Itoudis: “Nan changed everything last year at Panathinaikos – I dream of when we will see the Euroleague with 30 teams”

He had many interesting things to say Dimitris Itoudisin an interview he gave to the Serbian Media, “Mozzart Sport”.

The experienced coach first spoke about the changes he wants to see in the Euroleague, stressing that he really wants to see the number of teams participating in the competition reach 30, as is the case in the NBA.

In addition, he made a special reference to Panathinaikos and last year’s course until the conquest of the coveted trophy, stressing that the acquisitions of Kendrick Nunn he changed everything in the “greens”, while he also talked about his personal professional future.

In detail what he said:



“The Euroleague is always competitive. Its slogan that every game is important shows what this competition is all about. Now we have to look at how to make something different in the sport. Maybe I’m subjective, but for me basketball is the best sport because it’s played fast, decisions are made in a split second and there’s room for even better things.

The Euroleague competition is getting better. Panathinaikos is a good example. Last year they had a bad start, which is to be expected because they were a new team, with a new system, with a new coach. But they were patient and in the end we saw how it all worked. It’s hard to put everything together, and they became an example of how, with patience and a few very important additions, everything can look great. Kendrick Nunn changed everything, they took on a whole new dimension with him.”.

As for the direction of the Euroleague, I hope that the path is only towards the top because the potential is very great. I dream when we will see the Euroleague with 30 teams. Of course, this is not something that can happen tomorrow. We got to 18 teams, we’re going to 20, then 24 and I’m dreaming of that number, 30, because that’s the number of teams in the NBA.

Of course, much needs to be done. We need to talk to the people who run the domestic leagues to create a partnership, to really create a way for these leagues to be something like the G League in America, to serve player development. Everyone agrees that the Euroleague is the strongest league, just as the fans are an indicator of what they watch and what they care about.

I had examples at Fenerbahce. We play Valencia and we have 11,000 fans in the stadium. I have nothing against Valencia, they are an excellent club. Three days later we play Galatasaray (s. for the championship) and 1,500 fans come. This is an indicator. Of course, it’s not like that everywhere.”

For his own future: “My agent is working on it, but I’m in no rush. I had some discussions over the summer, but they didn’t come to an agreement. What I am proud of is the seminar that took place in the summer in Athens, with the participation of 700 coaches. We all try together, coaches, referees and Euroleague, to learn and move forward”.