By Rigas Dardalis/ dardalis@eurohoops.net
In sports is usual for the apple to not fall far from the apple tree. In this case the apple tree is green and full of fruits! The Panathinaikos team that dominated the early eighties in Greek basketball, until the emergence of “Emperor” Aris BC, has great basketball gens. The sons of those players are already basketball players themselves.
Some of them are members of Panathinaikos‘ junior team that some day ago won the Greek junior championship, Some others are already professional players and two of them are playing ball in the US. In the eighties even players from other sections of the club produced kids with basketball abilities. Former volleyball player Dimitris Gontikas is proud for his hoops crazed son!
Liveris Andritsos – Vasilis Andritsos
He is the youngest of the bunch. Vasilis Andritsos was born in 1998 and he is the son of Liveris Andritsos, European champion in 1987 with Greece. The president of BC Panionios (and childhood friend of Liveris) Ilias Lianos was joking about his baddy some years ago: “Liveris wakes up every day and measure his son because he wants to see if he is gaining height”. That’s not exactly the case. Andritsos is a very low profile person and the same can be said about his boy, who is playing in the junior teams of Panionios.
David Stergakos – Ted Stergakos
Ted was born in 1995 and he is already 6’6 ft tall. He is playing in Kifisia 2003 BC but he also has to study for school and the time for basketball is sparse. After all his father, David, besides being a great player, he had a degree and after his playing days, he was able to have a successful career in business. That’s why he doesn’t pressure his son to be a pro basketball player, but he sure wants to see him try his luck in the courts.
Dimitris Dimakopoulos – Yiannis Dimakopoulos
Dimitros Dimakopoulos was one of the great unsung Greek talents in the eighties. He got the skill of a guard and the body of a forward. His son, a recent junior Greek champion with Panathinaikos, is also a great talent but also a very different case from his father. He is a 7’1 ft giant who, of course, plays at center. Born in 1994 he has all the time in the world to improve his body and be a pro.
Argiris Papapetrou – Giorgos Papapetrou, Ioannis Papapetrou
Argiris Papapetrou has not only one, but two reasons to be proud. Make them three, if you also count his decision to send his boys in the States. His older son (born in 1991) Giorgos Papapetrou plays in Dallas Ranger junior college and he is ready to be transferred in NCAA division I school. His younger son just graduated from Florida Air Academy and next season he will be a player of Texas University (as were Kevin Durant and La Marcus Aldridge), because he is considered one of the biggest talents in his age. The newspaper “Florida Today” named him as the best high school player of Florida for 2012. The 17 years old forward (6’7 ft) has the talent and the pedigree for a great career.
Memos Ioannou – Stelios Ioannou
Getting to older ages, we have cases of already pro players. Stelios Ioannou at the age of 24 is already considered a solid Greek league player in his second season with Panionios. His father Memos was one of the top guards in the history of Greek basketball, a European Champion in 1987, and he son is not the same gifted scorer, but he has the same toughness in his game, a great body and the same basketball IQ.
Michalis Kiritsis – Alexandros Kiritsis
Michalis Kiritsis was the coach that led Panathinaikos in 1984 to its last championship before the current dynasty from 1998 until our days. His 30 years old son Alexandros this season is also a Panathinaikos player, after a long career in the Greek league. Kiritsis junior is considered one of the best Greek scorers and one of the most experienced player in the League, having been a member of teams like Marousi, AEK, Aris and Ilisiakos.
Dimitris Gontikas – Konstantinos Gontikas
Dimitris Gontikas was one of the best European volleyball players in the eighties, a champion with Panathinaikos in 1986 and a bronze medal winner in European in 1987. His son choose a better – at least to our eyes – sport and some days ago he won the Greek junior championship, of course with the green jersey. Born in 1994 and standing 6’8 ft tall Konstantinos can became a good forward, if he works more in his basketball skills, because he already has the body.