Hadjileon: “I play basketball and I’m fine”

OR Ioanna Hadjileonti She is preparing with the Women’s National for the chef’s Eurobasket (June 18-29) and … she can’t wait. “When I am in the parquet and fight next to my teammates, I can’t think of being another. When the ball is in my hands, the only thing I have in my mind is to be the best version of myself. It’s all I know how to do!“, She says in an interview with the EEC website.

In detail the interview:

– From Ikaria from where your origin in Athens is, from there to Kansas and Pittsburgh, and now back to Athens. How would you characterize this route?

“Dot!”.

– Always with a “vehicle” basketball?

“Yes! Basketball is what traveled me to other cities in other countries on other continents. Incredible route! Very nice! “.

– Do you realize what he has lived so far at a sports level?

“I have realized it but sometimes it seems incredible to me that I have taken this route. Other to dream when you are a child what you will study, if you go to a college for playing in the league or if you play in the national team, and more when they actually happen to you. ”

– Returning from the US last year, what did you carry in your suitcase? What was the feeling?

“I came fuller! With the exception of the last two years where an injury did not allow me to fight, the first two were very nice. I have gained life experiences! Both on a personal level, but also in sports. College attendance changes you as a human being. You mature faster. You learn to live alone. To survive essentially at an early age. Obviously at first you feel the absence of your own people, your family, your friends, but I had a goal: to succeed! To study, get my degree and play in the college championship ‘,

– What did you study?

“Psychology”

– Graduate of Psychology … So …

“Yes!”

– Let’s do, then, a scenario. You are a psychologist and you are visited by a National Women’s athlete. She sits on the couch opposite you and talks to you about her anxiety, waiting, concerns and concerns before the start of an important event, such as Eurobasket. What will you tell her?

“I will tell her that it is normal to have these feelings. All the more so when it comes to the Eurobasket that will be hosted in her country and play in front of her own people and fans of the country she represents. But they are emotions that he can manage. I would also tell her to live the moment! Be present in her! As the Americans say “soak it all in”, because it will be an amazing experience! ”

– This year you fought for the first time, after your return from America, to the Greek Championship with a good presence. Was it an additional aid to your morale and psychology?

“Certainly. I returned to the stadiums after a surgery and my participation in the College Championship. On my return to Europe, I had to adapt to many things again. Indeed, this year was a good season, but I hope that through work the best will come in the future. ”

– Was there a moment after your injury that you thought that the dream of continuing to play basketball at a professional level would end abruptly?

“The truth is that because the surgery was a little ‘special’ and it was the first time I was going through this process, I didn’t know how it would evolve and how to manage it. I was wondering if I was going well. Today, thank God, having great support from my family, I not only go to my feet, because I could not even walk in the principles, but I have returned to the stadiums. I play basketball and I’m fine! “