Α.Harrison: «I want us to have an incredible season!»

Double, but not trouble! Aaron Harrison spoke to olympiacosbc.gr about his childhood, his twin brother Andrew (also a professional basketball player), the NBA, Galatasary and -of course- the new 'red' chapter in his career.

His childhood

On October 28, 1994, Aaron and Mariah Harrison welcomed their twin sons into the world only a minute apart! "I grew up in Houston, Texas with my twin brother and my parents. My father and mother are wonderful people and I have had a very beautiful childhood. My dad used to play basketball after work and I and my brother would always go with him to watch. That's how we started really liking basketball, liked playing it also and it 'stuck' with us…"

Most times there's competition among siblings, however, this was not the case for them. "We used to play for hours one on one at the hoop we had at home. We would be playing until we had no more strength to keep going, but we never kept score. We were never competitive with one another. Our goal would be to make a better player of one another. And when the opportunity was there, we always wanted to be on the same team. And we were always together, even at College".

His love for basketball was only magnified by his idols. "I really like Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant. They were my favorite players. I loved watching their games and I was growing up I felt I was becoming good at it and started falling in love with basketball".

There was no competition between him and his brother, however - and that was inevitable - other would be comparing them. All the more, when they both got to wear the Kentucky jersey, the beloved Media topic would be who the better amongst the two was. Usually the one coming up 'short' would be Aaron, with his brother Andrew and his father opposing the assessment! "It's true, we would be often compared. That's both good and bad… People make comparisons all the time about everything; however, we did not care about it. We got used to it as the time was passing by…"

The two brothers would be doing everything together, however, at some point following college they had to 'split up'. And as the Olympiacos' guard admits: "It was really hard from me, however, I had to adjust to it. I always felt that my brother had my back and I would have his. We were both impacted by not being together anymore, but we adjusted as time passed. Maybe we get to be together on the floor again sometime in the future. If thins are good for us, the moment and the situation the proper one, then we would definitely want to play for the same team. I would like to believe that we're going to be able to do that before our careers end". 

His basketball course until Turkey

In April 2014, Aaron Harrison 'sealed' a lot of mouths that thrived in comparisons, when he "aimed" for March Madness and the final NCAA tournament. How? With three buzzer beaters, he got to lead Kentucky to the final! "It felt incredible! It's something that I will get to remember for the rest of my life. It was incredible that I was able to come forward in these games and made my self visible in that tournament".

On April 9, 2015, the Harrison brothers once again functioned as one… They both opted out of the last two years of college and entered the NBA draft. Andrew Harrison was drafted at #44 by the Phoenix Sunda, however, the 'reds' player never got o hear his name. "After two years I left college. I chose to try for the NBA draft early on, however, I did not get picked and that was something that disappointed me a lot. I was really happy for my brother though. And to tell you the truth, I preferred being the one not selected and not him. However, I was really upset by what had happened, and at the same time, I got more determined. I participated the Summer League having a huge motivation, I played some really good games and the Hornets gave me a chance!"

Thanks to his determination and resilience, Aaron was the one to enter the magical world of the NBA first and not his brother. ON November 20, 2015, he debuted with the Hornets jersey against the Philadelphia 76ers. "The fact that I was there was exciting. It was a dream comes true, but things didn't go as I would have wanted them to. It was really tough because I wasn't playing at all in the first year. Not being able to play while you are healthy and not with some injury problem is the most difficult situation an athlete can face, according to my opinion. It was certainly a great experience, I materialized my dream, I played in the NBA, but I was really struggling with not getting minutes".

Determined not to sit at the bench end ever again, he decided to travel across the Atlantic. "I have had some offers from Europe, but the offer Galatasaray had made had been the best. They are a team with a long tradition. It was a little hard at first, because I had left my family behind and needed some time to adjust. However, until the season started I had adjusted and had really started enjoying life and basketball in Istanbul".

Aaron Harrison was a fan favorite and this was obvious when he left, since the Galatasaray fans overwhelmed him with messages of love and good wishes on social media. "Fans, especially in Europe, are really passionate. I love being close to them and do everything I can so that the teams wins and they are happy. Galata's fans were amazing! I'm certain I'm also going to bond with the Olympiacos' fans. And that's because I share the same passion with them, I always want to win".

Chapter Olympiacos...

The American guard felt that it was time he stepped up in his career and the Piraeus team was deemed to be the perfect destination. "I have had other offers; however, I was so excited when I received the one from Olympiacos! They are a big European club, with rich history. All the more, Greece is a very beautiful country and the opportunity that came my way was great. It's a huge club and it's an honor to play for them".

When goals are discussed, most players are restrained. Aaron Harrison however, does not keep his ambitions hidden. "I want us to have an incredible season. I want to advance as far ahead in the Euroleague as possible and why not, to the end! My expectation is that the more the season advances we become an even better team. As for me, I want to have stability and always help my team win".

Discussing his strong and weak aspects of his game, he said: "My strongest asset is definitely offense, scoring. As for my weaknesses, I would like to be more consistent. My goal is to be the same player in every game and that's exactly what I'm working on. To present the best version of me each time I get on the floor".

The American guard will be visiting the SEF for the first in August, when the pre-season starts and that's because he has never played against the 'reds'. The scarce bits of info he has about the atmosphere in the gym comes from the former Panathinaikos players, Zack Auguste, who had been his team mate with Galata. "Zack Auguste has told me a few things; however, I have never had the chance to play at the SEF so that I have personal knowledge of the atmosphere the fans create. I'm looking forward to though!"

Instead of an epilogue, his message to the Olympiacos's fans is: "I'll do what it takes for the team to win and to have a successful season. I'm grateful that I have the chance to play for such a great team!"