By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos coach Rick Pitino characterized EuroLeague as college basketball which is just played by guys that are… kind of older than your average NCAA player.
“EuroLeague is college basketball with 30-year-old adults,” Pitino said to Wall Street Journal’s Joshua Robinson. Euroleague and European basketball, in general, has often been compared with college basketball, mainly due to the toughness of the game, plus the near “do-or-die” importance of most matches.
Pitino has been impressed with many things during his stint with Panathinaikos. One of the things that stands out for the Hall Of Fame coach is the teams’ fans.
“As passionate as you think Kentucky was, multiply that by 10 and you’ve got Panathinaikos,” Memphis Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace had told Pitino before the latter took the job at Panathinaikos. After witnessing that support firsthand, Pitino might agree.
“These people, they sacrifice to come to these games. this is not like Jack Nicholson in the Laker front row,” Pitino said.
Pitino and Panathinaikos are currently preparing for the EuroLeague playoff best-of-five series vs. reigning champion Real Madrid.