By Antonis Stroggylakis / astroggylakis@eurohoops.net
ABU DHABI (United Arab Emirates)– Giorgos Printezis is part of the All-25 EuroLeague team, has produced one of the most iconic winning baskets ever in a EuroLeague Final and the guy who passed him the ball, also an All-25 EuroLeague team member and an Olympiacos legend, will be the opponent of the Greek powerhouse.
Vassilis Spanoulis is coaching Monaco against Olympiacos in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four semifinal, and Giorgos Printezis loves him. Still, he will support the Greek club: “Billy knows that I wish him the best, but I have many brothers at Olympiacos, friends, coaches, even the presidents. We have been through a lot together. I think Vasilis will have many opportunities in the future”.
Spanoulis, arguably the EuroLeague GOAT with three titles and three MVP Final Four trophies, is going to be an even better coach, according to Printezis: “He will surpass Spanoulis the player. He is a basketball junkie. He works nonstop. I appreciate these people. If you are methodical, consistent, you cannot fail to succeed. Bily does it.”
Speaking about the difference between Olympiacos coach Giorgos Bartzokas and Spanoulis, Printezis added: “Bartzokas really likes rotation. Having a team with roles, everyone being useful and not essentially depending on one or two players. Everyone has their own coaching approach. Billy places great emphasis on defense and freedom for 2-3 players in the attack, without putting barriers on them and giving the rest a specific role.”
On the other hand, Olympiacos is competing for the fourth straight time in a Final Four, having lost the previous three. With Sasha Vezenkov returning from the NBA, is it finally time for them to win?
“Look at the previous Final Four in 2023, and Sasha did really well. We just didn’t manage to win. I put myself in it too, but it’s out of habit (laughs). This year, Olympiacos has an extra element, like Panathinaikos last year. Evan Fournier, Sasha, Nikola Milutinov, and Luca Vildoza can create for themselves. I think it’s the only year where there is a common consensus that Olympiacos and Panathinaikos are probably the best teams in Europe. I don’t want to diminish Fenerbahce, but both Greek teams deserve to be in the final.”
And on a personal note, he admitted that he doesn’t dwell in the past, but he considers the 2013 title of Olympiacos harder than the one won in 2012: “I hate watching myself on video. I don’t Google it. Maybe I’ll do it when I’m 50. I don’t go through that process. Of course, the moment of the winning basket in 2012 stands out, but 2013 was even more difficult because each of us was trying to prove that we weren’t a fluke. We were trying to prove that 2012 wasn’t a coincidence. Psychologically, it was the most difficult year.”
Kyle Hines: “I am still living the dream”
His former teammate in Olympiacos, current assistant coach with the Nets, and also All-25 team member, Kyle Hines, didn’t hide his excitement: “I am still living the dream, having the opportunity to be here and be a part of this”.
Hines, the only US player with four EuroLeague titles, admitted that he can’t really pick one moment from his glorious career: “It’s very, very difficult for me. They are all special, and of course, every one of the four EuroLeague wins was special for me”.