Dimitris Agravanis: 'Xavi Pascual would call other coaches and say the worst things about me' / News - Basketnews.com

Peristeri BC latest signing, Dimitris Agravanis, admitted that his behavior is partly to blame for his not playing at Europe's top level, and he revealed that Xavi Pascual had been saying bad things about him.

Credit: Anatoliy Medved/SIPA; Peristeri BC Credit Anatoliy Medved/SIPA; Peristeri BC

Dimitris Agravanis recently joined Peristeri Athens, responding to Vassilis Spanoulis' call. After a decent EuroBasket with Greece and a rather quite free agency, the 27-year-old international forward decided to sign a short-term deal with Italian side Napoli in late September.

Dimitrios Agravanis

Team:Peristeri AthensPosition:SF, PFAge:27Height:208 cmBirth place:GreeceProfileNewsStatistics

Agravanis stayed in Italy only for one month, averaging 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds over five Serie A contests. In his first appearance with Peristeri, a neat 102-77 win over Greek league newcomers Karditsa, he posted 13 points, 3 rebounds and as many assists.

In a podcast he did with Dora Panteli, Agravanis admitted that his inability to find a place on a EuroLeague team has a lot to do with the bad reputation that precedes him.

"I'm very spontaneous and emotional with the teams I play. I've projected a bad image out to the people, and to my teammates, even though I'm not like that as a person," he conceded.

"It's just that my need to win all the time made me get away with it and have bad reactions. It was for a moment, but it stuck with everyone. It's hard to change someone's point of view when they see something like that. That made me sad this summer," he went on to say.

Agravanis spent three seasons (2019-22) with Promitheas Patras, winning only the Greek Super Cup in 2020. His overall performances would have been more than enough to draw some EuroLeague interest, but that wasn't the case. The Greek forward thinks the media exaggerated when referring to him as a person with bad reactions and a potential locker-room danger.

"We all saw it," he said. "It was written at least 2-3 times a week that my attitude was to blame for me not signing with a team. It hurt me and it wasn't 100% true."

Agravanis pointed out that he chose to refuse some proposals, but also clarified that he "certainly didn't have the top offfer from a EuroLeague team."

Points this season

43%75,5Points made:75,5Accuracy:42,8%Place in standings:13Record max:89Record min:65Best scorer:Derrick WilliamsTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

He then made an interesting revelation.

"I will tell you a typical example of a man with whom I would certainly like to speak. I'm saying it for the first time. It's a very good coach, Xavi Pascual, who never had me as a player, but only as an opponent at Olympiacos-Panathinaikos games.

In conversations I had with Spanish teams over the years, [I learned that] he would call other Spanish coaches and say the worst things about me.

I would like us to go out, have a cup of coffee together, and tell him, 'Why, coach? Since you've never coached me, nor have you ever known me as a person, why would you say that?'" Agravanis wondered.

"I was six years at Olympiacos and another three at Promitheas. I don't change teams easily, which would indicate that I'm a bad person. I've made a lot of mistakes, but I've changed over the last three years," he stressed.

Agravanis further pointed out that no Greek team reached out to him officially last summer. "No official proposal was made. There was interest and discussion,' he said.

Having been identified with Olympiacos, where he played from 2013 through 2019, Agravanis' potential move to Panathinaikos wouldn't be greeted with much enthusiasm by a big part of the Greens' fanbase. That's something Dimitris Giannakopoulos pointed out in a recent Instagram live he did, where he clarified that his intention was to bring Agravanis to OAKA.

"I've always been emotional, whether it's at Olympiacos or at any other team I've played," Agravanis said.

"Teams offer me money, glory, titles, human relations. These are things I cannot forget. I am grateful to Olympiacos for being able to play there and for allowing me to make this career."

Agravanis came to Olympiacos the year the Reds have won their second of back-to-back EuroLeague trophies. During his stint, he played two championship games (2015, 2017), and won two domestic titles (2015, 2016).

"I want to get even higher. Looking back, I see how much worse a player I was when I played at Olympiacos. I didn't know how to dribble or post-up. I just had a mediocre spot shot, energy on defense and rebounding. Nothing else. Now, I'm working on all aspects of my game," he argued.

Recently, Mike James said he'd never sign with Olympiacos. Would Agravanis ever go to Panathinaikos?

"It goes without saying that I want to return to the EuroLeague. So, this answer says all you need to know."

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