His determination Giannis Antetokounmpo to exhaust the chances to play in the World Cup was conveyed by the president of the EEC, Vangelis Liolios. “He really wants to compete, he is overachieving, we will see day by day“, he emphasized to EEC Web Radio.
As for the absences of Calathes, Sluka and Dorsey he called their choice respected. At the same time, he revealed that the jersey of Nikos Galis will be retired in the friendly against Slovenia on August 4.
He spoke in detail about:
-Sluka’s absence: “We will have some absences from executives who served the National team, Sluka, Kalathis and Dorsey, who were an integral part of us but this year they will not be with us. So that there are no question marks or disagreements, let’s explain some things. Slukas had expressed his desire not to be with us for some time and that was completely respected. This year with the heavy schedule he had and a minor injury bothering him, he felt he needed to take a break. He is not leaving the National team, he is completely respected and will always be part of the National team”
– the absence of Kalathis: “For the same reasons as Sluka, he felt that he needed to rest, having also gone through an injury, understanding that he would not be able to offer what he could. Both he and Slukas respect what they thought and we completely accept it.”
-Dorsey’s absence: “He doesn’t have the long tenure of the other two. We had asked him to be with us, but he felt for reasons of his own, he has a back injury and for family reasons, that he should stay away. The national team is in a mood for self-determination. We respect all athletes, who have contributed and will contribute in the future. The request of all athletes is respected, even if we would like them to be with us.”
– those present: “We have invited the athletes who want to be both soul and body. We have a host of players, bigger, smaller and in-between who will take on more responsibilities. The national team represents the whole of Greece. Right now with these players selected, we will represent at the World, united to bring the best possible result.”
– Antetokounmpo: “We are in constant contact with the technical hon. We have a common goal and a common path. There are some athletes who are in the recovery phase, such as Papapetrou, K. Antetokounmpo and depending on the judgment of the medical team they will join when it is foreseen. Giannis really wants to play in the World Cup, he really wants to. His soul is with us. He is in recovery, day by day we will see how he goes. He overcomes, his will is much stronger than we think. We want to believe that he will be with us. Above all, the health of all the athletes comes first, so that when the mission leaves, we can be a punch. In the end, the team will choose the team that will travel to Manila.”
– the possibility of Giannis Antetokounmpo playing later in the World Cup: “We have to keep in mind that the call-up process is about the athletes who want to be with us. We have a month, we will see how the athletes develop and we will see who is with us. That’s why we called 22 athletes and not 12. At the end of the day the team plays basketball, the whole. It is important to me that we all leave together as a team and that we all come back together as a team. The team is above all of us. What the team needs is the positive energy of all Greeks. It is important to return proud and happy, we need all Greeks together. I want to thank all the athletes and the coaching team who have declared their presence in the national effort. The national team is love, giving and sacrifice, not just a result.”
-the goal in the World Cup: “I am sure that the team will represent us worthy, whatever children are there. It’s the fist that matters, not individual fingers. The national team is above all of us, above the teams, it belongs to all Greeks. The highest accolade for an athlete, of any sport, is with the National team. No matter what you won at the club level, you will always remember a success. If you have taken everything at the collective level and have not achieved anything with the national team, you will always be missing something. John asks and shows it by his presence here with us. He wants to serve the Greeks, he wants to be with us, to sing the anthem. This is certain. But it should be certain that he will be with us not only with his soul, but also with his body”.
-the friendlies in OAKA and the honor to Galis: “It will be a very strong friendly marked by the award of the greatest Greek basketball player, who changed the mentality of an entire country and put basketball at the highest level. It is a very important moment and I invite all the fans to come and applaud Nikos Galis. Ticket sales are going great. If I was 15 years old, I would go for Doncic on the field, but we older people will go for Galis. This connection with the past is very important. The unity of the present with the past and the future is of great importance. We also have the Acropolis tournament with Serbia and Italy. I am sure that Greece will represent us worthily at the World Cup”.
-the Galis award: “It was extremely emotional when we spoke and said we want to award him. He was moved, it is the first time he will be awarded by the EEC. Nikos Galis is an excellent person, with morals, principles and values, he is a model for the way he worked. The honor will be ours when his shirt goes up high in OAKA”.
-the bronze of the Young Men and the example for the Men: “The bronze came in overtime. It’s not the medal that matters, but the image. This is the image we want in the national teams. They showed the children what a team can achieve when they are together. Playing with soul, united, for each other, they showed the way. Even for the men’s team. These guys are our tomorrow’s Men’s National Team and we need to support them more than anyone. They need to understand what ethos means, what it means to be together, what it means to play for each other. Self-denial, transcendence, sacrifice, unity… The success of the U20 was not EEC’s. It was of the athletes and the hon. We are going to build this mentality step by step. I am sure that the Men’s team will have this mentality at the World Cup. The team and the players are fit to serve it. We will all leave Manila together and come back together as a team. The message is unity. This is the aim of the EEC administration. We may make mistakes or omissions, but the goal is to go to the next day together and we will serve it until the end.”
Source: Sport Fm
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