After Mumbai Meteors defeated Chennai Blitz 5-0 in the second season of Prime Volleyball League at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru, a young Mumbai fan went to meet with Brandon Greenway near the courtside.
The 25-year-old outside hitter who hails from Phoenix, Arizona, USA, was excited to say hi to the young fan and shook his hand.
As soon as Brandon left for the dressing room, the young kid took out his phone and took a selfie of his hand and screamed, “Bro, Brandon shook hands with me!”
Speaking on the reactions he is receiving from the fans in India, Brandon said that he is grateful that he is able to expand the volleyball community in India and wants to be a role model for the young kids.
“I truly appreciate the reaction from the fans. I make it a point to sign autographs and meet with fans every time I get an opportunity, as while I was growing up, interactions such as those made me more invested in the sport,” Brandon said.
“I feel if I can get kids excited to play volleyball and they make their goals to play in RuPay Prime Volleyball league, and help the volleyball community grow up, I would have done my part here. Having kids look up to me means that much more to me and I truly want to be a good role model,” he added.
Brandon initially started his sporting career with American Football as he played in safety and wide receiver positions. But he is not too shy to admit that he was not very good at the sport, and was lucky that he was introduced to volleyball because of his sister.
“My sister was playing volleyball. My father stopped coaching me in football because and would go with my sister as she was doing better in volleyball. So, I started going with them to the volleyball court and became hooked to the sport. My father started coaching both of us and I picked up the sport at the age of 14,” the Mumbai Meteors star revealed.
After playing at the school level for four years, Brandon decided to get a University scholarship so he could play in the first-division leagues in the USA. He went on to compete in Division 1 USA for the University of Charleston between 2015-2019. He went on to play for VK Vestjlland Denmark between 2020-2021, and then played for Bitterfeld-Wolfen German Bundesliga in 2021-2022.
Since 2020, Brandon has also been playing in the start-up professional league in the USA, VLA, for New York and Phoenix Ascension. He also won the Danish cup bronze Medal in 2020/21, and was named as the Match MVP Germany in 2022.
“Brandon believes volleyball is growing and is one of the top two fastest-growing sports in the USA right now. “US have also developed professional leagues set up for volleyball for men’s and women’s which is gaining traction, so I believe volleyball can compete with NFL and NBA in the country at some point,” he said.
While not yet been given a chance to play for the USA, Brandon has hung out with the international players at the gym and dreams of representing his country one day. “I have trained along with them and it was a great experience. Just hope to play for the USA some day,” he said.
Currently in Hyderabad for the start of the second leg of the tournament, Brandon has enjoyed the Indian food he has tasted so far, though he recalled one bad experience.
“I loves the food in India. I love to experiment and I try everything. Though, one time I did try something and it got me. It was too spicy for my taste buds, but I absolutely love the food here,” he said.
The Mumbai attacker also lauds the Indian culture and said that interactions with the people brings smile to his face. “I am enjoying the culture and people of India and believe they are the kindest lot I have ever met in my life. I enjoy that the fans going crazy and the more I interact with people, the more I get happy and it brings a smile to my face,” he said.
Brandon has also started enjoying the Indian music being played by his teammates at the gym and the dressing room. “I really enjoy the Mumbai anthem. I go crazy over it and now have the song on my phone,” he said.
Appreciating the Indian culture filled with music and dance, Brandon made a huge promise. “I will 100 per cent dance on any Indian song you want me to if Mumbai Meteors win the trophy. There is no doubt about it, I will dance here, in front of everyone,” he said.
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