GRE - Panayotis Yannakis: “The correlation between time and score”

ATHENS (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men) - Today Panayotis Yannakis made himself available to representatives from the Press and referred to not only the first two games and the upcoming quarterfinal between the Greek team and New Zealand, but also to the overall philosophy that governs the runner-up World Champions of 2006.
The statements of the Greek Men’s Basketball National Team’s coach follow here below

About the New Zealanders’ ‘hacka’ dance

“Judging by the fact that our opponents dance, I conclude that they view the games as a celebration, whether they win or lose, and this is a message for all of us. We too will handle the game similarly and try to play the best basketball possible in order to make people leave the arena feeling satisfied with what they’ve seen. We know that there are a lot of people who love the team and want to see it from up close. What we want is to make them enjoy themselves with us.”
About the way our National Team has played in the first two games

“We took the first step and the team has reached two of the goals it had set: on one hand, we got the two victories that put us on top spot in our Group, and on the other hand we filled the arena with families, which were really glad with the way our players responded to their presence. I mean that, the way we played defense and offense, and given that people recognize eagerness and passion, our players made the fans leave the arena with a sweet memory carved to mind, and this is something even more important than the outcome of the game. We try to remain humble and down to earth; in the past years, the guys have shown signs of amazing character, and this is something that will help us play good basketball in the next games as well.”

About the National Team doctrine

“From the day we began this effort, back in 2004, we had said that – with patience – this team can go a long way. We must love our mistakes and put our ego further down our list of emotions in order to try and play good defense. I believe these guys can offer the fans even more successes; nevertheless, the most important thing is that each time the team participates in a Tournament, it manages – irrespective of the outcome – by the sheer way it plays to make its opponents admit that it does leave a memorable impression and often even causes envy – in a good sense. This is an achievement that is due only to the guys and they keep on making it happen in the court.”

About the (new) game style

“The more games they play, the more the guys become familiarized with the way we want to play; with the speed and the efficiency we desire. We know all too well that there will also be difficult evenings for us. Basketball is an emotional roller-coaster of a game; that is why our objective is to be able to handle our difficult moments as well. If through such moments of difficulty we manage to understand at least the reason why we had not been effective, then I think we will have something to gain both in victory and defeat.”

About the leeway for improvement

“You can always improve things. We can be a little more patient in the way we keep track of time vis-à-vis the score. This will make us more patient both in defense and offense. If you’re mentally impatient, you may – down the road – not be in a position to take advantage of a couple of offenses due to anxiousness or anger. Playing before a loving crowd, you’re sometimes pushed to do things that you’re not ready to do in that particular moment. Feeling the pressure and enthusiasm of the fans due to their confidence in your talent, you might be forced into something extravagant that may cost you at the end of the day.”

About New Zealand’s profile

“Our opponent may not seem to be all that great, but basketball is now being played the world over, therefore there have been surprises in the past. We, however, do not wish to fall victims to such a surprise. New Zealand is a team that, if left to its own devices, has both the experience and the brains to cause you problems. If you think you can go in and finish the game within 5 or 10 minutes, then it is highly possible to find yourself faced with a surprise. It has players that have been through various situations
and tasted different experiences. They are passionate and seem to me to be aware of their shortcomings. They lost some players that would have added even more experience to the team, but I think that we need to be very cautious and patient.”

About Kirk Penney

“We want and seek to pressure whichever player has the ball in his hands at any given moment, and our opponents know that too. We’re using that as a building block for our game. Our objective is to always stop the entire opposite team, and not just one particular player.”

About the climate in the team

“I feel proud just working with them. They have contributed so much to Greek sports, and I’m not just talking about basketball. They are passing on the message that one can be truly great and unassuming at the same time. I learn a lot from them every day, and I think that young children learn even more. Basketball is not just about making the shot; it is also about passing the ball, getting the rebound, playing good defense, picking up one of your team-mates

Press Office
Local Organising Committee