Dikoudis: “The big goal is to qualify for the Olympic Games”

Their Olympic Games in Paris she described her goal National team of Greece in the World Cup o Municipality of Dikoudis.

The head of National Teams gave statements to her e-magazine EEC a few days before the premiere of the national team against Jordan (26/8) and referred to the goals and expectations of Dimitris Itoudis’ team.

Yes, in a question about his absence Giannis Antetokounmpo he answered, among other things:We will play different basketball, some guys will have to come out… forward and certainly the guys for whom this World Cup will be their first event will have to respond by gaining important experiences».

The statements of the Municipality of Dikoudis in detail:

“Expectations are always high when we refer to the Greek National Team regardless of the organization and situations. I think we have a very good team which worked properly during the preparation. We think about each phase of the World Cup separately, we are only interested in the starting group and how we can get one of the first two places to go to the second phase and then claim our entry into the knockouts».

Because the bar is lower than in other years: “It will certainly do us good. The greater the expectations, the greater the pressure it brings with it. When you start and say… I have to bring a medal, things automatically become difficult. Stress comes in, factors come in that usually create the opposite effect.

All teams play with intensity, with energy, engage in scouting and perform high-level basketball. So it will be a mistake even if we have the best possible team, to go to any event with the reasoning only to win a medal and if it doesn’t come it will be a failure. We have to see in each game individually how we play, even if our situation allows some distinction».

For Giannis Antetokounmpo: “Giannis is a huge player, he is a huge asset for Greek basketball. Since he will no longer be with us, the coach has readjusted the plans and the team’s playing philosophy. We will play different basketball, some children will have to come forward… and certainly the children for whom this World Cup will be their first event will have to respond by gaining important experiences. We would certainly like to have Giannis with us. But from the moment it will not be, we will have to get benefits from the other children».

For the atmosphere of the team: “In these two years that I have been in the federation, honestly the atmosphere is excellent. The children who come to offer, to help and try to make a difference, do it with their hearts and are very good to each other. We try to fix the small details in order to make them feel comfortable during the preparation. However, this year the climate is excellent».

On whether the presence of the same coach for a second year plays a role: “Of course, without a doubt. And the coach, entering the national team process for the second consecutive summer, brings experience. Despite the fact that he is one of the top coaches at the collegiate level, but the national team tournaments are somewhat different because they are of shorter duration. It is an advantage that coach Itoudis is our second summer coach».

For the goal of the Greek team in MundoBasket 2023: “The big goal is to qualify for the Olympic Games. Having last year’s experience we should reach the knockout stage and in that game show who we are, show our real good competitive face. Last year we didn’t make it because in the knockouts we didn’t play the basketball we could. So this year we have to go step by step, get stronger after each game and when we get to the potential knockout time get the win and move on».