February 09, 2012
Together again, Aris vets want back in Euroleague
Demos Dikoudis, Andy Betts and Michalis Kakiouzis, back together in ArisAris BSA 2003 is banking on a roster peppered with veterans as it begins the Euroleague Qualifying Rounds this week with the sole intention of rejoining the continent's top competition. Aris opens with two games against Greek rival Maroussi Costa Coffee, at home in Thessaloniki on Tuesday and away in Athens on Friday. On the Aris roster are several players who have thrived in the Euroleague before, including a frontcourt trio that led another Greek team wearing yellow to great success. Andy Betts, Michalis Kakiouzis and Demos Dikoudis were among the stars for AEK Athens when the team made the Euroleague semifinals in 2001 and a year later won the Greek League, the club's only domestic championship in nearly 40 years. Those three players are reunited now at Aris and hoping to make magic together again. "It is like we never separated," Kakiouzis said. "The connection between us is perfect because we know each other, and that is always good for the three of us and also for Aris."

Although Kakiouzis and Dikoudis had been together awhile at AEK, it wasn't until Betts joined them in 2000 that they became a trio with Betts. Success followed soon enough. Betts was the team's second best scorer and top rebounder as AEK roared through the Euroleague season and into the playoffs. There, a first-round win over Zalgiris landed AEK in a tough best-of-three quarterfinal series against Benetton Treviso. In the first game, Kakiouzis posted what is still his best performance in a Euroleague game, 27 points and 10 rebounds for an index rating of 37, as AEK won 97-89. Game 2 was won by Benetton in Treviso, setting up a do-or-die third game in which the trio proved crucial. Dikoudis and Betts led AEK with 13 points each and Kakiouzis added 11, but their 21 rebounds together was just as important in giving AEK a 71-56 victory and a place in the semifinals. The next series saw AEK fall just 3 points short of reaching the finals, but the accomplishment of making it that far was clear. "We have great memories from the last time we played together in AEK," Dikoudis said. "We had a very good time there."

The 2001-02 Greek League finals go down in history as one of the most exciting in competition history. Olympiacos had a 0-2 lead in the best-of-five title series, but AEK rallied to lift the trophy against all odds. "We beat Olympiacos three times and everyone went crazy, because it took us more than 30 years to win the title," Kakiouzis remembered. "The whole season was memorable because we had a young team and were the underdog. We managed to do it, giving AEK its only title in the last 40 years, more or less. It was great for us and for all AEK fans," Dikoudis agreed. "I have great memories from that year. It was a great moment for us and also for AEK... We came back and that made it even sweeter," Betts confirmed.

In the time that has passed since, each has gone on to additional success. Kakiouzis reached the Final Four a total of three times with two different teams outside Greece. He was a mid-season arrival when Montepaschi Siena made history by reaching the 2003 Final Four to cap its debut season in the Euroleague. Kakiouzis and Montepaschi repeated their Final Four trip in 2004. Kakiouzis moved then to Barcelona and reached the Final Four again in 2006. The summer before, he and Dikoudis helped Greece become EuroBasket 2005 champions, and the one after, to win silver medals at the 2006 World Championships. Kakiouzis and Betts played together again at Spanish side Cajasol, too. Along the way, all three players accumulated domestic titles: Kakiouzis in Spain and Turkey, Betts in Spain and Dikoudis in Russia and Greece. Dikoudis was the only one to reach the top of the mountain in Europe however, as he lifted the Euroleague trophy with Panathinaikos in 2007.

Michalis Kakiouzis, Demos Dikoudis and Andy Betts played together in AEKNow, fate has brought them together again, which means that Betts, Kakiouzis and Dikoudis are focused on the series against Maroussi and the chance to make a trio once more in the Euroleague. It is the first time in any of their careers that they will play such crucial games right at the start of the season and Kakiouzis is fully aware of that. "Whatever we say now about Maroussi won't mean much because the games are totally different, always," he said. "Of course, being a new team with six or seven new players, the fact that we have been together for many years helps a lot. We know we will not be 100% ready for the game against Maroussi, because no team in Europe can give 100% right now, so early in the season."

Betts hopes that his new-old teammates can help Aris avenge defeat in the Greek third-place playoffs against Maroussi last season. "We have two important games against Maroussi and knowing each other is a plus in terms of chemistry," he said. ""Playing with them again is great because we are very good friends. We kept in touch all these years. Both are great players and we understand each other well. We know we can be successful again."

Betts, Dikoudis and Kakiouzis are fully aware that Aris has a unique chance to make it to the Euroleague – and an extra season in Europe's signature competition is also important for the three of them. "For Aris, it is very important to play in the Euroleague. It is also very important for me, too," Kakiouzis said. "For this team, every home game is special, with thousands of Aris fans. Aris belongs in the Euroleague, so being there is also important for our club's history. Playing for Aris and growing up in Greece, you know the team well since the 1980s. They had the best team in the country and the best players in Greece ever, Nikos Galis and Panagiotis Giannakis."

For Dikoudis, a spot in the Euroleague would give him an especially rare feat. "If Aris makes it to the Euroleague, it will be my sixth different team in the competition," Dikoudis explained. "It would be a great feeling because everyone pays attention to Aris. Everybody wants to play in the Euroleague."

One thing is for certain: the trio that made history with one Greek team wearing yellow is ready to see if they can do the same with another. "We all have some good years left in our careers and are still hungry. That is very important," Betts said. "We don't feel like we have already accomplished everything. We still want to reach goals and this is a big chance for us to do it with Aris."
Monday, September 28, 2009
Javier Gancedo, Euroleague.net
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