Are Greece future proof with NCAA duo Christinaki and Fasoula?
NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen’s Women’s Basketball Worldwide) – Eleanna Christinaki and Maria Fasoula are being entrusted to carry the hopes of Greece for the next decade or so.
It's a very important and necessary task, with so many of their golden and veteran generation ready to hang up their basketball shoes. Of course, many of us expected that Evina Maltsi, Stella Kaltsidou and Co would use FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 as their swansong. Only they tore up the script and made a fairytale run to the Semi-Finals to book a place at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018.
This has extended their international careers, but most importantly, their success in Prague last year was achieved alongside the likes of Christinaki and Fasoula – two rising stars who are ready to carry the torch forward and expand their respective roles and influence.
Both are still learning their trade and while only playing limited minutes [circa 10 per game] at FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017, they have both now shown in the subsequent FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2019 Qualifiers they can land a seriously hard punch at the senior level.
This is not only hugely exciting for fans of Greece, but also for the neutrals. While Greece are a nation who have not always sapped up their ticket to major FIBA tournaments, they have provided some truly great memories down the years.
Swingman Christinaki is a big talent and to suggest she is 'the new Maltsi' would be heaping far too much pressure and expectation on her shoulders. It would be more accurate to say she is 'the first Christinaki and a potential replacement for [the soon to be retired] Maltsi'. If she gets anywhere near the kind of level of the Greek legend then she will be thrilled.
Congrats to junior Eleanna Christinaki, who earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors! 🙌🏽🐢🇬🇷
— Maryland Women’s Basketball (@umdwbb) February 26, 2018
MORE: https://t.co/xC3nKkHer0#FearTheTurtle pic.twitter.com/mEClPghgiT
Having transferred from the Gators to the Terrapins, her passionate play with Maryland has won her many fans. She can certainly score, is naturally aggressive at both ends of the floor and is always ready to bring it. Christinaki dropped a big display last November in the FIBA Qualifiers against Great Britain and it was one of the stories of the first window.
Fasoula comes from revered basketball stock, her father was a senior team star with Greece. While her college career has been disrupted by her transfer from Boston College to Vanderbilt which has left her sidelined for 2017-18, she will be ready to make an impact from this fall.
Her size and evolving post game make her a handful, so if she can stay healthy and really work hard on her mobility up and down the floor, she has every chance of being an anchor for Greece in the paint alongside the established EuroLeague Women player and Robert Morris alumn, Artemis Spanou. Fasoula corralled 11 points in 20 minutes against Portugal earlier this month and that cameo spoke volumes about her potential.
Perhaps the big question though is not whether these two can make Greece future proof. They are both players I like – a lot. The bigger question is arguably who else can Greece rely on, because arguably Christinaki and Fasoula are not sufficient on their own to keep Greece as a leading European nation?
The next in line to get a promotion to the senior team has been Elena Tsineke – a shooting guard who loves to drive to the hoop and can also pick out a beautiful pass. She was sensational at the FIBA U18 Women's European Championship last year in Sopron.
She got onto the court in one of the recent Qualifiers which was a major step and even if the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 comes too soon, she makes the 1-2 punch of Christinaki and Fasoula become a more powerful combination in the years to come.
There is also a quiet confidence that Ioanna Chatzileonti could be someone to really add some depth in the medium to long term in the forward spot. She posted an eye-catching effort for Greece last summer too, although at just 16-years-old, she has even longer to go until she pushes for a senior place. But, watch this space.
With all of this in mind, it seems to me that fears Greece will spend time in the doldrums when their great veterans step down is exaggerated and with Christinaki and Fasoula leading the way, they may be able to grab the baton and take Greece on a new and exciting journey.
Paul Nilsen
FIBA
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