Juniors have bright prospects
It was a poignant moment when the time came for the national Under-20 basketball team’s coach, Nikos Kerameas, to bid farewell to his young players after the squad’s return to Athens as the European champion. Kerameas was well aware that his association with this group of talented youngsters – led by playmaker Nikos Zissis and forward Christos Tapoutos – now set to advance to senior-level competition, had drawn to a close. Greece defeated Spain 77-73 in the final. «I want you to continue to reach higher than we did together; to not stop here and to always remember that basketball is not the course of your professional careers – keep loving the game and keep working your minds and bodies,» Kerameas recalled telling his players at Athens’s airport immediately after the squad’s triumphant return. The Under-20 national team had to rebound from a poor start which had the eventual champion still searching for a win after the first two games. At that point, Kerameas had to play both the disciplinarian and the inspirational figure. «I lived with these youngsters, as well as with others who didn’t play at the European Championships, for a year and I have to say that all of them are modest, low-key kids,» said Kerameas. «They’re players eager to grab the opportunity and produce their best during training and competition. In their eyes, I saw how thrilled they were after we defeated Spain in the final. They sent an important message to all those who doubted them, as well as a feeling of justification to those who expected them to reach this high,» he added. The Under-20 national team’s title came as a sign of hope at a time of deep crisis for professional Greek basketball which has been plagued by a series of disputes among top-level officials. Despite figuring prominently in Europe in recent years, especially in club-level competition, professional Greek basketball has been struck hard by declining television ratings and attendance figures. Kerameas attributed the Under-20 national side’s triumph to team spirit. «We’re a team, and I mean that in capital letters. There was team spirit both on and off the court. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the players looked after each other, and I think good friendships resulted from the 50 days we spent together. In competition, we registered 133 assists in the Eurobasket, while the team with the next best record (in this category) had 100, and we didn’t subdue individual initiatives taken by players.» The next step for these promising players is success in senior-level competition. «This depends on them as well as on how they are treated by their clubs. I told them that I don’t want them to whinge or put the blame on others unless they are entirely sure that they’ve put in maximum personal effort,» said Kerameas. «I want to see them contend for places on the senior national team, and convince (senior team coach) Yiannis Ioannidis of their worth.» Considering the tighter budgets in professional Greek basketball these days, Kerameas said clubs need to mature and focus more on nurturing young talent than acquiring ready-made stars. «Big clubs must stop buying whatever is expensive, simply because it’s expensive, as they have done in the past, and instead should invest in Greek players.»
