By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Making a great first impression, leave it to Vassilis Spanoulis.
Spanoulis, 42, was announced as the new head coach of AS Monaco on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, he landed in the Principality via helicopter.
From a spectacular entrance to focusing on his new duties, leading the La Roca Team in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and France’s Betclic Elite.
Following a legendary playing career, Spanoulis quickly went into coaching gigs and enjoyed a solid start. Guiding Select Team of the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament shaped his first experience in 2021. Between 2022 and 2024, he was in charge of Peristeri with achievements such as being named Basketball Champions League Best Coach in 2024 complementing team success.
In 2023, he was became the selector of the senior national team of Greece, succeeding Dimitris Itoudis. Joining forces with NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo during the offseason, the combination paved the way for a run to the Quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympic Games in France.
The next challenge, alongside fellow Greek imports Nick Calathes and Giorgos Papagiannis, meets Monaco at 7-4 in the EuroLeague Regular Season, tied for fifth with three other teams, including defending champion and opponent in Athens’ OAKA Altion on Friday, Panathinaikos Aktor. At the domestic level, his new side carries a 5-3 W-L tally in the Betclic Elite Regular Season, two games behind leader Cholet.
Besides Calathes and Papagiannis, Juhann Begarin, Jaron Blossomgame, Vitto Brown, Petr Cornelie, Alpha Diallo, Mam Jaiteh, Mike James, Furkan Korkmaz, Jordan Loyd, Donatas Motiejunas, Elie Okobo, Matthew Strazel, and Terry Tarpey are also on board.