The 2014
FIBA World Cup of Basketball is closing in. After 36 years, a Filipino team is
once again among the teams participating, and Pinoy hoop nuts the world over
eagerly await how Gilas Pililipinas will fare against the world's best
basketball talents.
In this
five-part series, I will give a preview of what to expect from each team Gilas
will face in Group B. In this particular post, we'll focus on the last team to
defeat Team USA in the FIBA World Championships (way back in 2006), Greece.
 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo might have many chances to do this when Greece takes on Gilas Pilipinas. (image from NBA.com) |
(as of August 24, 2014)
Position
|
Name
|
Age
|
Height
|
Club
|
PG/SG
|
Nick
Calathes
|
25
|
6’6
|
Memphis
Grizzlies
|
PG/SG
|
Vangelis
Mantzaris
|
24
|
6’5
|
Olympiacos
|
PG
|
Kostas
Sloukas
|
24
|
6’3
|
Olympiacos
|
SG
|
Kostas
Vassiliadis
|
30
|
6’7
|
Olympiacos
|
SG
|
Nikos
Zisis
|
31
|
6’6
|
UNICS
Kazan
|
SF/PF
|
Giannis
Antetokounmpo
|
19
|
6’10
|
Milwaukee
Bucks
|
SF/PF
|
Kostas
Kaimakoglou
|
31
|
6’9
|
UNICS
Kazan
|
SF
|
Kostas
Papanikolaou
|
24
|
6’9
|
Houston
Rockets
|
PF
|
Georgios
Printezis
|
29
|
6’9
|
Olympiacos
|
C
|
Ioannis
Bourousis
|
30
|
7’0
|
Real
Madrid
|
C
|
Andreas
Glyniadakis
|
33
|
7’1
|
APOEL
|
C
|
Ian
Vougioukas
|
29
|
6’11
|
UNICS Kazan
|
Notes:
- Greek
coach Fotis Katsikaris was more than a little miffed that his number one big
man, NBA center Kosta Koufos, was not joining the Greek squad for the World
Cup, but, still, he has a formidable team capable of making a lot of noise.
- Other
notable omissions are perennial starters Vassilis Spanoulis, Antonis Fotsis,
and Sofoklis Schortsanitis, who will all miss the trip for various reasons
(Spanoulis and Schortsanitis are reportedly injured, while Fotsis was not given
the go signal due to some “technical decisions”).
- This
team will lean heavily on the exploits of NBAer Nick Calathes and the “Greek
Freak,” Giannis Antetokounmpo. Neither one of them was part of the Greek team
in Eurobasket 2013, however, so chemistry is something they’ll try to address
in the run-up to the tourney.
- Beyond
those two Stateside talents, though, other guys to look out for are veterans
Niko Zisis, Ioannis Bourousis, Kostas Kaimakoglou, and recent Houston Rocket
addition Kostas Papanikolaou. Zisis, who can shoot the lights out from long
range, should form a dangerous backcourt tandem with Calathes. Bourousis,
meanwhile, will be the resident bruiser, along with Georgios Printezis, for
Team Hellas. His 7’0 frame will be tough to bang against, and he will be this
team’s last line of defense. Both Papanikolaou and Kaimakoglou should be
terrific at spreading the floor since both are big guys who have great range.
 |
| Bog veteran Ioannis Bourousis carves up a lot of space in the middle for Greece. (image by Tomas Luksys/Fotodiena) |
-
Olympiacos star forward Georgios
Printezis is coming back from injury and there have been questions about his
fitness, but the burly PF has shown good form in Greece’s recent tune-ups.
- Greece
will be playing with a big chip on its shoulder since this team didn’t place
high in Eurobasket 2013. After going 3-0 to start the tournament, Team Hellas
lost four of its next five games to finish outside the top eight for the first
time in the new millennium. They definitely want to prove they’re still a
global basketball power, but it’ll be really tough considering how much talent
will be absent.
- Team
Hellas has been stellar in pre-tournament games so far. The Greeks have recently beaten New Zealand black and
blue (95-65) and then won back-to-back in a home-and-away series against Turkey
(70-56 and 76-72). Calathe sand Printezis were consistently good in all those
games, while Bourousis has really proven their most reliable man in the middle.
How
does Gilas match up?
- Despite
the freakish presence of GiannisAntetokounmpo, it is not really Greece’s length
that will bother Gilas, but, rather, its heft. Ioannis Bourousis and Georgios
Printezis are two of the widest bodies in European basketball, and, well, if
you follow European hoops, you know that’s saying a lot. I expect Andray
Blatche and Co. to have a lot of trouble boxing out and keeping these Greek
giants out of the paint.
 |
| The muscle-bound Georgios Printezis is going to make our frontliners' bodies ache. (image from GreekReporter.com) |
- Size
will also be a tremendous issue at the wings, with both Kostas Kaimakoglou and
Kostas Papanikolaou, two of Team Hellas’s best shooters, standing 6’9. Gabe
Norwood, out best wing defender, is too short, while putting someone like
Japeth Aguilar on these guys means we’ll sacrifice even more size down low. Needles
to say, coach Chot Reyes has the unenviable job of figuring out what kind of
defensive rotation will work.
- Blatche
will have an advantage over either Bourousis or Printezis in terms of mobility
and athleticism, but I suspect coach Katsikaris will try and put maybe
Antetokounmpo on the former Brooklyn Net should Blatche catch fire.
- Greece’s
guard play will give Jayson Castro, Jimmy Alapag, LA Tenorio, Paul Lee, and
Jeff Chan headaches as well. Both Calathes and Zisis have the edge in size and
both aren’t exactly slow pokes either. I’m hoping at least two of our shooters
get hot from deep to give us a fighting chance.
 |
| Memphis guard Nick Calathes pulls up as Greece beats Turkey in an exhibition game. (image from GreeReporter.com) |
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