By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos Athens and Greece coach Rick Pitino said that he’s uncertain on whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will play in the Olympic Games Qualifiers and that his absence will make qualification a difficult task for the national team.
“I hope I get star Giannis Antetokounmpo with the Greek national team,” Pitino said in an interview with Israeli outlet Walla. “I’m not sure he’ll make it to the pre-Olympic tournament in Canada, and without him, we will have a very hard time qualifying for the Olympics. “.
Greece will participate in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Victoria, Canada. The team will face China and Canada in Group A of the preliminary round of the tournament. The first two teams in the Group will advance to the semifinals.
Here’s what Pitino also said on:
The challenge of possibly coaching in the Olympic Games:
“I coached for many years in the NCAA and the NBA, and being in the Olympics can be a nice challenge to wrap up my career. We will have a very hard time. We need to put together a roster of the best-suited players”.
The Boston Celtics and Panathinaikos:
“These two clubs are full of tradition and I have coached both, but they are very different. The main difference is in infrastructure: I don’t think they have built a new basketball court here in Greece in the last 50 years. We go to league games in high school halls. Hopefully, that will change as the economic crisis subsides. In two or three weeks, there will be ten degrees here in OAKA, with no heat, and it’s hard to train like that. But you know, you must not complain. At least they fixed the toilet in my office, so I don’t need to stand like I’m in the woods…”