By Michalis Gioulenoglou/ info@eurohoops.net
Limassol, Cyprus – The serial of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s on-court presence with the Greek national team has officially come to an end.
Coach Vassilis Spanoulis was asked in the official pre-tournament press conference if his superstar must be protected and maybe not be used in some Eurobasket games, which might be easy for Greece, but important for their opponent, mainly Bosnia, and he clarified the situation: “Giannis can play as much as I want him to play, we are in the official games now and there’s no limitations any more”.
Captain Kostas Papanikolaou also praised Giannis: “He is one of the top players in the world, he is amazing. His presence and the way he is treating his teammates, how approachable he is, that’s making him a good leader. He is reaching out to everybody, he is helping everyone, and he makes sure everyone knows what he has to do. He is more vocal compared to his first years in the national team. That makes the team function better”.
Spanoulis elaborated on that: “I agree with Kostas, he is more vocal this year. He is very humble for his status and the kind of player he is, and that extends off the court. He wants to win, he wants to get this team to another level. He listens, but he can also lead the team in his own way”.
Speaking about the first game of the tournament, Spanoulis explained that there are no secrets: “Italy is a very good team, they have been together for a long time, we know them very well, and they know us too. For me, the first game is always tough; I have full confidence in my team”.
Papanikolaou added when asked if the crowd will be filled with Greek fans cheering for their team, since Cyprus has an ethnic connection with Greece: “Hopefully yes, we know we will have the gym on our side, we want to play also for them, to give them joy, to give them something to cheer for”.
Greece was Eurobasket champion in 2005, and after 20 years, Spanoulis, who was a member of that team, was asked to make a comparison: “It was unbelievable moments, and now we have the chance again to chase our dreams. But we have to go step by step, game by game, and this starts with Italy. In these tournaments, it’s not only about tactics, but being present when it matters, and our guys have big hearts, for the lack of use another word”.