By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
In what ultimately became a notorious moment, Promitheas Patras coach Makis Giatras was confronted once in a Greek League press conference by a reporter who asked him: “Are you a coach?”
Giatras, in a strict but also calm manner, answered: “No, I say that I am a coach.”
It was the right answer, too, because coach Giatras doesn’t really fit any regular mold.
Born in 1972, he began his career in the lower Greek divisions back in 1996. He first coached his current team, Promitheas Patras, in 2013, winning Greece’s fourth division championship. Promitheas arrived at the Greek top division in 2016, and after that success, Giatras was named the club’s sports director.
Former player Nikos Vetoulas, a gifted passer who made history for cross-town rival Apollon Patras, was hired as the coach for the 2016-17 season, but was soon replaced by another former point guard and also a long-time assistant of Dusan Ivkovic, Vangelis Aggelou.
It didn’t last long.
Giatras was back on the bench of Promitheas for the 2017-18 season, and last season he was named the Greek League’s coach of the year.
Now, nobody dares to ask him anymore if he is a coach.
And to be honest, you simply can’t do that when Giatras allows the club to do this.
Yes, Promitheas promoted the season tickets sales with Giatras posing as the owner of a typical Greek sea-side tavern, an ode to the now-infamous “Are you a coach?” question. After all, Giatras is all about self-sarcasm, with him explaining on several occasions that he was never a “tavern owner” – a term used in Greece by fans for bad coaches. However, he does own, together with his brother Tasos, a pizza parlor!
The joke, however, is on the team’s rivals, as Promitheas is marching in EuroCup Group A with a 2-1 record, having won road games against Maccabi Rishon LeZion and last week against ratiopharm Ulm.
“Those are two teams against which we compete directly for a spot in the next round, so it’s great to beat them on the road,” Giatras explained. “Also, we were more than competitive in the game against Monaco – we lost on details – so I think that we are doing a pretty good job so far. Our goal is to make it to the next round, so we are right on course.”
And that’s why Promitheas is not going to roll over and let Segafredo Virtus Bologna have an easy night in Patras.
“I expect a full gym and I want our fans to feed the team with their energy,” says Giatras, who also knows that the Italian club will be a fearsome opponent. “They are practically a EuroLeague-level team. This is not just words, it’s a fact. They have players who have left their mark in the EuroLeague. So it’s going to be a very difficult game and we know it.”
After all, Giatras says, the competition level of the EuroCup is more than high: “All I can I say so far is that I am impressed by the organization and the clubs of the competition. The level is very high, our opponents are really strong and this is a real challenge.”
That’s why Promitheas is eager to prove the team’s worth and make the next step into creating a legacy, which also includes Coach Giatras and his unique demeanor.
He can explode at any given timeout, but his players will die for him on the court.
He would not be the first choice of a casting director for the role of a coach in movie, but he always has an ace up his sleeve with the help of his staff and his vast experience in lower divisions, where you have to use various kinds of tricks in order to survive.
And he has the full support of the management, which is all about building a top team from the grassroots.
Promitheas has a solid roster, an ambitious plan that includes both a spot in the EuroLeague and producing top local talent, and the right guy on the bench to support both goals.