Geia sou megale! In your first half-season, you have sparkled with Panathinaikos .How did you manage to adapt so quickly to the playing style of PAO and Obradovic? All the best,
Alexandros Patouchas - Finland
"First of all, I would say that the club embraced me from the very first moment. I mean my teammates, the coaching stuff and the whole organization. Coach Obradovic showed great confidence in me and basically, he has a unique charisma to get 100 percent from each player. In addition, my former club Maroussi used to have pretty same plays and especially the pick-'n'-roll plays and many three-pointers. So, it was not difficult for me to adapt so quickly."
What do you think is the secret to the superiority and great game Panathinaikos has been showing since the start of the Euroleague season?
Kon - Vitoria, Spain
"The secret is the high quality and the talent of the players. We have many great personalities in the team and that helps us beat anybody even on our bad day. That is the most important accomplishment. On the other hand, on our best night it is very tough to lose to any opponent."
Since last summer, when you signed for Panathinaikos, everything in your career seems to go right: gold medal in Belgrade, a place in the Greek cup final, first in the Greek championship so far, an excellent Euroleague record. How do you feel in the prospect of becoming one of the few European players to win a triple crown with their club and a Eurobasket title in just one season?
Dr. Alexandros Antonaras - Athens, Greece
"Honestly, I am very proud to hear all that. It was an unforgettable summer for me and it would be awesome to win the triple crown with Panathinaikos, several months after the gold medal in the Eurobasket with the Greek national team. The only thing I keep saying is that the road is very long and we have to continue with the same intensity and passion to fulfill our goals."
Dear Vasilis, As a dedicated basketball lover and follower with some technical eyes, I have been observing your improvement and transformation from being a top-class player in the Greek League to a top-class player in the Euroleague. How would you define this process of coming to a first-class team like Panathinaikos and joining star guards Jaka and Diamantidis to form possibly the best backcourt in the world?
Sinan Kocak - Turkey
"From the beginning of our cooperation it looked like a great challenge to play with these top quality athletes. I knew how good they were and I noticed it from the very first practice with them. The most important factor is the chemistry we accomplished on the court. As for my improvement, I must say that I never stop working hard and my ambitions never end. I am satisfied from what I have achieved so far, but I want to be better and better every day."
Hi, there. This season Panathinaikos seems to be an unbreakable team for every opponent you guys play against. What has been the main reason of such an impressive performance of Panathinaikos so far and how much did the triumph in EuroBasket 2005 inspire you to fight with the passion of real champions that you seem to have now?
Andrius - Lithuania
"Actually, all the teammates I had in Belgrade have higher self-confidence after our huge success with the national team and this became obvious in their club games. The gold medal was something incredible and it will follow us our entire life. As for Panathinaikos, I would say that my teammates and I have realized how strong our team is and definitely we are very hungry. That's why we give our best in every game."
Hi. First, congratulation on the numbers you have been putting up so far this season. How would you describe Zeljko Obradovic's coaching style?
Klemen K. - Ljubljana, Slovenia
"His philosophy is based on concrete beliefs like discipline, cooperation and concentration. He gets 100 percent from each player, because he communicates perfectly and has the ability to transmit his knowledge. He lets the player spread his talent, but no one is allowed to exceed the limits. In my opinion, he is the best coach in Europe and any player would be lucky to work with him."
Hi, Vasilis. First of all, congratulations on your excellent performance so far. As a big fan of Panathinaikos, I must say I enjoy watching this team score an average of 84 points. Is this a result of well-designed and executed systems or does the coach leave you much space for individual efforts outside of the team systems?
Alexis Katsouris - Greece
"Well, as I explained in my previous answer, it is both of them; Well-designed and executed systems in combination to the individual efforts. There is a small detail though. The coach demands discipline and high concentration. I mean we can show our talent individually, but none of us can put himself above the team."
Vasilis, first of all, congratulations for the very successful year that has recently ended. The memories of EuroBasket and some big Euroleague nights, especially the one against CSKA in Athens, will be very difficult to forget. I have a rather technical question. Panathinaikos has the worst rebounding ranking in the Euroleague, just like last year. Is it something the team recognizes as a problem and works on solving, or is it seen as an outcome of other tactics used? Keep up the good work!
Nikos Birakis - Athens, Greece
"Well, this one concerns the whole team, not only the big guys. Actually, it is something we have analyzed during practices. The coach is asking from the perimeter players to try harder in rebounding to make the big men's lives easier. You have to consider that three players of our front line were injured and that was a huge problem to deal with. Hopefully, we will improve in rebounding, but… hey, we have the best winning record in the whole Euroleague!"
Giasou Vassilara. How great an experience is it to play in the Euroleague? I hope you will win the Euroleague and play against an NBA team next preseason. And I can't wait to see you bring the gold home to Greece at the World Championships this summer!
Alexandros - Denmark
"It is a great experience to play in the Euroleague. It is something I wanted when I was playing for Maroussi. In fact, it was one of the reasons I left my former club to join Panathinaikos. The Euroleague is the second best league after the NBA and the competition is really high. As for the upcoming World Championships, our wish is to stand out like we did in Belgrade. We are the European Champions and we are going to Japan to defend our title."
Hello. Do you thing that the change of mentality on the part of Greek teams to put confidence in their Greek players has been the cause of your success in the European championships? Good luck for the season,
Carlos Llebres Mas - Spain
"It is definitely one of the main reasons of our success. The Greek players have started to take leading roles in their clubs and that was a determining factor for our national team. Big clubs trust the Greek players and you saw the results in Serbia & Montenegro. I hope this mentality will be continued in the future, so that Greek basketball players will be upgraded even more."
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