Jayson Granger, the basketball player, was introduced on Tuesday as the new player for Peñarol, a team that will seek to win the South American Basketball League and the Uruguayan Basketball League.
During his presentation at the Peñarol Palace, Granger highlighted: "I am aware of the responsibility that comes with wearing this jersey. I come with the mentality of winning all the games, the classic matches, the non-classics, the South American League, which is the number one objective, and we will work together, me and my teammates, to put Peñarol on top of everything."
The 33-year-old player pointed out the conversation he had with coach Pablo López as a key point in accepting the Carbonero's proposal: "I only worked with him once in the Uruguayan National Team, and his philosophy, methodology, and mentality convinced me a lot to be here today. Pablo is one of the Uruguayan coaches with the most knowledge in basketball. Knowing how he works convinced me."
Granger will participate in the Uruguayan Basketball League for the first time since he went abroad at a young age, playing in Spain, Turkey, and Germany.
"To be honest, I was never a fan of Peñarol or Nacional, I was always a fan of Defensor. I really like basketball, and Peñarol's interest scored a lot of points, it is one of the biggest in all of America. I spent half of my life in Europe, but most of my friends are Peñarol fans, I wanted to be close to family and friends, the decision was the right and ideal one for me and my family," he emphasized.
His father (Jeff Granger) played for Nacional. Jayson said about it: "My father always told me to make the best decision for myself and my family, he never said 'I played for Nacional, I would love for you to play for Nacional,' never. And I really appreciate that; my father always supported me, he has been my number one fan, and it has been really nice."
In addition, Granger pointed out that he is in very good physical condition: "I am great, I have been training hard for a month and a half, I played all 65 games last season in Spain, and I am eager to perform. I hope to debut with Peñarol soon, I am ready."
"For me, it is a great joy to be able to play in my country, for my wife and my children to see where I come from. It is a challenge that I face with a lot of enthusiasm for people to see me play throughout the year in Uruguay, being in the Uruguayan League is something very beautiful and that I always had in mind, especially to come back in good physical condition," stated the basketball player.
He added, "It is clear that people will demand a lot from me and more than that, I am prepared for that and much more, not winning would mean a failure, especially considering the effort that has been made, there is a team, and we have to make the effort to compete."
Finally, Granger spoke about his position: "I have always played as a point guard, but in recent years in Europe, I had to adapt to certain new roles, playing as a shooting guard and also using my scoring skills more than my playmaking abilities. I will have to adapt to what the coach asks of me."