By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The upcoming EHCB Coaching Congress will be held for the first time in the legendary OAKA Arena. Returning to Greece, the innovative program opens doors to basketball coaches from July 3 to 6, as announced by the EuroLeague Head Coaches Board.
EHCB executive director Goran Sasic visited Panathinaikos‘ OAKA Arena and was left impressed with the facilities in Athens.
“I am not only impressed but rather astonished, and I congratulated the OAKA staff three times during that visit for their dedicated work and the result that derived from it. I think we should all thank Mr. Dimitris Giannakopoulos for that legacy investment he granted. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t recall any refurbishments being done on EuroLeague venues like that. I don’t consider the Abdi İpekçi Arena a refurbishment since it was torn down and built from scratch, which, by the way, is another great example of a state-of-the-art arena. I was recently there, and I also consider it a great experience for players, coaches, staff, and especially fans. I hope that those two examples will lead the way for all EuroLeague clubs that need new or refurbished arenas,” Sasic said to Meridian Sport.
He explained what, in his opinion, makes OAKA special.
“I just understand too well how extraordinary efforts and hundreds of thousands of hours of sweat and blood have to be given to make such a sports facility great for all visitors and those working at it. The experience for the fans coming to the arena has been upgraded to what they deserve, and I heard from the OAKA staff that they respect the facility as if it’s their home space. The team and staff facilities are just astonishing, and the icing on the cake is the glass floor, which marks the standard for the future. Let’s not forget that it always takes one to start an evolution, and so, another thanks to Mr. Dimitris Giannakopoulos, whom I consider a visionary.”
Sasic believes OAKA is more than ready to host a EuroLeague Final Four.
“When we bid each other farewell, I wished them to experience a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in the near future, which they, as OAKA staff, Panathinaikos as a club, Athens as a city, and Greece as a country, well deserve in basketball language. Also, a huge basketball business philosophy of mine is that if you want to be a champion on the court, you also have to be a champion off the court, again something that PAO as a club has proven me right on.”
He also spoke about the contribution of Panathinaikos’ owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos.
“I want to go back in time when I worked in EuroLeague. I always said that Mr. Giannakopoulos cares more than others and has a better business mindset than anyone I have met during those times. Let me give you some examples: When we had the European club’s summit, where almost 100 clubs came to Barcelona for a meeting, he was the only one to speak up and ask when the clubs would finally be able to earn some money. I believe that this remark woke up the need to get the partnership with IMG. Without that remark from him, I think this would have never happened. I believe that the prerequisite made it now appealing for BC Partners to become a new shareholder in EuroLeague.
Next, he was the first one to sign a Chinese player to his roster, which resulted in a TV contract in China, and also PAO went on the China pre-season tour then. Same as PAO is now going together with Partizan for a pre-season tournament in Australia. I have always asked Greek, Serbian, and Turkish clubs why they don’t go abroad, where many of their immigrants are living, to play even regular season games there. Mr. Giannakopoulos led the way, even playing regular season games in Rhodes, Crete, and Cyprus, if I remember correctly. CSKA followed that lead and also played games in Kaliningrad, for example. Also, do you remember that PAO was the first one to print the season ticket holders’ names on the courtside sideline and on the players’ jerseys? Again, it was a lead that other clubs followed.”
The Giannakopoulos family has played a major role in shaping European basketball, and Dimitris Giannakopoulos is seen as the continuation of that legacy.
“Let me try to explain that from a different perspective. Let’s start from the financial fair play perspective. Željko Obradović in the past told me that CSKA and PAO saved European basketball, and when I asked him how he meant it, he replied that CSKA was the first to raise the bar to a 20 million dollar budget, which forced other clubs to match up, and the more money in basketball, the better the game will become. Next, he added an example from his club at the time, Panathinaikos, where the Giannakopoulos family, for decades, has invested not only money but given it their all. He said that the Giannakopoulos family was always present 24/7/365. This is outstanding and gives every player, coach, and staff another level of motivation in participation.
He then went on to mention all the other owners that basketball lovers should be grateful and thankful to, such as Mr. Özilhan, Mr. Armani, the Koç family, the Angelopoulos family, the Federman family, and the legendary Shimon Mizrahi. The goal should not be to limit the investments and efforts such persons and families are giving to basketball, but rather to attract more examples like those.”
Walking through the arena, Sasic couldn’t help but reflect on the rich tradition that makes Panathinaikos a staple in European basketball.
“During the arena visit we had on Monday, I stopped in front of the Pavlos Giannakopoulos statue and took a photo with him. I usually don’t like to take photos, but that one will be a special one for me. Also, when I saw all the banners of the EuroLeague trophies won on the roof, I recollected for a moment each of them and I got shivers going through my body. Just think of how many stars you see on the PAO jersey; think of those trophies, and also think about what Panathinaikos did last year with a completely new roster from scratch. It’s a unique European basketball story, and it would be a pity to try to limit Dimitris Giannakopoulos and all the other families and persons mentioned before by the financial fair play rules. The exact opposite should be applied by honoring the efforts of all those owners and trying to attract more that see the beauty and believe in the unique fan culture of EuroLeague basketball. We must enrich that fan culture and activate it again in traditional basketball cities and countries that represent devotion for basketball.
I don’t recall that financial fair play in UEFA hindered clubs like PSG and Manchester City from rising again to the top of the Champions League. Is there anyone in the football world that doesn’t like to see those two teams play in the Champions League? I have to admit that, as a basketball fan, I would never switch the TV channel when I see either of those two teams playing,” EHCB executive director, Goran Sasic, concluded.