By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Tremmell Darden could have been a preacher, however he preaches the game of basketball – and the words of God – in Europe for a long time.
One of the most respected American players in the old continent wrote about his experiences in Europe in the “my hoop journey” site and what stands out is his description about the Greek “eternal rivals” games.
As Olympiacos and Panathinaikos are ready to play once more tomorrow, their third match up on January, this time for the Greek League, Darden who had a great tradition as a player of Olympiacos on those games, has something to day: “Adjustments would have to be made immediately due to a broken hand I suffered during pre-season or friendly games as they are called here in Europe. It was unfortunate because I ended up only playing for the coach who brought me in for two pre-season games because of the injury.
I didn’t understand the severity of the Greek classic at the time, but I would learn soon. No rivalry or derby is as serious as the Olympiacos vs Panathinaikos in my opinion. People lose jobs and endure physical harm because of the results of the game.
As a competitor, it’s something you want to be a part of and put your own imprint on the legendary rivalry and by God’s grace and favor I was fortunate enough to do just that in every match against our rivals ending in a Greek league title!
Before winning the Greek league we had a trip to the Euroleague final against my previous team Real Madrid but came up short once again. God allowed me to be a part of 3 Euroleague finals in 4 seasons of playing at that level and losing was difficult, but I’m Thankful for the experience no matter what! I got to play with a current legend in Olympiacos and we have great friendships made in Athens! The guys on the team made this a cool season for all involved. Salute to Gate 7!”.
For the rest of Tremmell’s journey, who is now the leader of Cantu in Italy, just click here.