By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Lille, France – Khem Birch stepped just three minutes on the floor in the game between Canada and Greece, which his team won, however, his contribution was much bigger than his game time and his stats.
Birch is the “insider” the Canadians had on Greek basketball since he played for Olympiacos and his wife is Greek.
“I told them when they say ‘Mavro’, that means black, which means switch”, he admitted after the game. “that’s what I was telling them but I did get an insight on some of those guys”.
Birch played back in the 2016-17 season with Olympiacos and that season propelled him to the NBA, where he played for the next six seasons.
In the Greek powerhouse, he was a teammate with current Greek national team coach and European basketball legend Vasilis Spanoulis, so meeting some familiar faces again in the Olympics was good.
“It was a good experience and also just seeing Spanoulis, it was just crazy because I always wanted to come back and play with him again but now he is retired”, Birch said.
With Canada lacking an inside presence, Birch’s addition to the roster can be an asset in some given situations and the bar is set high.
The Canadian big man didn’t hesitate to admit that his team eyes the gold and he explained why he thinks this is possible, not only for Canada but also for other contenders outside the US: “It’s definitely gold or nothing. That’s the number one goal. I think we have a lot of parity in the Olympics right now. I think anyone can win it. so we have a big chance”.
Photo credit: FIBA