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Why Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Recruited Running Back Makhi Hughes From Transfer Portal

The Oregon Ducks are looking to pick up where they left off following the 2024 season, and part of the Ducks’ rebuild involved acquiring running back Makhi Hughes through the NCAA Transfer Portal. Hughes transferred from the Tulane Green Wave, which was a major pick-up for the Ducks. Hughes committed to the Oregon Ducks on […]

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Why Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Recruited Running Back Makhi Hughes From Transfer Portal

The Oregon Ducks are looking to pick up where they left off following the 2024 season, and part of the Ducks’ rebuild involved acquiring running back Makhi Hughes through the NCAA Transfer Portal. Hughes transferred from the Tulane Green Wave, which was a major pick-up for the Ducks.

Hughes committed to the Oregon Ducks on Jan. 7 as the No. 1 running back and the No. 12 player in the portal, per On3’s transfer portal rankings. Ducks coach Dan Lanning appeared on “Always College Football,” discussing with ESPN’s Greg McElroy why Oregon targeted Hughes.

“Ultimately, the goal for us is, again, to make sure we have enough guys that can play a winning level of football,” Lanning explained. “And there’s a kind of number that we really want in that running back room, and felt we had an opportunity to get a good player in Makhi.”

Dec 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning during the Rose Bowl head coaches press confe

Dec 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning during the Rose Bowl head coaches press conference at Sheraton Grand LA. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“There’s several guys in that room that I think can make an impact, but we’re ultimately looking for guys that fit us,” Lanning said.

In 2024, the Ducks’ leading rusher was running back Jordan James, who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Lanning and the Ducks built a deep running back room and are on pace to be elite and competitive when utilizing the ground game. In addition to Hughes, the Ducks will have running backs Noah Whittington, Jordon Davison, Jay Harris, and more on the roster. 

Whittington had 540 rushing yards and six touchdowns last season. Davison is an incoming four-star recruit who has high potential. In year one, Davison will not have to carry too much pressure as a freshman and can develop with the other running backs on the roster.

MORE: 5-Star Recruit Jett Washington Commits To Oregon Ducks As Class Ranking Climbs

MORE: Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders Roster Prediction from Cleveland Browns Insider

MORE: Oregon Ducks, Dan Lanning Predicted To Miss Big Ten Championship Game?

“The one piece about Makhi is he’s one that’s always falling forward. When there’s yards to be had, he’s going to make sure he’s falling forward,” Lanning continued. 

Nov 16, 2024; Annapolis, Maryland, USA;  Tulane Green Wave running back Makhi Hughes (21) scores a touchdown during the first

Nov 16, 2024; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Tulane Green Wave running back Makhi Hughes (21) scores a touchdown during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

When the running back room is as deep and talented as Oregon’s currently is, there is room for the offense to open up on all levels. Hughes and Whittington could become a strong duo, adding competition to bring out the best of each other. During the season, having two solid running backs will keep the run game energized each week. 

Hughes played two seasons with Tulane, rushing for over 1,000 yards each year. Hughes is coming off a 2024 season where he rushed for 1,401 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had 176 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Hughes had seven games where he rushed for over 100 yards. 

Oregon still has room to improve when running the ball. The team averaged 157.93 rushing yards per game, ranking No. 72 in the nation for rushing offense.

Oct 28, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Tulane Green Wave running back Makhi Hughes (21) stiff arms Rice Owls safety Gabriel Taylo

Oct 28, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Tulane Green Wave running back Makhi Hughes (21) stiff arms Rice Owls safety Gabriel Taylor (26) in the first half at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

By bringing in Hughes and having a deep running back room, Lanning and the Ducks can ensure they have the talent that fits what the team needs in 2025. Lanning expressed his excitement for what Hughes brings to the team and he will be a player to watch this season.

While Oregon lost several players following the season, the Ducks brought in numerous players to boost the offense next season. In addition to Hughes, Oregon acquired offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon, wide receiver Malik Benson, offensive tackle Isaiah World, and tight end Jamari Johnson through the portal.

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Morton tabbed to Maxwell Award watch list

PHILADELPHIA – Texas Tech senior quarterback Behren Morton was named to the 2025 Maxwell Award watch list on Monday. The annual award, presented by the Maxwell Football Club, is given to the most outstanding player in college football. The Maxwell Award watch list kicks off a two-week-plus period, as part of the National College Football Awards Association […]

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PHILADELPHIA – Texas Tech senior quarterback Behren Morton was named to the 2025 Maxwell Award watch list on Monday. The annual award, presented by the Maxwell Football Club, is given to the most outstanding player in college football.

The Maxwell Award watch list kicks off a two-week-plus period, as part of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), that will recognize the best of college football with different watch lists leading into the 2025 season.

Morton, a fifth-year senior, returns after a junior season where he completed 63.3 percent of his passes (295-of-466), throwing for 3,335 passing yards and 27 touchdowns to only eight interceptions. By topping 3,000 passing yards, it marked the 17th time in school history a Red Raider had thrown for at least 3,000 yards in a season and the first time since Nic Shimonek in 2017. Morton started 12 of 13 games in 2024, missing only the Red Raiders’ bowl game as part of the beginning stages of rehabilitation of a lingering shoulder injury; his body of work over 12 games ranked him seventh in the FBS for completions per game (24.58), eighth for passing yards per game (277.9), and 16th for both total passing yards (3,335) and passing touchdowns (27).

He enters his final season as a Red Raider already ranked sixth in the Texas Tech record book for career completions (574), seventh for career touchdown passes (49), ninth for career pass attempts (931) and 10th for career passing yards (6,209). Morton also moved into ninth place for career touchdowns responsible for (56), at Texas Tech as well as yards of total offense (6,284). 

Morton will have the opportunity in 2025 to become the fourth Red Raider in program history to throw for 10,000 career passing yards, joining a prestigious list that includes Graham Harrell (15,793), Kliff Kingsbury (12,429) and Patrick Mahomes II (11,252). 

The Maxwell Award watch list once again incorporates a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast. The full list consists of 80 players, with Penn State leading the way with three candidates and an additional 16 schools having two players represented. The SEC boasts 17 candidates, followed by the ACC (16), Big 12 (15) and Big Ten (14).

ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB

The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. 

NCFAA WATCH LISTS

The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. Sixteen NCFAA members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a two-week-plus period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates.

The following is the 2025 preseason watch list calendar:

  • Mon., July 28: Maxwell Award
  • Tue., July 29: Outland Trophy/Bronko Nagurski Trophy
  • Wed., July 30: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award/Butkus Award
  • Thu., July 31: Paul Hornung Award/Allstate Wuerffel Trophy
  • Fri., Aug. 1: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy Award
  • Mon., Aug. 4: Walter Camp Award
  • Tue., Aug. 5: Doak Walker Award
  • Wed., Aug. 6: Biletnikoff Award
  • Thu., Aug. 7: Davey O’Brien Award
  • Fri., Aug. 8: Mackey Award/Rimington Trophy
  • Mon., Aug. 11: Bednarik Award

– TECH –



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Boo dilemma: Does talent heal headaches?

I don’t know but I’ve been told that Boo is leaving the Tennessee football team. Oh, my. Whether this is pure fact or part fiction, it says there is unrest in the Volunteers’ highly regarded clubhouse culture and includes the real possibility that one of the top talents is focused elsewhere. Sad to say Josh […]

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I don’t know but I’ve been told that Boo is leaving the Tennessee football team.

Oh, my.

Whether this is pure fact or part fiction, it says there is unrest in the Volunteers’ highly regarded clubhouse culture and includes the real possibility that one of the top talents is focused elsewhere.

Sad to say Josh Heupel has limited influence. As the story goes, he’s forced to straddle the fence between discipline and player retention. Coach will tell us tomorrow if defender Boo Carter is already gone or if a temporary peace treaty has been hammered out with the official players’ council and other disgruntled teammates.

Boo Carter

It certainly would be smart to hold him accountable and allow his response to determine his path.

If Boo says he wants to stay, that he is sorry he missed team meetings and workouts while others were sweating, that he will do whatever is necessary to make amends, so be it.

But, be sure going away will pop up again sometime, during or after the season – but hopefully not at halftime of the Alabama game.

I don’t know but I’ve been told that “Go Vols” has never been Boo’s battle cry. From appearances, Boo is really big on Boo.

I predict that now or later, Coach Heupel will have to repeat his famous Nico line, “Nobody is bigger than the program.”

As a matter of fact, soon after the playoff debacle, Boo wasn’t thinking about the team when he publicly negotiated a pay increase and talked of transferring. He actually requested and received transfer portal papers. He eventually tossed that idea aside and announced that he would return to Tennessee as a sophomore in 2025.

He’s sort of been here.

Before spring practice, he was promoting himself as multi-talented. He insisted on being a defensive back, kick returner and wide receiver as was Travis Hunter at Colorado. Travis won the Heisman Trophy.

Unrest is not new with Boo. If you are keeping score, he was at three high schools as a junior and senior – Chattanooga Christian, Chattanooga Brainerd and Bradley Central in Cleveland. He didn’t change schools for more money.

That might have been a recruiting red flag but ability overwhelmed caution. It took Tennessee’s best effort to beat back Michigan and Colorado. That’s twice I’ve mentioned the Buffs. There may be a third time coming.

 ***

If you know a youngster who thinks he wants to be a college football coach when he grows up, suggest he try televised sky-diving or professional wrestling as a career. Both are easier.

Top coaches are paid well but the profession is hazardous to good mental health. Consider recruiting. It is frantic and confusing. The word “commitment” now means almost nothing.

To even talk recruiting, you need to know who makes decisions – the prospect, father or mother, agent, girlfriend or self-appointed primary advisor. After that, subject matter is flexible but don’t bother with the weather or school tradition or value of degrees and future contacts. Those are now incidental.

NIL numbers will be meaningful. Opportunity will be somewhat relevant. What really matters in most cases is money.

Coaching is now an endless scramble between trying to build a roster and hold it together if you get it built. Depth is almost impossible. Backs, receivers and offensive left tackles do not wait around for play time. Auctions are on-going. Tampering leads directly to higher bidders.

Coaching is a lot more than fundamentals, game plans and motivation. There is solicitation of donations and covering the betting line.

Recruiting never ends. Coaches must try to sign the best players they can find and keep what they get.

 ***

Josh Heupel may never lose his love of coaching.

Heupel concedes that his sport is different off the field. He says things on the field haven’t changed all that much. The opportunity to be part of a team, to compete and exceed expectations is still very satisfying.

“What happens outside the game has changed, right? But the game hasn’t. You’ve got to be tough, smart and physical. You’ve got to play extremely hard. You’ve got to have fundamentals and technique.

“I chose to coach college football because I love dealing with 18- to 22-year-olds.”

He could have added “most of the time.”

Heupel says he takes pride in aiding development, seeing boys mature into men. He and I love the pageantry of college football. Yes, winning is still a thrill.

Josh didn’t mention that he gets paid more than the average traveling salesman.

Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com



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All-American Nebraska, Penn State volleyball stars add NIL sneaker deals

Women’s college volleyball has exploded over the past few seasons, garnering record attendance and viewership numbers in the process. During the NIL era especially, volleyball student-athletes have become some of the most prolific brand ambassadors and content creators. Now, two of the nation’s best have landed sneaker deals with a disruptor brand in the space. […]

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Women’s college volleyball has exploded over the past few seasons, garnering record attendance and viewership numbers in the process. During the NIL era especially, volleyball student-athletes have become some of the most prolific brand ambassadors and content creators. Now, two of the nation’s best have landed sneaker deals with a disruptor brand in the space.

Avoli – the only athletic brand dedicated exclusively to women and girl volleyball players – has signed All-American duo Andi Jackson of Nebraska and Izzy Starck of Penn State, adding two stars to their growing NIL roster. A season ago, the Portland-based brand celebrated its first birthday with a $2.1 million funding round, a new exclusive retail partner in SCHEELS and seven college athletes joining the brand.

Jackson and Starck are the highest-profile signings to date and mark a significant moment for Avoli.

MORE: Beauty brand levels up women’s basketball support with Azzi Fudd, Paige Bueckers

“I chose to partner with Avoli because of how they talked about women sports and how they are giving girls shoes just for them,” shared the defending Freshman of the Year and National Champion, Starck. “I love how there is a shoe company that is meant just for volleyball.”

“I chose to partner with Avoli because their products empower the next generation of female athletes, something I’m deeply passionate about,” added the AVCA All-America First Team member Jackson. “Their shoes and apparel have brought players, teams, and clubs together; building communities and lasting connections for athletes.”

Both of Avoli’s latest signings are returning to school this Fall as Player of the Year candidates and although they can’t wear the brand on-court for their respective teams – Nebraska is an adidas school, while Penn State is Nike – both athletes can support the brand through marketing campaigns and social media support outside of official team activities.

“Bringing Andi and Izzy into the Avoli family is a natural extension of our commitment to empowering women and girls in volleyball,” said Rick Anguilla, Avoli’s Co-Founder. “They are exceptional athletes and inspiring role models, and their decision to champion our brand underscores the real impact we’re having on the sport. We’re thrilled to welcome them to the Avoli team as we continue to innovate and support the sport’s incredible momentum.”

Starck and Penn State begin their title defense on Aug. 23 versus Creighton, while Jackson and Nebraska start their season on Aug. 22 against Pittsburgh.

– Enjoy more NIL Daily on SI –

14-year-old soccer phenom makes NIL history with first partnership

NIL powerhouses Azzi Fudd, Livvy Dunne join star-studded sparkling water investment

Kai Trump joins Livvy Dunne, Travis Kelce with new NIL deal

Nation’s No. 1 college basketball recruit signs NIL deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand





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SBJ Power Up

* * * * * You can’t have a discussion about sports technology today without including athletes in that conversation. Their partnerships, investments and endorsements help fuel the space – they have emerged as major stakeholders in the sports tech ecosystem. The Athlete’s Voice series highlights the athletes leading the way and the projects and […]

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SBJ Power Up

* * * * *

You can’t have a discussion about sports technology today without including athletes in that conversation. Their partnerships, investments and endorsements help fuel the space – they have emerged as major stakeholders in the sports tech ecosystem. The Athlete’s Voice series highlights the athletes leading the way and the projects and products they’re putting their influence behind.

* * * * *

New Zealand cyclist Ella Wyllie is preparing for her second Tour de France Femmes, which starts tomorrow and, for the first time, has expanded to nine stages. After turning pro in 2023, she first participated in that summer’s Tour de France and finished second in the youth classification and later took eighth overall in Australia’s Tour Down Under. Wyllie, who is also studying civil engineering at the University of Auckland, missed last year’s Tour de France with injury but returns this year as a member of Liv AlUla Jayco.

On preparing for the Tour de France Femmes . . .

I’m so excited. I did the Tour two years ago, and it was my first big tour. And last year I missed out just because of injury and everything, so it’s really nice to be in a position this year where I’m happy with my form coming into it.

The Tour is getting longer, which is exciting, and, yeah, definitely the last couple stages, I was lucky enough to go on a recon with the team. We’ve checked them out, and they are looking pretty hard so I’ve been doing some training to replicate that. And there’s a hilltop finish, so I’ve been doing a lot of climbing.

On her training plans . . .

I have a team coach, Marco [Pinotti], so he’s been really helpful because he just plans the training for me, and I discuss how I think things went or maybe my own feelings about things and where I think I’m struggling a bit more. He just looks at all that and the course demands, and we just plan intervals, VO2 efforts, all the fun things, and mix it in with a bit of endurance riding to get a good base. But yeah, it’s really the spicy VO2 efforts that get the race kick in the legs and hopefully will put me in good form for being amongst the favorites in the race.

On the tech she uses . . .

I have a power meter on my bike, and also heart rate is another big thing in terms of just seeing how you respond on the fatigue and all those kind of metrics. Lactate testing can also be helpful in certain periods of training and everything. Cycling is just getting more and more technically advanced in all those metrics, but also, at the end of the day, you’re not looking at your power meter when someone’s attacking. You might understand, oh yeah, it’s hard, but I’m not going to say to my competitor, ‘Oh sorry, we’re 100 watts over what I should be doing for three minutes. Sorry, I’m just going to wait.’

At the end of the day, that’s just all to help the training, really, because in the race, it’s actually just all on perceived effort. And you just have to go hard when you need to go hard. Especially on long climbs and breakaway efforts, you’re probably more in tune with, Okay, I’m going to try and stick around this watt range because you know exactly how you can handle fatigue. It’s always a useful tool, but you also have to remember that at the end of the day, it’s a race.

Ella Wyllie of New Zealand and Team Liv AlUla Jayco sprints during the 35th Giro d'Italia Women.
Getty Images

On what she applies from her engineering studies . . .

I’m always messaging my coach with, ‘Oh, look, I saw this.’ Yeah, I definitely appreciate all of that stuff. I’m very analytically minded, so if I can notice patterns or see improvements through certain things — I think sometimes it’s not so obvious — but when you do look at all the data, you can pick up the small wins. And to me, that’s motivating too. I’m also known to like Strava.

On evaluating brand deals and supporting her journey in sport . . .

I’m in probably a bit more of a unique position coming from New Zealand where we didn’t have so much support from our governing body, Cycling New Zealand. They are really great in some areas, and obviously we have the chance to be racing in the world championships, but we don’t have the money, necessarily, to fully fund it. So when I go to a world championships, I’m paying the majority of the fees to go, and it’s expensive because I have to pay the flights, you’ve got to pay towards staff support and accommodation.

So, yeah, I’m definitely reaching out to brands and people that are wanting to invest in my journey and everything. But it has to be the right partnership. I think it has to be mutually beneficial and also things that make sense. I’m not going to go and promote something that’s completely outside of my realm being a professional cyclist.

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Former Texas Longhorns Coach Mack Brown Worries About Impact of Current NIL Model

After coaching college football for 36 seasons, former Texas Longhorns head coach Mack Brown has chosen to spend 2025 in a more limited role. He spent the past five years as the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, but they terminated him following the 2024 season. Brown now works for ESPN as an […]

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After coaching college football for 36 seasons, former Texas Longhorns head coach Mack Brown has chosen to spend 2025 in a more limited role.

He spent the past five years as the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, but they terminated him following the 2024 season. Brown now works for ESPN as an analyst and has launched a podcast with Vince Young called “The Stampede: A Podcast on the Texas Longhorns.”

Brown also commented on NIL and the ways in which it has impacted the landscape of college football recently.

He recently addressed the issue on Triple Option Podcast, which is hosted by Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram and Rob Stone. 

“We should have paid players forever,” Brown said. “Urban (Meyer) and I got $15 a month. Mark (Ingram), was a super player. He should have gotten a lot of money when he played — and what happened was the universities abused it. They took the money, the conferences took the money, and the players and the families didn’t get any. If we had given even a stipend for graduation, give Mark (Ingram) 150,000 when he graduates to get his life started. If we could have paid parents way to games, or we could have done something to help these families before it got to a point where it was just ridiculous.”

Brown’s belief that college football exploited talented players like Ingram is not an uncommon one. However, he doesn’t believe the way in which NIL has been introduced in the past few years is a model that can succeed long term.

“And then what we do, we panic,” he said. “We get all the toothpaste out of the tube, and we make decisions. A lot of smart people that maybe didn’t have enough common sense made decisions that have bad consequences,” he said.

Whether the planning that went into rolling out NIL can be considered sufficient remains debatable. Brown believes that the haste with which it was implemented caused certain unintended consequences to be overlooked.

For example, he believes that players who do well with NIL but don’t end up joining the NFL could be at a disadvantage when they enter the world that exists beyond college. They might be faced with making less money than they did in college, which could lead to financial troubles or mental health problems.

Additionally, he worries about the relationship between NIL and transferring schools. 

“If a guy transfers one time, he’s got a 63% chance to graduate because a lot of his courses don’t transfer,” Brown said. “If he transfers four or five times, he’s not going to graduate and he’s not going to have a home. He’s not going to have boosters that get to know their favorite players. He’s not going to get a job in that community when he gets out.”

In other words, he believes that the blind pursuit of NIL deals can come at the unknown expense of building relationships and prioritizing community. 

“Right now, we don’t have any guidelines,” Brown said. “Then you get transfer portal — and the transfer portal and NIL at the same time are a disaster because that’s creates tampering.”

Only time will tell whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks of the current NIL model, but Brown believes that better methods are out there.



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Luca Virgilio: “Europeans in the NCAA earn 10 times more.”

Rienk Mast is returning — you have one of the best Turkish prospects in Berke Büyüktuncel, and you picked up some good players from the transfer portal. What are the ambitions for next year? We have a roster we like; we recovered Mast, who was one of the key players two years ago before getting […]

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Rienk Mast is returning — you have one of the best Turkish prospects in Berke Büyüktuncel, and you picked up some good players from the transfer portal. What are the ambitions for next year?

We have a roster we like; we recovered Mast, who was one of the key players two years ago before getting injured, and overall we are an offensively very talented team. We hope to have a good season. On paper, there are two or three teams that start as favorites in the Big Ten, and then, I know it sounds crazy, there’s a big group of 10-13 teams at the same level, and we’ll see who has the right chemistry with the transfers. The Big Ten will be strong, probably stronger than last year, with teams investing a lot of money. It will be very competitive and our goal is to be competitive with the hope of making the tournament, which is always the ultimate goal.

There have always been Italian players or players trained in Italy in the NCAA — at St. John’s, for example, you had Federico Mussini and Amar Alibegovic — but now it is becoming the first choice for players finishing youth basketball. How do you judge this change and what impact can it have on Italian basketball?

Why do they leave Italy? There is an economic factor that cannot be denied, but there is also a growth plan: they come to play college ball because they don’t play in Italy. Obviously, they earn ten times more than they would in Italy, but I’m not convinced that, in most cases, that’s the main reason. I think many kids are fascinated by the idea of college, but it’s not like everyone has a strong desire to move to the other side of the world to keep studying. But if there isn’t a growth plan and they end up sitting on the bench in Serie A just for the passport and don’t play for 2-3 years, then it becomes difficult. I follow them all, obviously out of passion and recruitment, and 90% of the Italian players who come to college don’t play in Italy, and it doesn’t even make sense to play in Serie B or the under-19 league. There is no real pathway and that’s the part I find hardest to understand. I don’t have a solution, but there needs to be some idea that changes this path and gives these Italian boys more playing time.

Is it the fault of Italian coaches? No, because they have to play whoever wins games, otherwise they get fired. There’s a mindset attached to results that drives our business which is to the detriment of the growth of our young players. In the long run, this possibility that kids come to college will make the Italian basketball movement explode, because they come here and play, and this is fundamental for talent development and individual growth. We have a strong generation, kids recruited by the best universities in the U.S., but it’s no coincidence that France or northern European countries are growing so much because, if you look, they all go to college — even the Spaniards. Instead of complaining about the talent drain, let’s try to understand how to turn it into an advantage for Italian basketball. That is the question to be answered at a federal or league level to get back a national team that competes for medals, exactly as we do now at the youth level.

When will we see Luca Virgilio as head coach?

No no no no, head coach no, I’ll leave that to others. I’ve always been more behind the desk than on the court; I help a few kids here to grow, but I’ve always been more behind the desk.

And will you return to Italy someday?

Never say never. I was born and raised with basketball in Rome; it breaks my heart that there’s no Serie A or Euroleague team in Rome. I hope Virtus Roma keeps growing and it’s nice that Luiss keeps getting results. Investments are needed though, and I know Rome isn’t easy. Italy is home, there’s talk of NBA Europe and we’ll see what happens.



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