By Stavros Barbarousis/ info@eurohoops.net
Greek national team head coach Rick Pitino is expected back in Greece on Friday and prep his side for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament scheduled to be held from 29 June to 4 July in Victoria, Canada.
The preliminary list of players will be released within the next few days upon his arrival. Vassilis Spanoulis will be among the players called up.
Spanoulis, 38, had not ruled out his return to the national team for the first time since the 2015 edition of EuroBasket. He was indeed projected as the team leader by Pitino, also the Iona boss.
He last played helping Olympiacos defeat Khimki Moscow Region in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season finale. Since completing his campaign at the club level, the well-experienced captain of the Reds has been training daily aiming to remain in optimal shape. The Greek NT staff is confident in him strengthening the Olympic Games bid.
On another note, Giannis Antetokounmpo is unlikely to make his way to the preliminary list with the Milwaukee Bucks looking for an extended run in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.