Exclusive: Stan Okoye talks experience in Italy, Nets mini-camp, Summer League

If the 2017-18 Italian Serie A’s individual awards included one for the Most Improved Player of the season, this most probably would've been Stan Okoye, a 27-year-old American/Nigerian forward who had a huge impact for his team, Pallacanestro Varese.

Standing at 6'6 with an impressive 7-foot-2 wingspan, Okoye really had the chance to develop his game over four years in Italy. He first joined Varese in the 2014-15 season as a player who could bring a lot of energy coming off the bench. Then, he spent the following two seasons in the Italian second division, playing for Matera, Trapani, and Udine. Finally, he returned to Varese in the Serie A, where he ended up having a breakout season.

During his experience in Italy, one of the most important aspects Okoye was able to improve on was his shooting, especially from long range. Season after season, he shot with a lot more confidence, and most importantly, he shot better and better. Numbers don't lie: he started off by shooting 37% from 3-point range on 5.0 attempts per game in the second division, but his 3-point shooting percentage rose up to 41% this regular season on 5.9 attempts in the Serie A. 

"I think the biggest thing was being able to shoot from outside at a higher level than before," Okoye said during an exclusive interview with Sportando. "Also having that confidence and awareness to know when to take shots when to make plays. In my first time in the first division in Italy, the game seemed way too fast for me at that time. I wasn’t really prepared because the style of basketball I played back here in college was way different as far as running the offense. But I got used to that after two years in the second division, which was not as high-level as [the Serie A] but it made me able to learn more about the Italian style of basketball and I think that helped me.

"I want to continue to improve my shot because if I want to make it to the next level that's something that I have to be able to do on a consistent basis. [I want to] continue to be a leader. I feel like I can improve on a lot of things, like ball handling and defense as well. There's always room for improvement."

As Okoye mentioned during the interview, his two-year experience in the Italian second division was very important for his development. Being in a situation where he had to be a leader for his teams, it helped him gain more confidence and he learned how to be an offensive first option as well.

"I knew that I needed a place to go where I just could be myself and get comfortable," Okoye told Sportando about playing in the second division. "Mentally, it helped me a lot because it made me able to control the game on my own. It helped me gain more confidence. It's tougher in the first division as you have more foreigners and it's hard to get touches and you never know where you may fit in the system. But in the second division, [the team] depends on you, so it helped me a lot as far as being a leader."



After this 2-year experience in the second division, Okoye returned to Pallacanestro Varese in the Italian Serie A for the 2017-18 season and emerged as a key player for the team, averaging 15.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and one steal per game. He recorded seven double-doubles, including monster performances like the 29-point, 15-rebound game against New Basket Brindisi and the 22-point, 18-rebound game in a win against Pallacanestro Cantù.

With his athleticism and high motor, one thing that will impress you about Okoye's game is the huge amount of energy he brings everytime he gets on the court. As he noticed during the interview, his mentality is so important in order to play with so much intensity.

"I'd say that 99% of my game is my mentality," Okoye said. "Going through different situations, you have to find a way to contribute and be effective. There were times of the season where I wasn't shooting the ball well but, in order for me to be effective, I had to do the things that I know I can do naturally, which is rebounding, trying to use my energy to talk and lead my teammates. So even if I wasn't scoring I could still motivate the other guys and make them score, so I was still able to be effective and contribute in many ways.

"I just want to be a symbol of 'hard work pays off'," Okoye said about how he wants to be remembered by the fans of Varese. "As I came back to Varese, I had some interviews and people were like 'wow, you're a whole different person' and stuff like that but, for me, I had always been the same person but at the same time I knew that I worked really hard. My life has changed thanks to all the hard work I put in. I had a good season and I really appreciate the opportunity they gave me because it's rare to go back to a team where you didn't really perform well the first time. Even though I didn't have a great first year, they still welcomed me back and I felt more comfortable playing with [coach Attilio] Caja, for whom I had played in the past as well. I just want to be remembered as somebody that worked and performed at a level where I could never give up. That's been my mentality the whole season. Everybody said that we didn't have much talent and stuff like that, but the biggest thing is that we always fought till the end, and it started to work out for us."



His great season in Italy will definitely open the doors to a very interesting offseason for Okoye. Not only will he draw a lot of attention from higher-level teams in Europe, but he’s also getting a chance to showcase what he can do in front of some NBA decision-makers. Sure enough, Okoye attended a free agent mini-camp with the Brooklyn Nets and now expects to play in the NBA Summer League for the first time in his career.

"It was good," Okoye said about the mini-camp with the Nets. "It was good to play with other elite guys. I talked with the assistant GM and the International scout Gianluca [Pascucci] and I was able to get some good feedback from those guys to know what aspects I should work on if I want to have a chance to play at that level. I think they liked my energy, my defense, and the leadership, my athleticism. I was able to show those things pretty easily. The only thing is that the 3-point line is much further back and, playing in Europe for four years, I wasn't used to that so this is something I will have to work on because in the NBA you will suffer if you can't knock down that shot and you're playing on the wing. So that's one thing I will definitely have to improve on this summer if I want to be able to take a step like that. In a few weeks there's the Summer League and hopefully, I can show that I can knock down that shot."

Okoye looks forward to using the NBA Summer League as a way to show that he can produce and do all the little things that can help a team at the NBA level.

"In the NBA there's a really fast pace and I learned a lot more these past few days in the mini-camp," Okoye told Sportando. "Teams like Brooklyn want to get easy buckets in transition and capitalize off missed baskets. They want to get the rebound, push the ball and try to get quick baskets. So, with that pace, I think it complements me because I like to use my athleticism to get on the break and get easy baskets in transition. So I think my game helps a lot, as well as being able to guard multiple positions.

"I just want to show that I belong [here]. People have their opinions and whatever, but I know that I deserve a chance to at least show that I can compete [in the NBA]. I want to show that I can help and produce, whether it's rebounding, defense, leadership, and being a great teammate. That's my main goal. I can still score in different ways and I can do many different things that may not even show up on the stats. [I want to show] I can help a team."