GRE – Zouros adds Pat Calathes and Xanthopoulos to squad

ATHENS (EuroBasket 2011) - Ilias Zouros hasn’t had the smoothest of starts as the new coach of Greece with veteran playmaker Dimitris Diamantidis deciding not to end his national team retirement and Loukas Mavrokefalidis also declaring his unavailability for the national team at the EuroBasket in Lithuania because of a "serious family problem."

When the door shuts on some players, it opens for others.

Following the decision by Mavrokefalidis, Greece drafted forward Pat Calathes into the squad.

Calathes is the older brother of point guard Nick Calathes, who played for the Greeks at EuroBasket 2009 and at last year's FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

This week, Zouros has added guard Vasileios Xanthopoulos to the group of players who will on Thursday leave for the mountain resort of Karpenissi to begin the preparations for Lithuania.

Greece have played at the last two Olympic Games and will be hoping to book a place in London 2012 but to do so, they will need to reach the EuroBasket Final.

Otherwise, they can earn a spot at next summer’s big event via the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for the second straight time.

The sides that finish third, fourth, fifth and sixth will be invited to the 12-team qualifying event, which will be staged next year.

At the EuroBasket, the Greeks will play in Group C against Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR of Macedonia, Croatia, Montenegro and one of the two sides that comes from the Additional Qualifying Round - Portugal, Hungary or Finland.

As for Mavrokefalidis, the big man had said: "I consider it the highest honor to be in the national team and would never make myself absent except for a very serious reason.

"Furthermore, because the involvement and introduction of an athlete with the national team offers him prestige and value, everyone can understand that my decision has nothing to do with any personal interest.

"However, since I put my family over the sport, this decision is a must.

"I hope the reasons for my absence will be accepted by the Greek Basketball Federation and our coaches."

The federation said in a statement on their website they were reviewing the situation.

Greece’s players were on Monday and Tuesday having medical exams before departing for Karpenissi.

FIBA