Panionios hope to follow Olympiacos’ Greek youth recipe for success

REGENSBURG (David Hein’s Eye on the Future) – The transfer didn’t make the biggest headlines, but Dimitrios Agravanis’s recent decision to move within the Greek A1 league from Marousi to Panionios BC sends a clear message: that Panionios are serious about bringing in Greece’s top young talent and building their team in that manner.

The model of relying on high quality Greek youngsters showed it can work in Greece – and Europe – as Olympiacos rode the talents of Kostas Papanikolaou, Kostas Sloukas and Evangelos Mantzaris to the Greek league title and a shocking win over CSKA Moscow in the 2012 Euroleague Final. Papanikolaou had been with Olympiacos since 2009 and was joined in 2011 by Sloukas and Mantzaris.

Of course, winning was nothing new to that trio, which had helped the Greek youth teams to FIBA Europe U18 gold and the Albert Schweitzer Tournament title in 2008; FIBA U19 World Championship silver and FIBA Europe U20 gold in 2009; and FIBA Europe U20 silver in 2010. Not to mention Papanikolaou and Sloukas making the Greek senior national team for EuroBasket 2011 and Mantzaris joining last summer for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

And now, Panionios are hoping to follow that same method – with some success already as they improved to 5-0 in the Greek A1 despite being 0-2 in the Eurocup thus far this season.

The power forward Agravanis, who turns 18 in late December, is one of Greece’s top players from the 1994 generation. And he joins a Panionios side which is banking on two of the other top stars from Greece’s über-generation of 1990 living up to their talent.

Nikos Pappas and Vlantimir Giankovits were just as important – if not more – to the success of those Greek youth teams. Pappas seemed destined for stardom, debuting in the Greek league for Panellinios in 2006-07 (as a 16-year-old) and making his Eurocup premiere a season later. In 2008, Pappas signed a five-year contract with Bilbao Basket, at which point his career slowed. A loan to fourth division Real Madrid B was followed by a move to Greek side Kolossos Rodou, where he played two seasons – winning the 2010 Greek league Best Young Player award.

In February 2012, Pappas signed with PAOK Thessaloniki and this off-season Panionios picked him up, hoping that stardom was ready to blossom. And it has, as Pappas is averaging 21.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in the Greek League and 13 points and 5.5 rebounds in the Eurocup.

Giankovits is an athletic wing who came up in the youth ranks at Panionios, where his father Boban Jankovic played until an on-court incident paralysed him in 1992. Giankovits is slowly increasing his production as well.

The other “older” young Greek talent for Panionios is Giorgos Bogris, who joined the team after playing last season with Aris Thessaloniki and the previous two with Panathinaikos. Sure, the 1989-born Bogris won a Euroleague title in 2011 but he hardly played.

His high point thus far may have come at the FIBA Europe U20 championship in 2009 when he helped Greece to the title with 14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. That summer earned him a move from second division A2 side Ilysiakos Athens to the giants Panathinaikos. But his career stalled at that point as he struggled to earn playing time – as a 20-year-old in 2009.

Now, Panionios are hoping more time on the court will help him develop that talent. One thing is certain, he will once again play with his friend Pappas – after the two played together for Greece at the 2012 FIBA 3x3 World Championship.

At the same time, head coach Athanasios Skourtopoulos and team president Ilias Lianos are bringing in other young prospects.

In addition to Agravanis, Greece’s star from the FIBA Europe U18 team this past summer, Panionios this off-season added 1992-born Spyridon Motsenigos from Aegean after he starred on Greece’s U20 team this past summer. The 1991-born Vasileios Kavvadas arrived in Panionios in 2010 from Marousi and even the 16-year-old Vasileios Toliopoulos is earning minutes this season in the Greek A1 league.

The foundation is being laid for Panionios. The hope is these youngsters can take the next step and lead Panionios to success. The fear, however, may come soon if bigger teams – inside of Greece or outside – come looking to pick them away from Panionios. The long-term success of the club could rely on them keeping those players. But first, head coach Skourtopoulos needs to have those players excel and live up to their talent.

David Hein

FIBA

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