Calathes content and confident

LONDON (The Friday Eurovision) - There’s something very refreshing when seeing Nick Calathes wear the Panathinaikos shirt.

A magnificent college point guard in America at Florida, Calathes left the Gators after two seasons to launch his professional career with the Greens in Greece.

He has the advantage of possessing a Greek passport, which means he doesn’t take up one of the valued foreigner spots.

What one realizes quickly at Panathinaikos games is that Calathes isn't playing much.

Panathinaikos is a star-laden team in the Euroleague that revolves around the sublimely gifted point guard Dimitris Diamantidis.

In the team’s Euroleague opener at Valencia last week, Calathes only played five minutes and 51 seconds.

On Thursday at home to CSKA Moscow, Calathes played almost 10 minutes.

Panathinaikos won both games.

Calathes, who was taken in the 2009 NBA Draft by Minnesota, isn’t getting many minutes but he’s got a smile on his face and a bounce in his step.

He looks content.

"I've been here for two years now, or a year and a half," he said to FIBA.com after the game against Valencia, "and the national team has really helped me.

"Obviously, it's tough to adjust because I've lived in the States my whole life but I think I'm getting better at it.

"Greece is a great place and I'm with a great organization (Panathinaikos)."

Calathes mentioned national team.

Greece, remember, won EuroBasket 2005 in Belgrade and followed that up with the stunning 101-95 upset of Team USA in the Semi-Finals of the 2006 FIBA World Championship history.

In 2009, when Calathes joined the team, a shorthanded Greece under new coach Jonas Kazlauskas went on a terrific run at the EuroBasket in Poland and captured the bronze medal.

This year, though, there was no gain, only pain.

In the build-up to Turkey, two Greek players - Antonis Fotsis and Sofoklis Schortsanitis - were each banned for two games after an incident late in a friendly against Serbia.

The Greeks went to Ankara and lost to Turkey, and unexpectedly to Russia, before falling to Spain in the Eight-Finals.

And to finish a disappointing World Championship for Greece, the much-loved 30-year-old Diamantidis announced he was retiring from the national team.

Without delving too much into the negatives, Calathes did comment on Greece's summer.

"We didn't connect really during the World Championship," he said.

"I thought we were a lot better than what we showed.

"Obviously we could have shot a lot better, but it happens sometimes like that.

"Hopefully next year, we can do something special at the EuroBasket."

As for the potential changes in the Greek national team, especially with Diamantidis' retirement and the question as to who will coach the team now that Kazlauskas' contract has expired, Calathes said: "I don't know.

"I'm focused on Panathinaikos right now.

"Whatever happens with the Greek Federation and what they decide, I don't know.

"I'm focusing on the here and now and hopefully we can win some championships here."

Putting all of his attention on Panathinaikos is not a bad thing.

Calathes is getting a chance to play with Diamantidis and under Obradovic.

The Greens will be among the teams to beat once again this year.

Off the court, it’s different this season.

Calathes is no longer sharing a home in Athens with his brother, Pat.

Nick stayed but Pat, who played for Maroussi in Athens last season, is now playing in Rhodes.

They will still see each other from time to time, but now Nick is on his own.

"It's good to have your own privacy, but it's better with family being with you all the time," he said.

"But it's still fun.

"I've got teammates that are like family to me and have taken me under their wing, have shown me around, taken me out to dinner and stuff like that.

"My parents will come over once a year.

"They'll come over in January or February and I've got a lot of friends that come over."

Pat said that he did the cooking, and cleaning, when he and Nick lived together in Athens.

What Nick's take on that?

"(Laughs) Don't listen to him," he said.

"He's the one that made my house a mess."

Jeff TAYLOR
FIBA