Calathes comes of age

April 12, 2011

by Graham Wood

IF PANATHINAIKOS fans had been worrying where they might find an eventual successor to superstar Dimitris ‘3D’ Diamantidis whenever the Greece star decides to call it a day on his club career, then they would do well not to. 

For in Nick Calathes the Greens already seem to have a player who is maturing into a future talisman for both club and country.

The 22-year-old, who arrived as a fresh-faced College rookie in May 2009, enjoyed one of his best moments in a Panathinaikos shirt on March 31 as the Greens vanquished Barcelona to qualify for the Euroleague Final Four.

The Florida-born guard has been outstanding throughout the series for Panathinaikos as Zeljko Obradovic’s men recorded a 3-1 series win over the Spaniards.

But in addition to his all-round stellar displays against the Blaugrana, in the 78-67 victory in front of a sea of 19,000 fans at a bouncing OAKA which sealed their progress, Calathes showed that when it matters most that he is well on the way to becoming a similar ‘go-to guy’  character in the mould of Diamantidis.

After American Drew Nicholas limped off injured and skipper Diamantidis conceded two early fouls that forced him off the court, Calathes stepped up to guide his team to a third victory over Barca in seven days by scoring 12 points, contributing three steals and three assists.

Despite his superb display, Calathes remained ever the modest professional as the media crowded round to quiz him in the mixed zone afterwards.

“We have some incredible players, players who are leaders out on the court and who have reached the Final Four and won championships,” he said. “Not only that, but we have the best coach in Europe. Nothing is impossible for this team.”

Few people had given the Greens a chance of defeating Barcelona when the series began. Indeed, everything was set up for the reigning champions to become the first team to win back-to-back titles in their own backyard with the Final Four to be held in the club’s home city.

But unfortunately for Barca, PAO had not read the script. Or if they had, they decided it was a load of rubbish and ripped it to shreds.

“We knew we could beat them and our belief proved us right,” Calathes added.  “We knew that every game would be difficult and at this stage it was a clash between two of the best clubs. Barcelona had the motivation of trying to retain the title in their home city but we managed to stop that and we are very excited about the final four.”

Calathes has been afforded more court time this season after impressing for both PAO and the Greek national team since his debut two years ago.

“The coach has showed a lot of confidence in me and I just tried to grab the opportunity,” said Calathes. “My role was to keep Navarro in check defensively and try to organise the attacks to free up my teammates as much as possible. I just tried to give the best for the benefit of the team and help us win.”

Asked if he felt any added pressure when Nicholas and Diamantidis departed the court, Calathes pointed to the influence that the latter has had on his game. “It is difficult for a young player to lead the team, but when you have learnt from a player like Diamantidis, everything becomes much easier; he is in my mind the best player in Europe,” he said.

Panathinaikos will register their 10th appearance at the Final Four when they head to Barcelona for the competition on May 6-8, also aiming to clinch their sixth title. PAO will first face Olympiakos’ conquerors Monte Paschi Siena on Friday, 6 May. Calathes is optimistic about his team’s chances.

“No matter which team we will face in the final four, all of them will be difficult opponents,” he explained. “First we will play against a very good team in Siena who defeated Olympiakos. We need to be well prepared.”

“Clearly it will be interesting as the teams managed to get up there means that we are the favourites. Every team wants to win and now anything can happen, as it is just single matches and not a playoff style series.”

While Calathes seems destined to return to the NBA to continue his career, for now he says he is happy in Athens. “I love Greece and I love playing at this club at the moment,” he declared. “To be honest, I am not thinking too far into the future at the moment. I love the club, the fans and the team and that is all that is on my mind.”

ΠΗΓΗ / SOURCE: Athens News