Bigger, taller, stronger, faster, simply stronger than the others. Facing the Dominican Republic (109-82) in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't give any gifts: 32 points (11/11 on shots and 9/13 on free throws) in… 18 minutes!
“ If he has to score 40 points, he will do it; if he has to score less, he will do that too. “, his coach formula in selectionand a true legend of Greek basketball, Vassilis Spanoulis.
The latter reveals that the two men discussed a lot about how Giannis could become more effective in FIBA basketball. He understood what he had to do and how to adapt his game to European basketball. We also made some adjustments, but the most important thing is that he arrived in the team with an excellent mentality. “, he explains without giving details on these adjustments.
No Olympic Games since 2008
Beyond the technical aspect, Vassilis Spanoulis is charmed by the personality of his star, loyal to the selection. He is very humble, even though he is a superstar. He only thinks about winning, he does not care about statistics. He sacrifices himself for victory. “The Bucks star is not looking to differentiate himself, to ” to do something different from his teammates. He is there to help the national team, like all of us. »
” Giannis represents us all over the world and we are very proud of him. He is open-minded, he loves basketball a lot, he loves his country. He really wants to be here and he really wants to do something that we have missed in the last 15 years. “, says Vassilis Spanoulis, referring to the fact that Greece has not participated in the Olympic Games since 2008.
Like his coach, center Giorgos Papagiannis is under the spell of a teammate ” exceptional, not just as a player, but as a person. He makes everyone feel good, and that's why he's the NBA MVP. »
Greece plays again today against Egypt before (very probably) meeting one of the three teams from the other part of the draw of this TQO (Slovenia, Croatia, New Zealand).
