Panathinaikos has begun its preseason preparations, with Zeljko Obradovic rolling up his sleeves and building the team in order to bring it back to the top of European basketball.
His longtime collaborator and assistant coach at Panathinaikos, Dimitris Itoudis, spoke to Mozzart Sport about the immense significance of Zoc’s return—both for the seven-time champions and for the EuroLeague—but also highlighted the particularly competitive landscape of this year’s tournament.
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Here are Itoudis’s comments in detail
On the return of Željko Obradović: “An excellent move. Above all, because Zeljko has returned to the place where, for 13 years, he gave his all and, together with all the players and staff, contributed to great results. He feels at home there, and when someone feels at home in their workplace and surroundings, they deliver results. So, both for the fans and thanks to the initiative of Mr. Dimitris Giannakopoulos, who reached an agreement with Zeljko, it’s wonderful for European basketball and wonderful for Panathinaikos. They have built—and continue to build—an exceptional team.”
On the level of competition in the EuroLeague: “Every year the teams get stronger, and this year perhaps even a little more so. That’s only a good thing for the fans. That’s the strength and beauty of the competition. We have this motto: ‘Every game counts.’ In the EuroLeague, every game is important. It really is. Whether you’re playing against the last-place team or the second-to-last team—if you lose two games, you’re out. If you win two games, you advance to the playoffs. This shows just how much focus is required and how important it is to have a deeper roster. You can see that teams with 12 or 13 players—as they used to have—now have 16, 17, or 18. That’s because the domestic leagues are demanding in all these countries as well.
There are 20 teams now. I believe and hope that the Russian teams will return. FIBA has already taken the first steps and given the green light for players, staff, and referees, so the next step will be the teams and team sports. If the Russian teams return—which is also my hope—we already have other candidates. We have PAOK, Aris, Roma, and all the teams that want to participate and secure participation rights, which means we’re expanding the EuroLeague. It means we have more teams that can consistently guarantee financial stability. It means investment.”
*photo source: CNA
