brown breaks down how Vassilis Spanoulis' arrival in Monaco can impact the team's course and his own role. The American forward opens up on the challenges of his transition to the EuroLeague level and the plans regarding his song recordings in different languages.
On June 28, AS Monaco announced the signing of Vitto Brown on a 2-year deal. But even if someone misread the word 'signing' for its anagram, they would be equally correct.
| Player of the Game | |
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EFF
35
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| Alpha Diallo | |
| Points | 24 |
| Accuracy | 8-11 |
| Rebounds | 7 |
| Assists | 2 |
For Brown, singing has always been a passion. While growing up in Bowling Green, Ohio, the aspiring player used to perform at weddings and church services.
When his basketball career took off, he had to choose one vocation over the other. As it turned out, he picked basketball, and the decision has paid dividends so far. The pinnacle of a 5-year career overseas came last summer in the form of a EuroLeague contract that brought him to the Principality.
However, that doesn't mean Brown, 29, has given up on his singing ventures.
"I've been really focused on basketball right now. Just trying to earn my keep and solidify myself. But in my free time, I'm always working, so you'll hear some things in the near future," he told BasketNews after Monaco's big win over Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens last Friday.
Brown started singing with his family's singing group, 'Shades of Brown,' at a young age and was even given the chance to perform the US national anthem at the 2015 NCAA Final Four.
His 2-year stint with Pinar Karsiyaka in Turkey didn't hold his artistic ambitions back at all.
The Oklahoma-born forward was able to record several songs in Turkish. Most of the time, a recording studio wasn't required. Brown would just perform anytime, anywhere.
However, the setting now is different. Brown isn't stationed in Izmir anymore but in Monte Carlo. He's not playing in the Basketball Champions League, where he averaged 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting an impressive 48.7% from distance last year, but for one of EuroLeague's powerhouses that aspires to go all the way.
Even though Brown landed in Monaco with Sasa Obradovic as the head coach, the Serbian tactician didn't give him significant and meaningful playing time.
Prior to the game at OAKA, he had started in 3 of his team's 11 games in the season and scored in double digits just once, in a Round 4 game against Virtus Bologna.
Nevertheless, the outing against Panathinaikos was a different story since he got to not only start but also finish the game. Overall, he recorded 9 points and 1 rebound in 17 minutes on the court.
"You love that, right?" he chuckled.
"Obviously, it's helpful when the coach has confidence in you and knows what you can do. I want to keep proving him right and keep moving forward," Brown added and revealed Spanoulis' instructions before tipoff.
"He told me
