By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
With AEK starting the season aiming for the competition Final Four, Aris wanting a reboot and PAOK giving space to young talent, nobody expected that all three teams may continue their season in the playoffs of the FIBA Europe Cup, a competition in which no Greek team has played in the past.
All three teams reached last season the phase of 16 and this season all three of them are in danger of missing it. Of course, this proves that the competition level in the Basketball Champions League is higher than most clubs and fans expected. On the other hand, it also proves that the three Greek clubs which are considered the country’s traditional powers behind Panathinaikos and Olympiacos have a lot of work to do.
AEK: A season of ups and downs
AEK managed to beat Olympiacos for the Greek league, practically securing the top spot in the standings for Panathinaikos. They also beat Panathinaikos and advanced to the Greek cup final. However, those steps forward have taken a back seat to the general performance of the team, especially in the Basketball Champions League.
AEK currently has a 6-6 record and the 6th spot in Group C. Last year they finished the group stage with a 9-5 record and the second spot in the standings. They have to get two wins in the next two games and still, they are not in control of their fate. The team has already changed coaches, they recently added a new big man by signing Vince Hunter, they have a solid management and financial resources, but something is missing on the court. Not making it to the next phase will be a huge disappointment for them.
ARIS: A lost year
Despite the shades of financial issues that plagued the team during last season, the return of Panagiotis Giannakis to Thessaloniki as the coach of the team and the addition of trusty veterans like Panagiotis Vasilopoulos gave hope to the club.
Aris currently had a 4-8 record, the worst in Group D and needs a miracle in order to advance. Vasilopoulos left for AEK, there were a lot of changes in the roster and money remains a problem. Aris finished last season the group phase with a respectable 8-6 record. Owner Nikos Laskaris is facing personal legal troubles and being accused of online gold trading and embezzlement of nearly a hundred million euros, salaries are not being paid on time and Giannakis is trying to turn things around all by himself. This is simply a lost season for the club.
PAOK: A glimpse of hope
PAOK has the best chances to advance compared to the other Greek teams of the competition and the core of the team may have a future after all. PAOK has a 5-7 record in Group B and he is part of a three-way tie for the fourth spot.
Last year, their record was 7-7 and good enough for a place in the playoffs. Things may have been better if 21 years old junior star Vasilis Charalampopoulos was not injured during the first part of the season. Together with 25 years old Linos Chrisikopoulos, also a star during his junior years who was plagued by injuries and 20 years old Antonis Koniaris, a teammate of Charalampopoulos in the Greek U20 national team and also a European champ, they can be the base for something good. Charalampopoulos, of course, belongs to Panathinaikos and he is loaned to PAOK. Still, the plan of trying to create a team based on local young talent can be a recipe for future success.