Andreas Zagklis praises new FIBA calendar for huge talent pool in EuroBasket / News - Basketnews.com

Before the upcoming EuroBasket 2022, FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis says the national team basketball is stronger than ever as the European championship will feature three All-NBA First Team members Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic.

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Three All-NBA First Team members headline the EuroBasket 2022, and FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis believes it shows the success of the rescheduled International calendar.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Position:PF, SFAge:27Height:211 cmWeight:98 kgBirth place:Athens, GreeceProfileNewsStatistics

There were fears that the EuroBasket would lose its importance since Olympic berths were no longer clinched through continental competitions.

But the national team basketball fans are now excited about the upcoming event, with many NBA and EuroLeague stars suiting up for the competition.

The upcoming European championship will feature the back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic and the 2-time NBA MVP and Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

It's the first time since 2012 when at least three All-NBA First Team members compete in the international competition. The Team USA roster in the 2012 London Olympics included four All-NBA superstars, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and Chris Paul.

The consecutive MVP of the EuroLeague Final Four (Vasilije Micic), two All-EuroLeague first team (Shane Larkin, Sasa Vezenkov), and four All-EuroLeague second team members (Vasilije Micic, Vladimir Lucic, Kostas Sloukas, Georgios Papagiannis) will also be present.

The list goes further with two players from the FIBA Champions League Top 5, Jonah Radebaugh and Giorgi Shermadini.

FIBA executives are happy too. According to their data, the highest-level players' participation rates have increased compared to 2017.

"I think the expected participation of so many star players is great news for our sports," FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis said in an interview with BasketNews.

"I would say that the competitions this summer have two unique characteristics. It is the first continental cup of the new calendar. And at the same time, it is the first summer -- and I hope the last -- of the adjusted Covid-19 calendar," the Greek executive continued.

"The participation of the top players was not the concern. At the beginning of the previous decade, we knew that counting on all the players every summer was no longer something we could reasonably count on. This led to a new calendar that started in 2017, with one continental cup, one World Cup, one summer of Olympics, and one summer with two windows."

"I'm convinced now, and it's a fact as well as several statements by our stakeholders, that a four-year rotation of our three top competitions of the World Cup, Olympics, and EuroBasket, makes them unique, exclusive, and really attractive for the players to participate."

"Like in an internal meeting yesterday, we called the super summer of national team basketball. With World Cup qualifiers and continental cup, we can confidently say that national team basketball is stronger than ever," Zagklis pointed out.

Zagklis was proud of his team.

When the IOC announced that they would postpone the Tokyo Olympics to 2021, in no more than nine days, FIBA, with its eight offices, rearranged the calendar all the way to 2023.

Although the decision to put the World Cup qualifiers right before continental cups at first brought a lot of skepticism, many teams will use this window to prepare for the EuroBasket with their best squads.

"These decisions have been proven very successful so far. Not only because of how we managed the bubbles together with our federations. But we also put the interest of athletes at the forefront and understood that their availability should be optimized," Zagklis said.

"I also have seen the statements of the athletes who come now and see the additional attractiveness of this period of playing to help your country to go to the World Cup and through the World Cup to the Olympics but also to play in the EuroBasket. It provides a very interesting combination of the typical tournament when you travel and go somewhere else to play."

"And before that, at least one official game at home, which I believe will be a magnet of attraction for the local fans not only because it's a very interesting game and the game with excellent rosters, but also because it is the last push of the fans to their national team before the EuroBasket," Zagklis concluded.

FIBA secretary general repeats that the current national team picture mirrors the success of the FIBA windows idea.

"What we definitely see is that the fans, thanks to the regulatory of the national team game, even if we don't have all the players available for all the games, came closer to the national team game because they have had the chance to live it at home," Zagklis said.

"Then they have a much bigger appetite from attending the friendlies all the way to attending in person, on TV, or anywhere else. That's not only the case in Europe. We had a very successful Asia Cup, which mobilized a huge number of people. And in the first week of September, we expect to have one of the most successful AmeriCups ever."

"We do believe in the value of the continental cups. We do believe that a four-year rotation really brings more value, uniqueness, and exclusivity into their calendar," Zagklis concluded.

The upcoming EuroBasket brings a lot of excitement not only to basketball fans.

Asked by BasketNews whether he remembers a stronger EuroBasket competition, the FIBA executive offered a different perspective.

"The term stronger is relative. I would say it's tough to remember a more open EuroBasket in terms of results and predictions. And all that is not because the level went down. All that because the level is going up," Zagklis told.

"This combination of increased quality and openness in terms of who can beat whom and who can go to the medals is rare. I would say it's rare until today.

They will not be rare as of today. I have attributed this to the fact that we have seen and have evidence that the windows helped the middle class of Europe to close the gap to the traditional powerhouses," Zagklis concluded.

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