By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Multiple changes for Panathinaikos during the offseason, including new head coach Dejan Radonjic. But the Greens are not done yet.
Arriving in Athens Tuesday, the Montenegrin tactician will be focusing on getting the team ready for the 2022-23 edition of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and Greece’s domestic competitions. Talking about his new job at the airport, he pointed out the need for an additional player on the squad.
“We built a new team with plenty of new faces. A lot of work is necessary on our part,” he noted, “I think we need one more player. In the next few days, we will select a suitable player looking to complete a really solid transfer.”
The Greens have picked up Andrew Andrews, Marius Grigonis, Arturas Gudaitis, Giorgos Kalaitzakis, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Paris Lee, Derrick Williams, and Nate Wolters, and also secured the services of promising talent Alex Samodurov rebuilding the squad during the offseason. Lefteris Bochoridis inked a contract extension, and Nikos Chougkaz, Lefteris Mantzoukas, and Howard Sant-Roos are also projected to stay in the Athens powerhouse.
Radonjic, 52, opted to move to Greece and Panathinaikos upon ending his second successful stint at Crvena Zvezda mts. Besides coaching the Belgrade outfit between 2013 to 2017 and from 2020 to 2022, his run as the FC Bayern Munich play-caller separated the two spells. Earlier in his post-playing career, he spent seven years at Buducnost VOLI and also became the head coach of the senior and a couple of junior national teams of his home country.