By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
After starting the season with Nanterre 92 in France, Petteway left for Greece and PAOK. And in Game 1 of the Round of 16, Nanterre lost at home to Banvit (74-66) and has a mountain to climb in order to qualify for the quarterfinals, while PAOK beat another Turkish team, Karsiyaka, by six (74-68) and remains more than alive for the second leg.
Petteway was a key part of PAOK’s win. In 15 minutes of action he added nine points and made his presence count. It was an all around performance with two rebounds, one assist, one block and one turnover.
Not bad for a guy who arrived on the 26th of February at Thessaloniki and he is still learning how to play with his new team.
The point is that his decision to join PAOK in order to make things happen in the Basketball Champions League was more than conscious. As he said upon his arrival: “I am impressed by the city, the organization of the team and how everyone helped me to feel welcomed. My goal is to help as much as possible in order to bring victories to the team and go far in the Basketball Champions league. I talked to the coach. He told me to have patience, to learn exactly how the team plays in defense and attack. I spoke with other players who have played in Europe, but also with a coach from Italy who I trust a lot. He told me it was a good opportunity because it’s a team with a tradition in which it’s worthy to be involved”.
That’s pretty much the opposite situation with what he experienced in Nanterre 92. “I did not agree with many things with him. We had a different philosophy. It is a story that belongs to the past and here all will be different”, expained the 25 years old player.
Meanwhile PAOK is also knocking the door of the fourth position in the Greek league and Petteway’s game can be a solid addition to the team that caoch Vasilis Papatheodorou is building.
Can he be the x-factor that will also lead PAOK to the quarterfinals, despite not having the home court advantage? It will be proven on the court in a few days.