By Michael Gkioulenoglou/ info@eurohoops.net
That glorious smile is to be remembered. As his reaction to people shouting his name. As his way of convincing the referees that he had committed no foul on the court, even though he might have shoved someone right in front of their eyes!
Audiences, in Sporting, or Nea Smirni, made a song, narrating Mitchell Wiggin‘s abilities. It doesn’t seem an exaggeration to say that they even made toasts in his name.
And he did what he knew best: Put the ball in the basket. Anyway, he wanted. Plain and simple.
Eurohoops.net got in touch with three former players, each one from the three teams he played basketball in Greece: Milonas, Sporting (twice), and Panionios.
Everyone had a story to tell. From the long laces he used to have on his sneakers, to the famous three-finger push-ups and then to the “one on one” battles with his teammates. He used to break the most fearful opponent.
Also, there is a story about the day he could lay up two easy points, but instead, he waited for his opponent, Melvin Cheatum so he could score with defense!
Mitchell Wiggins departed for the long journey at the age of 64. Beaten by something he could not fool. Even if he tried to use that big and glorious smile. Perhaps he knew that when death smiles at you, all you can do is smile back.
The following words belong to Giannis Sioutis – teammate in Milonas – Dimitris Avdalas (Sporting) and Giorgos Bosganas (Panionios).
Giannis Sioutis – Milonas
“He was the first foreign player in Milona’s history. From day one, we understood he was a great player. He was 34 when he came to Greece, but I remember him practicing every day. No matter if we had a scheduled practice. No days off for Mitch. He was shooting all the time. I was 19 years old, I was all day at the gym. And he was too, grinding 24/7.
He did his famous push-ups. My God, he was working his fingers so hard. That is why he was an amazing stealer. Strong fingers helped him in offense and defense.
At the age of 34, he started writing a new page, starting from Milonas.
He had such an impact on the team, he was friendly and a pro. No member of that team has to say anything negative about him. He was helping the young players. As I said, I was 19 years old and he surpassed me. He had a positive aura and he was a fantastic scorer. When he found his rytmh, he was unstoppable.
“One on one” with Melvin Cheatum
If I have to pick one memory with Mitch, that would be an away game against Larissa. Mitch was on fire. He had open court, he just needed to lay up the ball for two points. But he stopped, so his opponent, Melvin Cheatum, could defend! And then, he finished the job with a rainbow shot!
Mitch was so experienced. When he was on a roll, he was unstoppable”.
Dimitris Avdalas – Sporting
“He was kicked out of the NBA. And he carried that inside him. He wanted to show who he was. All the time. In that way, he thought that he would prove that he hadn’t thrown away his career. He wanted to show his family, what he could do.
He was a lovable guy. And the fans fell in love with him. He was not as we say, a diva. He spoke to everyone. So friendly.
Before the game even began, he knew he had like 20 points in the bag. He had the way to strip the ball from his opponent. And that gave him easy baskets.
Plus, he had the ability to put himself in the best position for an offensive rebound. And even when he committed a foul, he started smiling at the referees! His innocent face made the call in his favor.
One day, he came to practice. We used to lift weights.
But he was doing his finger routine. We continued to change weights. But he was stuck in his routine.
Mitchell could do push-ups with three fingers! Or with five fingers, but without using his palm! He was famous for that.
We tried to imitate him. Without success!
Mitch was also famous for something else. He used to wear big shoelaces. When I say big, I mean it.
The laces used to cover the whole shoe! He used to tie them, let’s say, kind of loose.
That was a trick. When the laces were untied, he had time to catch his breath!
Sometimes, we challenged him for a “one on one”. He used to tear us apart! And if he could score a basket, he started talking!”.
Giorgos Bogsanas – Panionios
“I remember Mitch. On his first dinner with the team, Panionios, he had only eaten cucumbers! Probably he wanted to be in good shape. He did not start the season with us, he came after a few weeks. That season we participated in the EuroLeague.
He was like a “mad dog” in training. I know it because I had to guard him! Every time I had scratches and bruises. But he was a gentleman. Every time.
And an incredible scorer. Prolific. I tried every day, to find ways to stop him. I was his… personal defender.
He was grown up with a certain mentality. He used to play in parks. And there, the motto is “If you score, I must score back”. So he lived with that thing in his mind”.