By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Besides Peristeri Domino’s remaining in the hunt for a spot in the Round of 16 of the Basketball Champions League, Vassilis Xanthopoulos enjoyed a special moment on Tuesday.
“We need a win to retain our hopes of reaching the next stage of the BCL,” mentioned the 40-year-old Greek point guard before the clash with FMP Soccerbet in Peristeri Arena. He went on to contribute six points, five assists, two steals and two rebounds over 25 minutes, helping his side improve to 2-3 in Group H of the Regular Season.
Been there, done that! A complete lack of any form of reduced interest in extending the continental campaign of Peristeri marks the approach of Xanthopoulos. A former champion with AEK, back in 2018, he was also part of his current team reaching the 2024 Final Four under the guidance of the former play-caller of Peristeri, Vassilis Spanoulis. But he is hungry for more…
The 90-game club
On Tuesday, Xanthopoulos became the fifth player to feature in 90 games of the Champions League. At 40, he was in the starting lineup selected by head coach Giorgos Limniatis. His first BCL start since late in the 2019-20 season.
List of players with 90 games
| Player | Appearances |
| Tim Abromaitis | 104 |
| Bruno Fitipaldo | 97 |
| Linos Chrysikopoulos | 96 |
| Vojtech Hruban | 92 |
| Vassilis Xanthopoulos | 90 |
There is no shortage of experienced BCL veterans in the Top 5, including the captain of Promitheas Vikos Cola and fellow Greek compatriot, Linos Chrysikopoulos chasing La Laguna Tenerife teammates, Tim Abromaitis and Bruno Fitipaldo. With Vojtech Hruban currently out of the league, Xanthopoulos will get an opportunity to move up to fourth place on the all-time list, if Peristeri extends the ongoing expedition beyond the Regular Season.
Xanthopoulos in the BCL
The inaugural installment of the Champions League, in the 2016-17 season, shaped the introduction of Xanthopoulos. Packing experience across several clubs, including becoming a EuroLeague champion with Panathinaikos in 2007, he started the long run with 3.3 points and 3.5 points per contest. Aris reached the Round of 16 to be knocked out by LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.
Launching the first of two stints with AEK, he became a BCL champion in 2018 and made it to the Quarterfinals of the 2018-19 campaign with the Queen. In a reunion through the 2022-23 season, his efforts resulted in yet another run until the Quarterfinals. Overall, he tallied 1.9 points and 2.6 assists per game.
In 2019-20, as a member of Peristeri winmasters, his BCL efforts, amounting to 2.5 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.6 rebounds per contest, concluded in the Round of 16. He put in 0.4 points and 0.9 assists per game over 16 appearances with Peristeri bwin ranking fourth in last year’s Final Four in Belgrade.
The ongoing campaign, his seventh in the league, features a visit at UCAM Murcia on December 18, to wrap up the six-game double-legged round-robin schedule of the Regular Season. In the hunt for an opportunity to progress to the Round of 16 through a best-of-three series in the Play-In stage, Peristeri needs to beat the Universitarios or hope for Manisa to overpower FMP at home.
A mentor to younger teammates, Xanthopoulos keeps on displaying playmaking skills, a constant from the earlier to the later stages of a brilliant career. Is there another long BCL journey in him? That remains to be seen.
Photo Credit: FIBA