The carnage that took place in Prague, with a sniper killing 15 people and wounding at least 25 others in the “heart” of the city, is shocking and appalling.
One of the Greek athletes competing in Prague and specifically in Slavia, o Yannis Agravanisspoke to EOK Web Radio about the fact that he could very easily have been at the scene of the tragic event, had he not changed his mind at the last minute.
What Agravanis said in detail:
On the massacre in Prague: “We had training in the morning and I was thinking of going to the centre. Then I saw that it was raining, so I thought I’d sit in the hotel and rest. Then, in the group where the players and coaches have to talk, we were told not to go downtown because there’s some crazy guy who’s been shooting people and some people have died. I realized how lucky I am that I changed my mind and stayed at the hotel. Sirens were blaring everywhere as everyone made their way downtown. I also talked to my teammates and, in fact, one of them was in the center, just further away from the incident. Everyone told me there was a real chaos of police cars and ambulances. They told me that this has never happened before in Prague.”
On how he got on the team: “The idea of ​​going abroad is something I’ve wanted for a long time. The Czech Republic was the opportunity I wanted, it’s really a blessing to play in such a good league and develop both basketball-wise and mentally as a person in the basketball part. The exterior is something that I myself “chased” and that is why it may have been delayed a little longer. Fortunately, what I wanted happened.”
On the reception he had from the team: “Everything happened very quickly. As soon as I arrived here I did 2 training sessions and straight away we played the Cup match, where we already won. The whole team, all the children are very good and they welcomed me with joy and a very good mood”.
On his role in the team: “They needed a player in my position who could help in all areas. Along with me, they also took Teddy Okerefor. Essentially, the team with these two additions is a bit newer, that is, we are all trying to get together and achieve the victories we need.”
For Slavia Prague: “It is the same team as in football and the equivalent in basketball, under the same “umbrella”. In football they are the champion, the best team in the Czech Republic, with a great stadium and a lot of people. In basketball, it is the 2nd year that they are in A1, it is a new venture that they are trying to achieve. They also have aspirations to participate in European events in the future. I believe it is something they really want and are trying to achieve it little by little, in their own way.”
For the support of the people and in basketball: “Because it’s a new venture for them and they care more about “building” football, so there aren’t that many fans in the basketball public. This is up to the team as a whole to change it and the public to support both sports.”
About the Czech league and characteristics of the Czech players: “The Czechs have quite good characteristics, almost all of them have a very good shot and are strong bodies. What is missing compared to the Greek element is that they are a little behind in the tactical part and play more with instinct. There are both Americans and Community. As far as the league is concerned, there are 12 teams, where from 7th to 10th place they play each other for who will go to the play-offs. The two losers play the last two and the last one will play to stay with the champion of A2. In general, it is a country that has enough basketball talent, they represent it with their National Team, which we know well from the matches we have between them. They certainly have a very dynamic league.”
For the style of basketball in the Czech Republic: “It’s much faster than the Greek one, you have more spaces, a lot of three-pointers and the decisions you make have to be very quick, you don’t have time to think. That’s really good, because it makes you tougher, to get into one phase and go straight to the next.”
For people’s interest in basketball: “We have played one match at home and three away. All three away we played the stadiums were full, he had a nice tempo through the crowd. It was great to play in front of such an audience. They love basketball very much, because they also respect the players they have produced as a country, for example Satoransky and Veseli. I see it every day, either in posters that have them, or how they talk about them.”
To view basketball in the Czech Republic: “I’ve seen more football on TV, I don’t see basketball being broadcast that much. They have it in place on the internet as far as I know. They mainly watch the Czech players who play in the European competitions.”
For the… suffering he experienced: “I will tell an experience that does not happen often. In Greece when traveling, if it is far, we are used to going the day before and staying in a hotel. We played the previous matchday with Opava who is the 1st and the current champion and we went with a small van, a journey of about 5.5 hours. With all the tall guys in there we were all very tight, it’s hard to play a straight match afterwards. This was probably one of the biggest “sufferings” I’ve experienced before a match.”
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
