THE Prometheus of Patras completed a very positive season, during which he reached his “8”. BCL but also very close to semi-finals of the Greek league.
O Hlias Papatheodorouwho was awarded a new contract for next season, took stock of the season and gave the cue for the next day.
In detail what he said:
“Last year I was cautious, but I spent a beautiful year, in the relationships, the support, the support, the way everyone treated us, the administration and the people, so I gladly accepted the renewal of our cooperation.
Last year we set the goal of being at a high level, but with new faces, not following the easy way, with a big budget and for one year to manage to be behind Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. Prometheus and I have done this before, it’s always motivating to be on the top step, but what we agreed on last year was to do something different. For many years, Prometheus has always been in the top teams of the league. In the past I might have underestimated it too.
This consistency really deserves recognition, which perhaps has not reached the level required. We are proud of the way we managed this year. As a coach, I had my doubts about how good basketball and positive results can be combined, with, at the same time, the presence of young players with substance. We got a lot of flattering comments in Europe.
We presented a proposal on how the level of Greek basketball can change. We are pioneers, happy and excited to have achieved this. We thank the initiators of this idea, the children who seriously and consistently were part of this effort and my colleagues who were a key member of this process. We continue with even greater knowledge and enthusiasm. If next year we introduce another kid and the players who played this year continue to develop it will be a great success for the club. For us it was very important that we worked uninterrupted.
It was the best overall group I’ve ever worked with as a coach, in terms of dedication to the common goal. All the foreign players in the team gave the young Greeks the space to grow with them. We want to keep as many players as possible from the existing core and bring in other new players who will be happy with us. We are pleased with the Greek players, especially Chrysikopoulos and Koniaris played a key role in connecting the Greek and foreign players to each other. I also thank the people of Patras who, game by game from November onwards, were always present in a beautiful basketball environment.
Our goal is to grow our fan base, we want to connect the world with children. We had a very good daily life in the team, which outweighed all the negative results. I don’t remember facing any problems this year at Prometheus. And what I realized is that nothing is impossible. What Prometheus did this year has never been done before as far as I can remember. What we do fills me up a lot. It’s intriguing.”
For his part, the president of Prometheus, Christos Milas, said:
“We are continuing on the same path we took last year. When we met with coach Papatheodorou and talked about what we want to do, we said that we want the team to advance to Europe, go to the Final-8 of the Cup and be high in the league. We had said that we would do all this the hard way. We wanted to make a competitive success, presenting new faces to the public.
The final result leaves us with a pleasant taste, as we introduced three new children to our world, who took the opportunity and deserve many credits. Last year we reached the 8th place of the EuroCup, but the taste when we finished was not the best possible.
I think it is more difficult to make the 8th in the Basketball Champions League than in the EuroCup. What we have achieved, few have achieved with consistency in the quality goal. I believe that whether we came 3rd, 4th or 6th the year would be great. Prometheus, with its permanent presence in all competitions in recent years, is always at the highest level. The statements of the opponents show our value.
We have been planning the next year for 2-3 months now. The logic is the same. Racing success the hard way. All this must be understood and supported by the sports fans. It’s bad to start the league and say we’re going to play for 3-6. However, we can lay the foundations and be ready when the time comes for things to change in Greek and European basketball. We have no other way and no other path, this is what we will serve faithfully.
We played very nice basketball. The coach and his colleagues did a very good job. The way we lived the year, with the children’s characters, was a new experience for us. It was an uneventful season. All Prometheus players stepped forward. This is how we will go next year. We want the world to support us, alone we cannot do anything.
The local market and the local business community are responding to our efforts. It is an honor and a responsibility for us. We want to be sustainable, with income-expense balance. We can make our own proposal. Our country and region need it. We want to make “Tofalos” better for the atmosphere of a match, improving the experience for our fans. We are in excellent cooperation with PEAK and its president Mr. Antonopoulos. There are conditions to do many beautiful things.”
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.
