GRE/ESP - Bilbao’s team-first players Vasileiadis, Mavroeidis

BILBAO (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - There are some strong similarities between the Greek team that made it to the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), and the Bilbao Basket side that has punched above its weight and reached the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Quarter-Finals.

Both teams have Greek coaches, with Fotis Katsikaris at the helm of Bilbao and Ilias Zouros in charge of the national team, that seem to get maximum concentration from the players.

Both sides execute well in the important games and both have Kostas Vasileiadis and Dimitrios Mavroeidis.

The former is an out-and-out gunslinger, a powder keg waiting to explode offensively, while the latter is a hard-working center who plays his heart out in the limited minutes he receives.

There is a strong likelihood that both will feature again for Greece in Caracas at the OQT, where three places for the London Games will be on offer.

Vasileiadis has sure been on a tear of late.

He erupted for 19 points in vital Euroleague wins over Unicaja Malaga (85-70) on January 25 and Real Madrid (93-69) on February 8 that paved the way for Bilbao to reach the Quarter-Finals.

In his last three domestic league encounters with Bilbao against Madrid, Manresa and Barcelona, Vasileiadis has averaged 17.3 points.

While he was good last year, he seems to be even better now, just several months after playing in his first major tournament with Greece at the EuroBasket.

In the clouds

What did it mean to Vasileiadis to represent his country?

Here’s what he said at the time to FIBA.com.

“I can’t believe it,” he said.

“I’m very happy to be playing here and for my national team.

“My family is very happy for me because my hard work for Bilbao paid off, and is paying off with Greece.”

Looking back, moving to Bilbao before the 2010-11 campaign was a defining moment in both his career, and that of Mavroeidis.

Both players were integral in the team’s run to the play-off finals, and qualification for the Euroleague.

Vasileiadis believes Zouros appreciated last year how he and Mavroeidis were team-first players at Bilbao.

“I think so, yes,” Vasileiadis said.

“All year, the coach sees the players who are competing in Europe and Greece and if we do a good job, he knows it.”

The way the season has gone so far for Bilbao, both Vasileiadis and Mavroeidis will be strong contenders to be on the plane to Caracas for the OQT.

FIBA