“We had an amazing run both in the Pre-Olympic Tournament and the Olympic Games. We showed that we are a rising power, against teams that have been together for years, that have medals. The lads gave a super effort, the teams are building and there is no magic to happen overnight”stated Vassilis Spanoulistaking stock of the progress of the National Team in the Olympic Tournament.
“When we took our first steps with the National team, we went up to eight in the 2004 Olympic Games. But we all saw that something very beautiful was being built. Even now I see that something very good is being created. We fought hard, played amazing defense almost the whole tournament, same against the world champion. We took them to a score they are not used to playing, but they are a team with a lot of talent. Sometimes you need some big shots, some extra stuff and momentum. We had it in the first and third periods, but some shots that we missed and they made changed the momentum, the more depth they had, the loss came. I’m proud of these guys, of our country and that we played an Olympic quarter-final.”write down.
Read about it: Germany – Greece 76-63: The national team fell fighting (Videos)
“A 34-year-old is not a grandfather…”
In response to a question about whether age is an inhibiting factor for the future plans of the National Team, the Vassilis Spanoulis he was clear.
“I don’t think we have as advanced ages as other teams. Rudi is 39 years old and Serhi is three years older than Papanikolaou. This only exists in Greece. When someone is 34 years old we consider him a grandfather. He is not a grandfather. Did you see Papanikolaou being tired? I saw him running like a 20-year-old kid, like a madman. It’s not that… It’s the love for the country, it’s the thirst, to win something. Me and my partners will judge when a player is big.”
“Peak for who?”
In response to a question as to whether the statement “…in order for a player to be absent he should only have a serious health problem” includes some edge, Spanoulis replied: “Please… Peak for who? That’s a tricky question.”
On how he experienced his first experience on the bench of the National Team: “It was a very beautiful experience because I had an amazing team, great characters. I appreciated it. We had a very short time to prepare, but we showed a DNA and a toughness that we haven’t seen in years. We were a team from the beginning to the end, very loved, the children gave their souls, we did not drop a single match, in some matches we were better, in others worse, but we are a team that has a mentality, has built a culture and very quickly we will more successes to come.”
For the national team: “The National Team is open to all children. But its trunk must be the same, we cannot change every year. For a player to be absent, he only needs to have a serious health problem. I have a lot of respect for players who are here after such difficult years and I told them that in the dressing room. We have to build on that to help us get to the medal at some point.”
For the match against Germany: “I didn’t see that we couldn’t. I saw we were +10 at quarter time, tied at half time and +5 with 15 minutes to go. The Germans were chasing us for at least 25 minutes. They just put in some big shots, we missed them, they had more depth and freshness… The details played a role. They have been together for three years, they have been successful together and this gives them psychology. After America it is the most complete group. But we proved that after years we are again in the elite”.
As for whether he thinks a great opportunity was missed: “For me there is no missed opportunity. You chase your luck and opportunity. There will always be opportunities. There are many tournaments ahead of us. The pressure we put on is not helping. The winner is not only seen in the wins, but also in the losses, in how you lose. There are huge players who haven’t won titles or not that many. It’s the way you compete that counts, and this National Team made us feel full.”
In case something was missing in the attack: “Mr. Herbert is to be congratulated on the work he has done in Germany. Our defense was amazing, I don’t think any other team has played defense like that in Germany in recent years. We executed the plan very well, the children showed great passion. We lacked that little bit more in 1-2 phases to unlock our attack a bit. They put a lot of pressure on Giannis, he ate a basketball stick, they needed some big shots there. We say that the national team didn’t have a three-pointer, but before this game Germany had 11 three-pointers per game and we had 10. You will always miss something when you lose, overanalyzing is not good. It’s obvious what we missed and what we need to fix.”
For Eurobasket 2025: “I didn’t come for a year. I also came for the Olympic Games, but also for Eurobasket. The first thing I said when I spoke to the president was that this year we will do everything we can, but we have to build the culture and the DNA of the team. What I wanted was to make a group with constants. Relationships and teams are created, players must believe in the team. The guys believed in the potential of the team, how good we can be and that if we are healthy and everyone is together, very good things will come very soon”.
For the national team’s goal: “Let’s not start talking about octaves and such. We will also be in Eurobasket a team that will play very good basketball, excellent defense and that the opponent will be very difficult to put down. Even in 2005 we didn’t know that we would win the Eurobasket, remember how it came. We are building to taste a great success at some point. You never know what will happen. We build the chemistry, the roles of the players and we go and fight. We have a great group of players, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The greatest winner is the one who even when he loses recognizes his mistakes and comes back stronger. That’s more important than someone who succeeds once and then collapses.”
Finally, he commented on the favorites for the podium at the Olympic Games: “I think the favorites are the USA, Germany and Serbia.”
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