{"id":46914,"date":"2022-09-14T13:32:11","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T11:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.demo.olimpia.iquii.info\/?p=46914"},"modified":"2022-09-14T13:32:12","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T11:32:12","slug":"i-will-try-to-be-kevin-pangos-and-hopefully-it-will-be-enough-to-help-olimpia-reach-new-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olimpiamilano.com\/en\/i-will-try-to-be-kevin-pangos-and-hopefully-it-will-be-enough-to-help-olimpia-reach-new-heights\/","title":{"rendered":"“I will try to be Kevin Pangos and hopefully it will be enough to help Olimpia reach new heights”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kevin Pangos, let\u2019s start from the beginning, you come from Canada, a hockey country but you were raised in a basketball family. How much did your dad be a coach, and your mom being a former player affected your decision to try to become a basketball player?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been around a basketball locker room because my mom and my dad both played and my dad was a basketball coach for so many years, so it is something I was always around. I grew up in the gym, I played many sports, I played volleyball, hockey, soccer, but basketball is something I can play non-stop. I never get tired of it, so it just became the sport I love.\u201d<\/p>\n

You enjoyed early success as a player. In particular, you led your Ontario team to a big win in the Rho tournament close to Milan, do you have memories from that experience? And how much did it impact your future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat experience in Rho was great, I had my family with me, the trip went really well, we got some good Italian food, and, in the tournament, we played against the Lithuanian team, Serbia, France, there were a lot of good players. It was my first international experience, so it is just great memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another big Italian moment for you was when you became the youngest ever player to suit up for the National team and that was in Trento. Gigi Datome was on the other side that night and now he is one of your teammates. What do you recall of it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI remember the game; I don\u2019t remember that Gigi was playing. But I remember that I got some minutes at the end of the game. At that time Andrea Bargnani was a Raptors\u2019 player. I grew up watching the Raptors. My first shot was a three, in transition, right in his face. I don\u2019t even remember if I made or missed it. It didn\u2019t matter, just being on the court was a cool experience at that age, I think I was 15 at the time. So, it was just a great experience at that young age.\u201d<\/p>\n

You set up a different journey for yourself. Most of the Canadian guys are leaving home early to get exposure in some prep school in the U.S. but you decided to take a different route.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI stayed home, in Canada, because a lot of guys go to the States and then the school situation sometimes is bad and there\u2019re some many unknown. In Canada, I knew what I was going to get, I got in touch some great strength trainer, Matt Nichol, in Toronto. I had all the resources that I needed, and I felt it was the best way to get myself prepared for college and focus on myself, my strength conditioning, my skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olimpia has another Ontario guy here in Naz Mitrou-Long. Did you know him from your beginnings in the same area?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, me and Naz grew up together, our role are similar. We played against each other, we played with each other a little bit. When we had the opportunity to come here together, we were both really excited. We talked to each other all the time, still to this day, of how we are fortunate to play together now. It\u2019s crazy how the career paths matched the lines. I\u2019m excited to play with him and I know Naz feels the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

You had four stellar seasons at Gonzaga, at the end of the day there\u2019s still some disappointment because you guys couldn\u2019t make it to the Final Four?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI really think about all the games we have lost in the March Madness all the time, especially the one against Duke in my senior year. But at the end of the day, in March Madness, only one team finishes the year on a high note, so there are 67 more teams that are disappointed. Just been fortunate enough to play in that tournament, and experience so many memories, is a great accomplishment. But obviously I\u2019ve always dreamt of winning that National championship, so I couldn\u2019t quite do that. But now this year we will try to win the championship we are looking forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

At some point you were the number 1 team in the country. Does it mean something being part of the first Gonzaga team to be ranked number 1?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really special been ranked number 1. It was the first time in Gonzaga history. Everyone in all community, everyone in the Zags Nation was excited about it. We had a great team; we had a lot of different guys who could do different things. Our chemistry was great, we beat a lot of teams that played really well throughout the season, so the memory was great for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being undrafted, having to go to Gran Canaria to start as a pro player, your confidence level never went down. Is this true?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, even not being drafted my confidence was high. More than ever, I was motivated. My thinking entering in that first season in Gran Canaria was wanting to prove I was a professional. Also, I was just excited and blessed to have the opportunity to play basketball for a living. Being a professional was something I had always dreamed about. And I really wanted to take my game to the next level. For me, every year, since becoming a pro, my thought is to be the best I can be and try to make the NBA. That first season in Gran Canaria showed me I had the chance to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, the first season in Europe, competing at a high level in the Eurocup and the Liga proved you were better than that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat year was great for me. I was fortunate to play for a coach like Aito who taught a lot of things to me. He gave me the chance to play at a high level. I didn\u2019t know this at the time, but the competition in the Eurocup and Spain was very high for been the first time out of college. To be able to do that I\u2019m just glad that I had that experience. It was great for me. I had a good time, spending time on the island, learning some Spanish, eating good food, great weather. I couldn\u2019t have more for my first season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n