By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Greek national team lost heavily to Latvia in the first game of November’s FIBA window 60-80, but with the help of five EuroLeague players, including Kostas Papanikolaou, grabbed a crucial 72-70 win in Mons.
“If you consider we played against two teams that had the same rosters as during the last summer, you understand the difficulty,” he said, speaking to Nova.
The experienced Olympiacos player saluted the guys that were with the national team through every FIBA window.
“Congratulations are because of these guys who are always there when the National team calls. Some people think it’s a given, but it’s not. They take it for granted if we win. If we don’t, they are criticized. If we want to see the big picture, the authorities should sit down and find a solution. And I say it now after we won and qualified. They put us in a situation where we, the athletes and the coaches, stretch ourselves between FIBA and EuroLeague. A solution must be found,” Papanikolaou added.
He also spoke about the importance of qualifying for the upcoming World Cup.
“It is important that the National Team will be on a big date. It doesn’t matter if it will be me, Slouka, Calathes, or Antetokounmpo. The national team brought us out of obscurity and through it we had the career we did,” Kostas Papanikolaou concluded.