Itoudis wants Giannis to take a breath, brings unfair FIBA windows question / News - Basketnews.com

Greek national team head coach Dimitris Itoudis addressed the painful EuroBasket quarterfinal loss vs. Germany with pride, focusing on building a process.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Dimitris Itoudis brought all Greek national team players and personnel together in the middle of Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Player of the Game EFF 22 Dennis Schroder Points 26 Accuracy 8-15 Rebounds 3 Assists 8

Some of them were crying and couldn't believe what just have happened.

That's the place where many people thought Greece would be on the last day of the EuroBasket 2022, lifting a trophy on the podium.

But Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dimitris Itoudis, and the Greek team gathered to accept a painful loss in the EuroBasket 2022 quarterfinal vs. Germany 96-107.

The generational talent on the national team roster doesn't necessarily translate into winning the championship. That's what Serbia and Greece can confirm. Two of their players were the NBA MVPs of the last four seasons.

"I would like to say big congratulations to my team. These are tough moments, and you need to get up when falling," Itoudis left the tournament with pride in his group.

"That was men's fight out there. Germany was better. But it's just a beginning. We need to take great lessons out of that. Each and every individual," he continued. "I would like to say we really enjoyed the ride and journey. I think we made many people proud of how this team performs. We wanted to win the war, but it didn't happen."

Itoudis believes that the leader of this group will also take good lessons that he will discuss with him later privately.

"Regarding Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and working with him, it's easy because he's highly motivated. A very humble person. His approach in general in life and sports is exceptional," Itoudis said BasketNews.

"He definitely needs to breathe now, see the things, go back healthy to the NBA, win titles over there, and come back whenever it's allowed and possible to help his national team," Itoudis concluded.

Germany / Schedule

Hungary Germany71-106 Germany Montenegro85-79 Germany Greece107-96 Germany SpainFri18:30

Itoudis will also try to come back stronger, but it won't be soon.

Due to his obligations to Fenerbahce Istanbul, he won't manage to be a full-time national team head coach during the FIBA World Cup window during the club season.

The two-time EuroLeague champion, who had never worked with the national team before, said it was a different journey.

"It's the sprint. And in the sprint, sometimes you might make mistakes. I'm also talking about myself. We need to address these mistakes and embrace what happened. Take it as it is. And go become better," Itoudis responded.

"I think this experience was also important for me. We want to create habits. How we're going to do it? If we're going to be all together. Other national teams, Spain, had the same coaching staff and all this great process. Congrats to Sergio Scariolo, my friend, and the Spanish basketball federation. They created habits, and this is great," Itoudis concluded.

However, when asked about how tough it will be to find a balance between working for a demanding EuroLeague club and national team, he raised the question that still bothers him.

"It's impossible to be there in windows because I have to be focused on the EuroLeague. I really believe that in the end, people will sit down and find the best possible solutions, so we have all coaches and players," Itoudis expressed his desire.

"That's a big discussion you opened now, and I really don't have a lot of time. I'll just tell you something. When NBA players are not coming to windows because it's not possible, everybody has peace with that. When EuroLeague players are not going, everybody is attacking EuroLeague. I don't understand why. Have you wondered why? That's not fair," he added.

Regarding the loss, Itoudis praised Germany for an incredible game.

"Congratulations to Germany. They deserved to win and were a better team," Itoudis said in the press conference.

"We were chasing them a lot of time mainly because they shot the ball exceptionally well. Wagner, Obst, they combined for 10 of 14 3-pointers. We were giving them confidence from the beginning," Itoudis emphasized.

"We found a way. We found lineups right there. We managed a way to come back with a fantastic shot before halftime. But the third quarter hurt us a lot," he added. "It was high pace game in the first half. But we didn't make shots in the third quarter, not due to German's defense. We missed layups, open looks, and free throws. It came to 10-26, which hurt us a lot."

"Lots of credit to Germany. Lots of credit to their players. Even if they play in EuroLeague, Champions League, or NBA. As you can see, Wagner had an injury but got an injection to help his country. That says a lot. I have only to say the best for their coaching staff, the organization, and how they fight. I think that's a good way."

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