Spanoulis giving Rockets reason for optimism?

[SkipToMy_Lou]

Outside the NCAA final four and NBA draft excitement of the previous weeks, comes a point guard which has been mentioned again in DraftCity and has been a product of hard work and absolute belief in improvement of every talent. It is the captain of Maroussi, the second best team in the Greek A1, Vassilis Spanoulis. The 22-year old point guard, a player whom nobody outside Greece had even heard of before last year's NBA Draft.

Spanoulis, an old school PG, a player with great court vision and very good knowledge of basketball fundamentals is not what you would call a "great talent". He is not particularly athletic and is not the fastest player in the world. But that’s where "natural" drawbacks end. Having been completely unknown before the beginning of last season (2003-2004), Spanoulis was voted the team captain by his teammates in Maroussi, normally the 6th-10th best Greek team before last year.

Starting as the team's 6th man, Spanoulis had an exciting year last season averaging more or less 13.0 ppg, 1.0 spg and 4.0 apg to help Maroussi to an exciting 10-0 run early in the season and first place in the league for most of the year, losing it only two weeks before the end of the regular season, when the team finished 2nd behind the 3-time European Champions Panathinaikos. Spanoulis became famous in Greece for his strong defensive game, nice slashing abilities and his very strong, demanding character. His buzzer-beating abilities were memorable too. He was a leader in the making.

The surprising Maroussi team went undefeated in the playoffs, losing only in the finals to Panathinaikos, but was not able to qualify for Euroleague, as ULEB has two more contracts with other teams (Olympiakos, AEK) and thus, only the Champions make it to Euroleague. Alongside his domestic league performance, Spanoulis had a spectacular FIBA Europe League semifinal win against Hapoel Tel Aviv, where he scored 26 points along with 5 assists. Spanoulis’ good momentum continued into the summer, as he was selected in the NBA Draft (at #50 by Dallas, which traded him immediately to Houston) and he was also called to the National Team of Greece which finished 5th in the Olympic tournament.

Spanoulis was more of a spectator in the Olympics, as Greece's roster includes some really great and experienced point guards. However, he must have learned a lot by the competitiveness in the Athens Olympics, as his season started in a very strong way...

The A1 proved to be more competitive than anyone would expect, but Maroussi, a Cinderella last year, started the season strongly, despite a very tough schedule early in the year. He had 24 points and the buzzer beating trey in an 90-92 away win over the Euroleague top-16 team AEK, 22 points and 4 assists in a 89-87 win over Aris and 13 points, 6 assists and 4 steals in a spectacular and very important 75-55 win over top-spot rivals Panathinaikos, two days ago. In all these games, Spanoulis was voted the MVP of the match day, something that makes him now one of the top (if not the main) favorite for the MVP of the regular season.

Spanoulis has improved his game decisively and this is proved by the additional shots he is taking and making every game. Having shot more than any other Maroussi player, he is now the team's first option, after being the third last year. He is averaging a good 15.0 ppg (shooting 44% from the field, 41% from downtown and 80% from the free throw line) 1.0 spg and 4.0 apg, while he is a "lock" for the national team for this summer's Eurobasket. According to information from his team, he will go to the Houston Rockets only if he is given 10-15 minutes per game, while the Rockets have been sending him tapes all year, looking for him to participate in their summer camp in a few months.

It seems as everything is going well for the 6-4 PG, who has also said that the only reason for not playing in the NBA is qualifying for the Euroleague. Something that doesn’t look impossible for Maroussi after last Sunday's game

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[Jona]

Dweaver should have heard of him, since he's Greek??

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Hehe, finally a Greek gets noticed.

I know him allright, although I barely follow the Greek A1 league anymore.

He's a great PG/SG for Europe, and probably more experienced at 22 in big games than any other '04 draft choice, even college seniors.

Players in Europe sign professional contracts early and actually play to earn moolah while US kids undergo college process. Euros at this age are more 'professional' in attitude, especially Spanoulis who has been starting for Marroussi since he was 18, if I'm not mistaken.

But I think he lacks stamina and athletiscism to make it in the NBA. Anyone remembers Antoine Rigaudeau? He's like the Frenchman in many aspects, but not nearly as complete yet. And Antoine never made it in the NBA, either...

I think Vassilis' future is in Europe,although he's bound to try his mettle in the NBA in a year or two.

There are far better players in Greece , though...