Team Focus: Panathinaikos
|
 |
Zeljko Obradovic, Head Coach
|
|
Coach, tell us about your team's roster for the next Euroleague season, what changes you made and what improvements you expect to gain from those decisions?
“Like every year we have changed some players. This year we have six new players. Two of them have played for us in previous seasons. One is Sakota and another is Fotsis, so they know everything about our philosophy, winning and what it means to play for Panathinaikos. We have a very young kid from PAOK, Verginis, who we believe has a future and one day will be an important player in Panathinaikos. At shooting guard there is Drew Nicholas, who has experience playing in Europe first with Benetton and last season with Efes Pilsen. I must say that I am very satisfied with the way we work together. He is a very serious person. He likes basketball and he wants to learn more about how we play and his role. Finally we have two players that were with Partizan Belgrade last season. One is Dusan Kecman, a player with great experience, a calm player who always knows his role. And then there is Pekovic who last year was the surprise of the Euroleague. A player that we believe will improve and could be one of the best in his position in the Euroleague. I am very satisfied with all my players and now the only problem is to work and to put everything together.”
How much can you learn from the preseason about your team? What signs do you look for now that will help when the Euroleague starts?
“You know how it is. You start to work and everything looks like it is perfect. Then you start some friendly games you understand that you must work more and more. Friendly games exist I believe for this reason. We are maybe now at 40 or 50% or our potential. So we have until our first official game several more friendly games and many practices to be ready for the start of the season.”
Now that all the other teams have mostly completed their rosters, how does the competition in the Euroleague this season look like to you?
“I believe that every year it’s a strong competition, a very good competition with many teams that want to be in the Final Four. Of the 24 teams, there are at least 16 teams that want to reach the Final Four. That means it’s a very good competition at a high level.”
What are your goals going into the new Euroleague season?
“Our target will be the same as last season. First of all to play good basketball and to bring many fans to our gym because last season we led the Euroleague in attendance.”
|
|
 |
|
|
 One team that is eager for the 2008-09 Euroleague season to tip off is 2007 champion Panathinaikos as it looks to erase the memories of last year’s disappointing campaign. The perennial Greek League champion was unceremoniously bounced from the Euroleague in the Top 16, however six-time Euroleague champion head coach Zeljko Obradovic will surely know how to use that as motivation for his troops this time around. The Greens added some important new players in dominant center Nikola Pekovic, scoring ace Drew Nicholas and defensive swingman Dusan Kecman. The Greens also brought back star forward Antonis Fotsis to join forces with a star-studded lineup that includes three-time Euroleague winner Sarunas Jasikevicius, four-time Defensive Player of the Year Dimitris Diamantidis and former All-Euroleague second team selections Mike Batiste and Vassilis Spanoulis. The one and only goal is seeing team captain Fragiskos Alvertis lift the Euroleague trophy in Berlin on May 3, 2009.
| Name |
Pos.
|
Height
|
| Drew Nicholas |
G
|
1.93
|
| Nikola Pekovic |
C
|
2.10
|
| Antonis Fotsis |
F
|
2.08
|
| Dusan Sakota |
F
|
2.05
|
| Dimitris Diamantidis |
G
|
1.96
|
| Vassilis Spanoulis |
G
|
1.93
|
| Nikos Hatzivrettas |
G
|
1.95
|
| Stratos Perperoglou |
F
|
2.03
|
| Mike Batiste |
F
|
2.04
|
| Fragiskos Alvertis |
F
|
2.06
|
| Sarunas Jasikevicius |
G
|
1.93
|
| Dusan Kecman |
G
|
1.97
|
| Kostas Tsartsaris |
F
|
2.09
|
| Dimitris Verginis |
G
|
1.91
|
| Head Coach: Zeljko Obradovic |
|
|
|
|
As usual, coach Obradovic relies on a 15-player lineup for a deeper, extended rotation throughout the season. Jasikevicius is the fearless floor general, whose court sense, outstanding passing skills, outside shooting and killer instinct carry the team forward. Diamantidis is one of the best defensive guards in the world, as well as a reliable offensive player with great ball-handling skills. Spanoulis offers outstanding driving skills and unlimited shooting range. It will not be unusual to see these three players together on court. Nicholas, a former Alphonso Ford Top Scorer trophy winner, is able to create his own shot and should benefit from Obradovic's playing style. Kecman comes off a career-best season with Partizan, in which he helped knock off Panathinaikos in the Top 16. He offers defense, intensity and experience to the mix. Nikos Hatzivrettas, always a key player for coach Obradovic, is back to provide anything his team needs, from leadership to defense and experience. Youngsters Aris Tatarounis and Dimitris Verginis add depth in their debut Euroleague seasons.
Stratos Perperoglou is a complete player who has overcome an adjustment period and is ready to see more minutes at small forward.  He has an ideal complement in three-point specialist Dusan Sakota, who is back with the team after a period on loan. Legendary forward Alvertis returns for his 19th season in Green and for the chance to win his fifth Euroleague title, which would make him tie for second place in competition history. Fotsis, at the prime of his career, provides athleticism, shooting range and great one-on-one skills. Pekovic is a force of nature, a physical center with power, footwork and convincing post skills. Batiste provides aggressiveness, intensity and power. His ability to hit the mid-range jumper allows him to team up in the paint with Pekovic for a deadly frontcourt. Experienced big man Kostas Tsartsaris is a great outside shooter with a nice set of post skills, highlighted by a very effective jump hook.
Even though many of the Euroleague powerhouses are stronger for the upcoming season, it would be a terrible mistake not to consider Panathinaikos a top contender to win it all. Not only does coach Obradovic bring back the core of players that won the Euroleague title in 2007, he has added Pekovic, 'Saras', Spanoulis and Fotsis to get even better. The Greens have the complete package: talent, experience, winning mentality, tradition and above all, a hungry coach that wants to keep rewriting European club basketball history.
|
|
Euroleague.net
|