Langford, young 39

It’s not the first time I write that I have both my hypochondria and my weaknesses, not even my old lovers, so sin known, ook is a sin…

I felt this prologue necessary to move on to the main theme…

Who is he?

I was very happy that Keith Langford came back to us for AEK, I just didn’t open champagne!

I do not know what role Stefanos Dedas intended him for, what condition he is in, if his legs are strong and how much the many months of inactivity will bother him, especially since he is not a werewolf, on the contrary, in six years in a month and a half he completes his 39 years …

Thirty nine what?

In 1954 Alekos Sakellarios is shooting the film “Miss 39” and I falsify the title of the dramatic comedy and adapt it accordingly…

Youth 39 years!

Keith is an idol!

It remains to be seen how well Lankford will play his part and how Dedas will direct the play…

So in my eyes, Keith is an idol!

In such cases – and because the so-called first-born came to us (as a Panathinaikos player) in 2018, at the not quite… tender age of 35 – I always say attack…

We met late in this brawler’s life!

But damn, it’s never too late!

The rabbit jumps!

So Keith is back and I hope his legs will support him to show us the bunny jump again!

What is that again?

Oh yes, his own classic and incomparable shot with the step back, Langford doesn’t call it “step back” as the definition of basketball defines it, but “hop back”!

He told me on February 2nd, 2021 that he had given me the honor of being in the Cosmote TV studio as a special guest on the show Pick N’ Roll and to be honest I didn’t realize it right away …

I often needed explanations and… subtitles!

He came to me, swaying and shaking, in Bermuda shorts in the winter, and I almost asked him to do a live show!

Langford struggled with AEK so he overlooked last season’s struggles and failure and came back fearless…

The tattoo with the queen

I mean that to bite the tin and I’m curious whether he has already done it or will reserve what he announced in advance on the show for the near future…

«I’m going to tattoo the symbol of the queen of AEK to show the end of my career»!

In November 2019, the left-hander in the AEK jersey had risen to the top spot as America’s top scorer in modern-day European competition, proving that his age doesn’t matter…

Before him blind people in their twenties!

Contradictory as it sounds, Langford is a superstar, but… an antistar!

He doesn’t have the diva of the diva, he shows amazing professional zeal, he has high goals and great motivations, and he pays so much attention to his body, strictly sticks to his own routine, that he manages to fool the time!

The ritual of his training

This daily routine is a pure ritual, a real case study and certainly an example to emulate for the young people who surround it…

In addition to the countless shots he weighs in each workout, he follows a custom training regimen, like other players, putting rubber bands on his hips and shoulders and so on.

Additionally, his racing patent is a testament to who a charismatic player is over the years: unlike other players who get pressured by tight markings, Langford is more comfortable with them because he’s learned to execute without walking a yard too have to.

The role and the roles

I repeat that I do not know what condition he is in now, but a year ago he still retained his athletic ability, speed and explosiveness, while his repertoire has all the makings of a tow scorer: a la Spanoulis and Harden stepping back, the sidesteps, rhythm changes, performing with pull-ups after dribbling, and most importantly, the isolation phases (isolation play) to play against you…

Langford is a tow scorer who knows how to read the game well, use his instincts and star. «At Panathinaikos I wanted a role and I became a role player, but at AEK I felt like I was myselfHe emphasized that in his interview with “Pick N’ Roll”.

“I’m giving up basketball before he leaves me”

That evening he also spoke about the end of his career, a case that is now becoming very topical …

«I’ll play while I’m Keith Langford. I will leave basketball before he leaves me! At the moment there is no problem because my body obeys my mind in everything except nailing! I’ve had six surgeries for waist and adductor injuries but without them I wouldn’t have been who I am because each time I’ve come back stronger and more determined.».

“Drink my blood Trainer, I can take it”

Elias Papatheodorou had taken him aside a few days earlier and asked him a perfectly normal and legitimate question: “Wow Keith you will endure these demonic rhythms til May»;

Langford looked at him, smiled and gave him a very convincing and startling answer. «Coach I don’t trip. I’ve decided to play one more this season. Get rid of me, drink my blood, I assure you I will persevere».

Well, now let Dedas drink as much blood as he has left in his arteries!