Bourousis factor looms large for Greece

VITORIA (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - No player was better than Giannis Bourousis this season in Spanish basketball.

The 2.15m Laboral Kuxta pivot was the Liga Endesa's Most Valuable Player. His MVP form was on full display on Wednesday night when he scored 32 points, corralled 10 rebounds and made a shot at the end of regulation to force overtime in Game 3 of the team's play-off semi-final series against Barcelona. Laboral then won, 89-83.

Remember the past two summers of Bourousis with Greece, at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and at EuroBasket 2015? 

His presence in Turin next month for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) is going to be vital for Greece make it to Rio de Janeiro.

FIBA.com: Is it a difficult mission, the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, for the national team of Greece?
Bourousis: The OQT is by definition difficult. It's a six-day tournament and the prize is extremely valuable, while only one team will be happy at the end of it. It's a mini-World Cup. Every day, you have to adapt to a different basketball style, since there are teams from different continents. And in six days, all teams fight for the same, really important goal. Plus, there is the extra motive, a motive you cannot find in any other international competition: to be part of the Olympic Games. Our mission becomes even more difficult since some players who have been there, will not be this time. On the other hand, our goal remains the same.

FIBA.com: Do you feel lonely after the national team retirements of Vasilis Spanoulis and Nikos Zisis, and the absence of the injured Georgios Printezis?
Bourousis: I already said that it will be difficult or, if you prefer, different. These are great players. On the other hand, there are players who can play, help and contribute, and also younger players that can put something different on the table in order for the national team to achieve its goal.

FIBA.com: Does Greece's new generation give you hope with some of its representatives being present on the roster of the national team?
Bourousis: Greek basketball still has the ability and the luck of producing players. Our U18 national team got the gold medal in the European Championship last summer. There are more players coming, while there are players that are all 20 or older who are stepping up. I believe that the experience some of these players will get this summer will be really precious.

FIBA.com: How important is it for you to be there for the national team every summer, and especially this year after a full season and such a good campaign for you?
Bourousis: It's really important for me. The national team is the most important one. You represent your country, you wear the jersey with the Greek flag, you play for all Greeks, no matter which club they support. Feelings are intense, you create strong bonds with teammates, you experience situations that it’s difficult to compare with something else basketball wise. I want to be there. You have to want to be there for the national team.

FIBA