Table of Contents
On Thursday night, somewhere in Geneva, FIBA’s social media man hit the nail on the head: “Greece beat England in football. Greece lost to Britain in basketball. Have we gone completely crazy?’ Good for trolling, but own goal or rather… drag basket. The defeat of the national basketball team is solely due to the “civil war” that has been raging for seven years in European basketball. If the Eurobasket qualifiers did not coincide with a full Euroleague season, Greece would travel to London complete, with the sole exception of Giannis Antetokounmpo. She would undress the armored British, sign autographs for the brain drain Greeks and return to her base with the ticket for EuroBasket 2025 sealed. He wouldn’t descend on the Copper Box Arena with a lineup of national hopefuls.
“Thanks… no thanks”
At the start of the mini-preparation, Vassilis Spanoulis was quick to thank Olympiacos and Panathinaikos for the “spirit of cooperation”. After Thursday’s defeat, however, the federal coach varied the trope: “How will we go to Eurobasket if we don’t have the internationals present in the qualifiers?”. Some events had intervened that made the federal feel that he was playing with an empty deck of cards:
• The permission originally given by Olympiacos to Giannoulis Larentzakis was curtly revoked due to injuries to Dorsey and Vezenkov. Larentzakis, who is usually left out of the 12-team in the European matches of the “red and whites”, played just 8 minutes in the easy game against Baskonia in Faliro. Less than any other Olympiakos player except Wright.
• Panathinaikos granted permission to Ergin Ataman and Cedi Osman for the matches of the Turkish national team against Hungary. The fans of the Turkish federation took place, but the “greens” only gave Moraitis to the national team of Greece, who has played all of 17 minutes this year in Europe. Slukas, Mitoglou, Kalaitzakis, Papapetrou were excluded, while Kostas Antetokounmpo remains injured.
• First-class players from third-party European teams regularly donned the coat of arms of their home countries, either with the blessing of their respective clubs (e.g. the once-green Lithuanian Lekavicius of Zalgiris, Serbian Dobric of Red Star) or a race for to play two matches on consecutive nights (eg the Georgian Toko Sengelia of Virtus). The list includes many names.
In Greece, the state within a state is the two “eternals”. Each federal coach is forced to acrobat the tightrope of diplomacy and maintain difficult balances, unaffected by his personal stature. Exposed by the non-existence of the EEC, which does not even intend to threaten with disciplinary penalties the players and teams that renounce the national emblem, Spanoulis tried to strengthen the national team for tonight’s match with the British in Thessaloniki without breaking many eggs. The tank, after all, is very small.
The two players who made statements in favor of the national team, Larentzakis and Kalaitzakis, one “red” and one “green”, that is, were invited to wear the blue today in Pylaia together with the 34-year-old captain Kostas Papanikolaou. Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, of course, had a match the night before last in the distant Kaunas, from where the journey to Thessaloniki is a complete adventure. The Basketball League matchday has fortunately been postponed…
The overworked Walkup was ruled out so that he could be tested in these two games in place of the only “naturalized” forgotten Naz Mitrou-Long. There was no mention of players playing in foreign Euroleague teams, such as Baskonia’s Nikos Rogavopoulos and Monaco’s Giorgos Papagiannis. Papagiannis will face off with Spanoulis from Monday in the shadow of the Monte Carlo casinos, along with Nick Calathes who is injured. From the rest of the internationals, Charalambopoulos, Th. Antetokounmpo.
In the same project viewers
Even with so many rumors, three players from the 12 squad of the Olympic Games (Toliopoulos, Hougaz, Moraitis), last summer’s 13 (Loundzis), one with a successful tenure in the NBA (Mitrou-Long) and many young people who will be called to bear responsibility the following day: Zougris, Avdalas, Mantzoukas et al. The national team led with a difference of 17 points in the first part but collapsed in the second, just as it happened in the corresponding “window” three years ago in Newcastle (7869). It is worth noting that from the “windowless” – and headless – national team of November 2021, only two players competed in this year’s match: Lountzis and Mouratos.
In front of her loyal home crowd, and boosted by comparison, the ‘official favourite’ is expected to defeat the Brits tonight and shake off any threat of elimination. Three of the four teams in the group will qualify for EuroBasket, so three wins will be more than enough, as the Dutch are 0-3 at the halfway mark, behind 2-1 Greece, the Czech Republic and M. Britain.
However, the national team wants the first place, not only for reasons of prestige but also for the best possible draw in the final phase. EuroBasket 2025 will be held in four countries (Latvia, Cyprus, Poland, Finland), however the Greek team will have the role of an organizational “partner” of the Cypriots, so it will certainly compete in the Limassol group, with an opening date of August 28. The finals are scheduled to take place in Riga between 5 and 14 September 2025.
Read also
Alarm in the West after the strike in Ukraine with the new Russian Oreshnik missile – NATO meets in emergency
Karamanlis broke the “silence” of a week – “Disciplinary measures make it difficult to support the national line”
Nikos Romanos: He was remanded in custody for a fingerprint on a mobile object – Episodes outside the court
Beware, if you travel with an airline and a discount, Pitsilis may accuse you of money laundering
Battle for artist degrees at the Council of Ministers – Professor Panos Lazaratos explains the importance of the first decision in Documentonews
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘
fbq(‘init’, ‘726515947549353’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
#eternals #hurt #national #team #Spanoulis #vetos #team #decimated #London
**Beyond addressing the immediate challenges, what long-term strategies should Greek basketball adopt to ensure the sustained success of the national team and cultivate a new generation of talented players?**
## World Today News Podcast: Analyzing Greece’s Basketball Struggles
**Hosted by: [Your Name]**
**Guests:**
* **Kostas Papanikolaou:** Current veteran player on the Greek National Basketball Team, known for his leadership and experience.
* **Nikos Zougris:** Young, rising star on the Greek National Basketball Team, representing the next generation of talent.
**[INTRO MUSIC]**
**Host:** Welcome back to World Today News Podcast. Today, we’re diving deep into the world of Greek basketball and dissecting the recent defeat against Great Britain in the Eurobasket qualifiers.
We have two fantastic guests joining us: Kostas Papanikolaou, veteran leader of our national team and Nikos Zougris, a rising young star. Welcome, gentlemen!
**Kostas & Nikos:** Thank you for having us
**Host:** Kostas, let’s start with you. The article highlights the “civil war” between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, impacting the national team’s availability. How does this internal struggle affect team morale and performance on the international stage?
**Kostas:** (Answers, outlining the challenges of bridging club rivalries and prioritizing national duty.)
**Host:** Nikos, as a younger player, how do you navigate these dynamics while trying to establish yourself on the national team? What are the considerations for a young player facing this kind of situation?
**(Nikos responds, perhaps discussing the mentorship he receives from veterans and the importance of maintaining focus on the game despite external pressures.)
**[Transition Music]**
**Host:** The article mentions the lack of official sanctions against clubs refusing to release players for national team duty. Do you think the Hellenic Basketball Federation has enough power to effectively address this issue?
**Kostas:** (Shares his perspective on the federation’s role and potential solutions, possibly advocating for stronger regulations or collaborative solutions with clubs.)
**Nikos:** (Offers a younger player’s perspective, perhaps mentioning the importance of inspiration from successful national team performances and the need for a unified front.)
**Host:** Despite the challenges, the Greek national team has a proud history. What are your hopes for the future of Greek basketball?
**Kostas:** (Reflects on the team’s potential, highlighting the importance of long-term planning, development of younger talent, and building team cohesion.)
**Nikos:** (Expresses his ambitions for the national team, citing role models and the desire to contribute to future successes.)
**[Transition Music]**
**Host:** Looking ahead to the next match against Britain in Thessaloniki, how confident are you both in securing a victory and reaching the EuroBasket 2025?
**Kostas:** (Analyzes the upcoming game, emphasizing the team’s strengths and strategies, while acknowledging the difficult context.)
**Nikos:** (Expresses his determination to perform well and contribute to the team’s success, highlighting the importance of learning from past experiences.)
**Host:** Gentlemen, thank you for your candid insights. We wish the Greek national team the very best in its quest for Eurobasket qualification.
**Kostas & Nikos: ** Thanks for having us!
**[Outro Music]**
