"I've been a few places."
New Breakers import Edgar Sosa offers up a pointed understatement after another torrid morning's practice at the spiritual home of New Zealand basketball.
The New York City native of Dominican descent has traversed the globe on his way to his arrival on Auckland's North Shore – plying his trade in Italy, Germany, Spain, Puerto Rico, Iran, and Lebanon after a star turn at famed US collegiate program Louisville.
It makes for a well-worn passport, and only adds more credence to his glowing reviews of his Aotearoa experience to date.
"So far, this has been one of the greater set-ups I've been a part of," says Sosa, who spent a couple of brief months as a member of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks in 2015.
"The team is really all about the community and the fans, we really try to get out there and show our appreciation.
"The players and the coaching staff, everyone's been great – the first month has been really special for me here."
The Dominican Republic's starting guard has even received his initiation to the nation's favourite sporting past-time, although there still appears to be some slight confusion.
"The guys got me to watch a game of the Tall Blacks, those guys are really good. It's just so physical, that’s a crazy game."
The 29-year-old's on-court impact has been immediate, guiding the Breakers to a win over Melbourne United in their first pre-season outing of 2017 with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, which included 4 from 7 from beyond the arc.
Scoring was something which was in short supply for the Breakers last season, and was even more pronounced following the injury absence and eventual departure of Corey Webster.
Sosa's ability to put the ball in the bucket, particularly from long-range, will be indispensable for a Breakers side which ranked among the bottom half of NBL teams from deep in 2016/17.
And the 6 foot 2 point guard possesses the uncanny knack most natural scorers possess of catching fire and stoking those flames until they singe. He once sank 10 three-pointers in a game for his former Serie A Italian side as part of a 40-point total haul.
The Breakers staff and players have already taken heed of his high-amplitude game, and veteran guard Kirk Penney has sat up and taken notice.
"Being so up and down with the type of game that he plays, we have to really keep up with him," said the 36-year-old former league MVP.
It's a style of play coach Paul Henare has been wholeheartedly encouraging of from his new floor general, with Sosa eager to play what he perceives as a significantly faster paced game when compared to what he's experienced in Europe the past few years.
"He just wants me to play my game, to stay aggressive on both ends of the floor, be a leader to these guys and not be afraid to step to the forefront and give my opinion on things," says Sosa of the direction his coach has been offering him.
"Even though I'm a new guy on the team, to use some of my experience to help the others."
He's also been officially handed the reins, with assistant coach Mike Fitchett confirming Sosa will begin the new season as the Breakers' starter at the point guard position against the Cairns Taipans in Auckland on October 8.
With back-up Shea Ili fresh off a sparkling Asia Cup campaign for the Tall Blacks where he showcased his ever-expanding offensive game, he'll need to be consistently at his best to retain that role, and he knows it.
"Shea pushes me every day, and hopefully I'm doing the same for him. He's definitely getting me a lot better.
"You've got to earn your time and minutes in practice, so hopefully I'm doing a good job of that."
Sosa's certainly no stranger to silverware, having won three championships through the past three seasons in the Italian, Iranian, and Lebanese leagues respectively.
Now well-versed in the recent success of what is now one of the winningest franchises in the NBL's history, he wants to add more banners to the one's he's been admiring up on the wall during practice.
"I feel like because were the one team outside Australia we kind of have to earn our respect, so we all take that personally. We don’t want to make any excuses, we want to go out there and compete.
"The way we're getting after it and going after one another at practice, were all feeling good. We're loaded, and we're ready to get this thing rolling."
The Breakers play their final pre-season game against the Brisbane Bullets in Tauranga on Wednesday.
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