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Costas Vasiliadis of PAOK
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He may have just turned 20 this year but in Costas Vasiliadis, but the fans of PAOK are sure they have found a long-term leader, the kind of talented and dedicated player who they hope can bring the club’s glory days back to Thessaloniki. A native of Kilkis in northern Greece, Vasiliadis saw his childhood dream come true at age 16, when he wore the PAOK jersey with number 7 on the back for the first time. Only two years later, he became the youngest captain in the history of the Greek first division. And this season, he has led PAOK to an impressive debut in the ULEB Cup, two road wins, while scoring 19.5 points per game, putting him among the competition's elite. That is appropriate, because he has always wanted to put PAOK in the elite, too. "I feel honoured to be PAOK captain," says Vasiliadis. "It's a real nice feeling, but the responsibilities grow bigger. I hope that I live up to the expectations."
The story of Costas Vasiliadis could be the novel of a kid who followed his dream, and whose will and passion made him a local hero. He left his hometown of Kilkis at 16 to join PAOK's academy after convincing his family to move to Thessaloniki. "My parents decided to support my choice," he recalls. "They left Kilkis and they always stand by me." Only a few months later, he led PAOK's junior team to the Greek title, averaging 30 points himself as the team won by an average of 30 points in the finals stage. From that junior team, not only Vasiliadis, but also Panagiotis Vassilopoulos and Loukas Mavrokefalidis, are by now first-team regulars in PAOK.
When financial problems caused some PAOK veterans to leave the club around 2000, the youngsters learned responsibility fast. "That was something that we, the young players, took advantage of," he admist. "Ours became a leading role." Vasiliadis played 10 games in the 2000-01 season, 20 with more and more minutes in 2001-02. He became both a starter and the captain from the start of the 2002-03 season. Meanwhile, the talented shooting guard won two bronze medals at the international junior level, first at the 2002 European Championship in Germany, then as the 2003 World Championships in Thessaloniki. Both times, Vasiliadis was the leader and high scorer of the Greek team, which featured other talents like Vassilopoulos, Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Stratos Perperoglou and Dusan Sakota, all of them playing now important roles on first-division clubs.
However, according to Vasiliadis, the most critical moment of his early professional days came in the winter of 2002, during a road game against Olympiakos, when Vasiliadis was punched by Reds center Kenny Miller. "It was the moment that I stopped being a kid and became a man,” he said later. His numbers have improved year by year since. From 2.1 points per game in 2002, he went up to 9.6 the next year, then exploded to 15.7 last year. His number 7 jersey suits Vasiliadis fine despite being worn for years by PAOK's legendary shooting guard Bradislav Prelevic. "Seven is my favourite number, nothing more, nothing less," he says. "I know that PAOK fans remember Bane (Prelevic) playing with that shirt, so they are right to have bigger demands from the guy who wears that jersey. My personal goal is one and only: I also want to be remembered."
And now, Prelevic is the head coach of PAOK, but Vasiliadis says he doesn’t feel any pressure because of that "Bane knows very well the psychology of the athlete, because he was one great basketball player," Vasiliadis says. "I feel lucky, because I play the same position he used to play and I can learn from him things that I couldn't from someone else." Vasiliadis could be described as a great athlete, playing the shooting guard position, a reliable defender, a good penetrator, an even better jump-shooter, who owns a deadly hand from behind the arc that will only get better with age. Still, he sounds unsatisfied: "I could have been an even better player by now. I work on my technique, my shot and my muscles. The competition is too hard and I should practice more." Practice, in fact, is what Vasiliadis is know best for doing. As Tony Ronzone, the Detroit Pistons director of international scouting, has said: "Vasiliadis may not be one of the most naturally talented Greek youngsters, but if he keeps up practising as much as he does now, he will have the most successful career of them all."
This current goal for Vasiliadis is to celebrate at title with PAOK. "I know that our fans are seeking a title, the same as my teammates and I are,” he said. "In the Greek League we have had a good start, standing atop of the table. In the ULEB Cup, we also aim as high as we can. Our fans sing about winning the championship, the cup and a European cup. Why not at least fight for that?" His future plans speak volumes about his ambitions: "I want to win titles with PAOK. They ask me if I want to move to another team. Why should I? For me, PAOK is a great team, we keep improving every year, and the people love me… Nobody can predict the future, but I want to stay." Thessaloniki certainly wants the same. Vasiliadis is already a local hero there, as a recent marriage proposal in a fan-mail interview on PAOK’s official website attests. Vasiliadis wildest dream is to be mentioned amongst all-time legends of PAOK and Greek basketball. For a 20-year-old who signs autographs for people twice his age, fulfilling such lofty dreams is far from impossible.
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Monday, November 22, 2004
Stelios Kyriakoglou, Athens
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