Matt Walsh expressed his pride for becoming an Aris player at his official presentation, and also stated that his new team could easily play in the Euroleague and have success in it.

“I’m excited and proud to be here, in this club which has got great history in Greece and in Europe. It’s an honor for me to play for Aris, it’s the biggest club in my career in Europe”, Walsh said, before speaking about David Blatt: “I’m also excited to be in coach Blatt’s team. He’s a great coach, who is always positive. He makes basketball fun to play. He’s the first American-born coach that I have the chance to work with in Europe and this is a plus, because we can communicate perfectly. Hopefully I will be playing for his team for a long time”.

Regarding his debut against Alba Berlin, the 28-year-old shooting guard had words of praise for the fans of Aris: “It was unbelievable. I hadn’t the chance to play in this arena ever before. I knew that the fans create a wonderful atmosphere, but it’s one thing to see it on the TV and another thing to actually live it. During warm-up,whenI entered the court and saw them cheering us, I felt overwhelmed. These fans give Aris a certain advantage in every game”.

Moreover, Welsh said that the “yellows” have nothing to envy of the teams that he faced in the Euroleague, during his Union Olimpija Ljubljana spell: “I had the chance to play against top teams and I can tell you tht Aris could easily play in the Euroleague and advance to the ‘Top 16’. I know that the team has had ups and downs this season, but the way the team is now, it could be in the Euroleague and be successful too”.

The American guard also stated that his new team is strong enough to make it to the Eurocup Final Four in Vitoria, Spain: “I believe that we can make it, absolutely. I think that we’re as good as any of the other teams which fight for a place in the quarterfinals. We have some work to do in order to qualify, but if we reach the playoffs, I think that anything can happen in a home-and-away match”.