LKL

Eurobasket in Lithuania is approaching and every basketball fan is starting to think about the big festival of European basketball. Of course September is still far away and we have a lot to… look forward to till then (Euroleague final four, Eurocup final four, domestic leagues finals) but, let’s face it, this year’s Eurobasket is the main event of the year.

And, of course, it’s even more important because it’s being held in Lithuania. I’ve always considered Lithuania the heart of European basketball. Even though it’s a country relatively young (as an independent country that is), it’s the only country in Europe where basketball is “the main sport”.

This, of course, isn’t only my own, personal belief. Almost every Greek feels the same and that leads to certain… expectations of this year’s competition. I don’t mean expectation from our national team, or even yours, I mean expectation from fans, country, organization committee, arenas, hotels.

In every Greek’s mind this year’s Eurobasket couldn’t be held to a better place. Lithuania is the capital of basketball in Europe and every fan that thinks of coming there for the Eurobasket thinks that he will find himself in an “all-basketball” atmosphere.

I was with Olympiacos and Panathinaikos in Berlin in 2009 and there was nothing in the whole city indicating there even was a Euroleague final four. I stayed at a hotel in the centre of the city, in a square with bars and restaurants, but no one, and I mean no one, knew why I was there. Of course, Germany isn’t a “basketball country”, though they are making huge efforts towards that direction. But, come on, the best 4 teams in Europe were playing in one of Europe’s best arenas and… no German knew about it!

Outside the O2 Arena there were Euroleague banners, but after walking away for 100 meters, nothing. All I could spot in the whole city about the final four was a huge banner in an underground bridge I crossed while on bus from the airport to the city. Nothing else.

I didn’t use this example to… make Germans look bad or feel badly, but to show you what Greeks expect from Lithuania this September: the exact opposite. It’s like we dream of arriving at the airports only to find a whole country… dribbling and shooting hoops. Perhaps even that, while coming through security control at the airport, it should be mandatory to know how to dribble and pass in order to enter the country!

In a more serious note, Greeks expect the atmosphere to be amazing in Lithuania during the Eurobasket. Even in Euroleague games Lithuanian fans are amazing, so you… kind of have to top that during the Eurobasket. We expect to see the arenas packed with fans even from the first stage of the competition, as we’ll be arriving there ready to “breathe in” basketball.

We don’t know what to expect from the arenas, since they are all brand new apart from the one in Vilnius, but everyone here seems to think they’ll live up to our expectations.

Asking around Greek fans and trying to eliminate the differences of personal views, I have to admit that everybody painted a certain picture of what they expect from this year’s Eurobasket. They all expect this tournament to be one of the best ever. And I’m not even talking about the games or the players.

I’m talking in terms of organization, in terms of attendance, in terms of publicity of the event inside the country. Lithuania has the reputation of a rather cheap country, so a lot of Greek fans will make the trip there, especially if Greece does well in the tournament (I’ve already heard a lot of them saying that they must come to THIS Eurobasket just because it’s being held in Lithuania). Of course, you can’t say what each one expects from a hotel, but I believe all of them want hotel owners to… know about the Eurobasket and to be friendly towards fans. Lithuanian people are considered to be very friendly and Greeks hope all foreign fans will be embraced during the competition.

Personally, I am sure Lithuania will be able to hold an excellent tournament. Best fans in Europe, best place for basketball in Europe, what’s not to like about this year’s tournament? Oh, and the greatest players will be there. Dirk Nowitzki has already hopped on board!

Nikos Kousoulis