GRE - Vassilopoulos - the young veteran of Greece

ATHENS (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men) - Panagiotis Vassilopoulos is just 24 years old, yet he’s considered to be a veteran of the Greece national team.

He was present in two great achievements, when Greece captured gold at EuroBasket 2005 and silver one year later at the FIBA World Championship in Japan.

Vassilopoulos is back in the national team this summer.

The player, obviously more mature now with all of his experience in the Greece jersey, knows the team has a tough road to navigate to reach the Beijing Games.

They will be in Group A of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament with Brazil and Lebanon, and face a potential quarter-final against Germany, New Zealand or Cape Verde.

But he’s keeping the faith.

Vassilopoulos spoke to FIBA.Com.

FIBA: This is the fourth consecutive year you are present in a men’s national team training camp. However, the circumstances this summer were kind of unusual.

Vassilopoulos: Certainly. To begin with, the basic preparation stage was just one week long. It went by too quickly. Moreover, several new guys were present, and we had to work all together to involve them as well, to make old and new faces click together as a group. All this happened in a great atmosphere, where everyone works hard for the national team. I am among the lucky ones who have experienced that in the past years, and we all want the new guys incorporated in that atmosphere and philosophy. And from their part, they have shown that they are all eager to adjust to the team and become part of it.

FIBA: Do you reckon that the presence of new faces may have helped in a way?

Vassilopoulos: The national team has done well with the players that had competed for it so far. On the other hand, when some players step down and new faces emerge, the change could be beneficial for the team and offer incentives to all players, new and old ones.

FIBA: What were you expecting from the first tournament in Germany? (Greece beat Slovenia and Puerto Rico to win the Supercup in Bamberg.

Vassilopoulos: Friendly games are a totally different thing, and no easier than training camp. They are a difficult part as well, as we are going to see to what extent we can put into practice everything we have worked on. It’s the hardest part of all, in fact. We want to be the best we can be.

FIBA: Are you not tired after a hard season, which is essentially being prolonged?

Vassilopoulos: We will see. There is indeed fatigue. I don’t think anyone can deny that. It is a fact that we have accepted, though. Thank God the Olympic Qualifying Tournament will be held in Greece, and we will not have to overcome the fatigue from a journey as well. Because Puerto Rico may be a great place to go on holiday, but at this point such a trip would not be the best one’s asking for, with qualification for the Olympic Games at stake.

FIBA: Some consider the Olympic Qualifying Tournament easy to slip through, despite all players who have talked about it so far giving it a high degree of difficulty.

Vassilopoulos: It’s not an easy mission. There are several good teams, and a crucial game - the knock-out game of the quarter-finals - which will determine almost everything. I have a reason to believe that we will succeed again in accomplishing what we are aiming at and be present at the Olympic Games.

FIBA: Apart from the comfort of not traveling abroad, could the fact that the OQT will be held in Athens be a factor of extra pressure for you?

Vassilopoulos: Of course not! All guys playing for the national team are top-class players. And all of us playing in Greece are used to that kind of pressure. So it’s natural not to be influenced. Besides, we have already set ourselves high goals for this team.

FIBA