Christos Stavropoulos immediately points out to the reasons for Dinos Mitoglou’s coming to Milano: “He is young, but already experienced, he brings freshness to the table, versatility, and we believe he is coming here at the right time of his career”, says the Olimpia’s general manager introducing the seventh Hellenic player in the history of the club. “I come from Panathinaikos where I wore the green jersey for four years, one of the heaviest jerseys in Europe, but now I’m wearing one, red, just as heavy. I came to Milano because Ettore Messina convinced me, for the possibility of improving even more, and then for the expectations, the ambitions of a club like this.”
On the comparison with Fotsis – “He was a great player and if you compare me to him I take it as a compliment, so thanks, because Fotsis was an amazing player and had a great personality on and off the court, but I want to build my personality, on and off the court. There were other great Greek players here, like Ioannis Bourousis, but maybe they didn’t come to the club at right time to win. I come to a club where we have everything to achieve the goals that we have set for ourselves. To reverse the trend I need to win. This will be my role at Olimpia: helping the team to win.”
On his versatility – “Rick Pitino asked me to play as a 3 in spurts, because with the national team we had many injuries to make up for, especially in that position we were very unlucky. When he asked me, I replied that I would play in any position he wanted me to play. Pitino is a great character and a mentor for me, both with the national team and at Panathinaikos, I learned a lot from him, indeed I wish him the best at Iona College. But my role here, Coach Messina told me, will be that of 4 and 5.”
On the evolution of the 4-position – “It’s up to the Coach. It’s a matter of being threatening, no matter what position you play at. At Wake Forest I played 3 and 4, in Greece 4 and 5, then I was asked to open the court with my shot, playing as a stretch 5, but these are choices that belongs to the coach. He decides, but it is important to be threatening in any case. It is important to see improvements, so when you work you work hard.”
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About his teammates – “I can play with any one of them. Nicolò Melli is one of the best 4 in Europe. Kaleb Tarczewski is physically the strongest player in the EuroLeague, assuming that Kyle Hines is not the strongest. I can play with everyone, the coach will pick the best combination. But I’m happy to play with them, because in practice we can piush each other to the limits every day”
Which team improved its roster the most in the EuroLeague – “By the way it’s a very tough league, a lot of ups and downs, where everything can change in one night, you can have a winning streak and a losing streak with the same ease. Looking at the rosters, I am impressed by the team that Baskonia, and Fenerbahce have improved a lot. To these I would add Olimpia, not because they signed me, but because of how I evaluate the team.”
