By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Can the coach of a national team be at odds with the federation vice president? That’s the case with Panagiotis Giannakis in China. His team ended in fifth place in the last FIBA Asia championship and the “Dragon”, as the Greek coach is named refused to shake hands, with Hu Jiashi in front of the press when he was leaving for Greece. Why he did that? Here is the answer from the chinese media with help of our dear friend Sheng Qiang.
Via the director or the sports section of “China Youth Daily” (Party newspaper of China), Cao Jing
From the first day when Giannakis began his work in China, Hu Jiashi, vicepresident of China basketball federation, who was responsble of China national team from Jonas Kazlauskas era, never stop “coaching” Giannakis, from the starting five list to concrete team tactic. Even during Asian Championship he talked to Giannakis and tried to change his tactics.
During this period, Hu Jiashi convoked many “mini-meetings” only with Chinese asisstants coaches and some veteran players, and said clearly that players should play with his own idea, not coach´s tactics. So that´s why a famous guard in China said “If I defend this round, I won´t have energy to attack in the next round”. In the summing-up meeting a few days before, some players said they can´t understand Giannakis´s tactic, even facing to the common question like “What´s should you do after defensive rotations”, some players answered “I don´t know”.
Control players list
Before Giannakis came to China, Hu Jiashi has promised that the asosiation will give him 24 players to select, but Giannakis never had this complete 24 players list.
From the first day of Giannakis took office, 7 players of these 24, the young players that Giannakis wanted most, went to Korea to participate East Asian championship with China youth national team. Giannakis could only begin his training with 17 players, 7 of them have injure.
Then, Hu Jiashi said that youth team must participate in Stankovic Cup, etc. as excuse. That made Giannakis insatisfied, who complained privately “It seems that Hu prefers youth team”.
Before the NT confirmd the final player list to Asian championship, Hu added youth team head coach Fan Bin into the coaching stuff without Giannakis´s advice, with “training local young coach” as an excuse. That made Giannakis felt that he never got respect.
And the players list for Asian championship was totally contrary to the idea of Giannakis. For Giannakis, he always believed that China should use more young players, considering 2016 Olympic as final objective. But some veterans players that Giannakis had abandoned appeared in the list again.
Even so, before arriving in Philippines, Giannakis still believed that if the players can implement his tactic, and defended like what they did in warm up game, it´s not a problem to get a ticket for next year’s FIBA world cup. He still couldn´t understand why he couldn´t see desire of victory and energy for the honour of the nation from these players wearing national team jersey.
Another thing that Giannakis couldn´t understand, is that Hu left after Championship Preliminary Round. As the head coach of NT, Giannakis didn´t know this until it happened.