“Greek basketball remains at a high level” – Sloukas reflects on EuroBasket 2025 success

6 days ago 20

Panathinaikos BC skipper Kostas Sloukas has expressed immense enthusiasm with the existent standing of Greek basketball, believing their caller bronze medal decorativeness astatine EuroBasket 2025 demonstrates the country’s continued strength arsenic 1 of the champion hoops nations.

Sloukas and the full Panathinaikos team were contiguous astatine a media telephone lawsuit held astatine Hickson Rd Reserve successful Sydney connected Friday (19 September) successful anticipation of the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament games connected Sunday.

The Greek hoops star reflected connected the nationalist team’s caller success arsenic they secured their archetypal medal since 2009.

“EuroBasket was very difficult,” Sloukas told Neos Kosmos.

“We were mostly optimistic from the very beginning. In the extremity we achieved our extremity of winning a medal for the archetypal clip aft so galore years. I americium very blessed to person been portion of that team.”

The 35-year-old superstar remarked that the sport has gone done immense alteration since helium archetypal started playing professionally.

“Basketball is ever evolving. It has changed completely. It is overmuch faster. A batch of talents person emerged,” helium said.

“Greek hoops remains astatine a precocious level, arsenic we saw precocious done our EuroBasket success.”

Sloukas and chap Panathinaikos star Panagiotis Kalaitzakis some noted the team’s pleasance successful coming to Australia for the tournament that honours the legendary fig of the club,

“Certainly, it is simply a large woody to bring the team from Greece to the different broadside of the world,” Kalaitzakis told Neos Kosmos.

“Australian hoops is astatine a very bully level,” Sloukas added, expressing involvement to spot what the conditions are similar and however they comparison to Europe.

Kalaitzakis admitted that the feedback they received from the players who arrived earlier successful Australia has profoundly encouraged them astir the Greek diaspora.

“We’ve heard from the players that came earlier however galore Greeks there are, and besides however galore Panathinaikos supporters are here. It is something that shows conscionable however large our team is,” helium said.

“We are blessed that we are giving radical joy, and we anticipation that our beingness present gives them a propulsion to proceed pursuing the team from afar.”

There will beryllium small remainder for Panathinaikos pursuing their Australia trip arsenic they hole for the start of the 2025/26 EuroLeague connected 30 September, and they person imposed precocious expectations connected themselves.

“Certainly, our biggest extremity is to win the EuroLeague conscionable arsenic we did successful the 2023/24 season,” Kalaitzakis said.

“Everyone will springiness their each and each play their portion arsenic we prosecute our extremity of winning the competition.”