Basketball
The four finalists of the final four of the cup
As the Final Four of the Greek Cup prepares to kick off in Heraklion, Crete (18-20/2), Sportish presents the institution’s four finalists.
The Men’s Cup Final Four (18-20/2) is now upon us. In a few hours, the four finalists will be thrown into contention at Dyo Aorakia in Heraklion, Crete, for the institution’s return to the Cup after 18 years.
Panathinaikos, Olympiakos, AEK and Prometheus will claim the trophy as the Final Four return to the Cup’s institution after 18 years Sportish introduces the four finalists.
Necessary notice: AEK and Prometheus will feature full rosters, although it’s understood there will be outages. AEK has an active case of coronavirus and has not disclosed the player’s name (although he may be ready in time) and multiple injuries (Pappas, Angola, Koniaris), and Prometheus has announced five cases but also has not disclosed which players are sick and available.
The program of the Final Four:
Friday 18 February 2022 – Semifinals
17:00 Promitheas Patras-Panathinaikos (ERT3)
20:00 Olympiacos-AEK (ERT3)
Sunday 20 February 2022 – Finals
17:00 Winner of 1st semi-final Winner of 2nd semi-final (ERT3)
The four finalists
Panathinaikos
The trainer: Dimitris Priftis
The roster
Guard: Stefan Jovic, Daryl Makon, Nemanja Nedovic, Lefteris Bohoridis
Forward: Howard Sand-Ross, Leonidas Kaselakis, Okaro White, Jeremy Evans, Nikos Hougaz, Neoklis Avdalas, Lefteris Mantzoukas, Ioannis Papapetrou (injured)
Center: George Papagiannis, Vassilis Kavvadas
How he got into the Final Four: Panathinaikos eliminated Lavrio in the quarterfinals, defeating him 93-69.
In a few words: Panathinaikos is the institution’s polynic with 20 wins, but is also the defender of the trophy, having won the title last year and defeated Prometheus in the final (his opponent in this year’s semifinals).
The “Greens” have had a season with some ups and downs this year, especially in the EuroLeague. However, despite the significant absence of Ioannis Papapetrou, they remain one of the two favorites of this year’s Final Four. Weapons of the “Greens” are the quartet of Nedovic, Makon, Jovic, Sand-Ross on the periphery, George Papagiannis on the basket and the athleticism of Wire and Evans. .
Olympic
The trainer: George Bartzokas
The roster
Guard: Costas Sloukas, Thomas Wokap, Tyler Dorsey, Giannoulis Larentzakis, Michalis Lountzis
Forward: Costas Papanikolaou, Sasha Vezenkov, Sakil McKissick, George Printezis, Livio San Charles, Quincy Eisi
Center: Mustafa Fal, Hassan Martin
How he got into the Final Four: Olympiacos first eliminated the Colossus in the 1st game of the 2nd phase (94-67 in Rhodes) and in the 2nd game of the 2nd phase it eliminated Iraklis and defeated it 90-55 in Thessaloniki. In the quarterfinals Ionikos prevailed with 110:85.
In a few words: The “Red-Whites” are – together with Panathinaikos – the two favorites of the Final Four. Olympiacos started the season impressively until the coronavirus cases in December and January threw the side upside down. Gradually, however, the Piraeus team regains its identity.
The trio of Slouka, Dorsey and Wokap in defense, Papanikolaou and Vezenokv in forward and the fierce Mustafa Fal under the basket are the reference points of this year’s team.
AEK
The trainer: Stefanos Dedas
The roster
Guard: Keno Colom, Dimitris Flionis, Andy Rautins, Nikos Pappas, Keith Langford, Konstantinos Saxionis, Michalis Karlis, Antonis Koniaris (injured)
Forward: Ian Hamer, Eric Griffin, Giannis Kouzeloglou, Panagiotis Filippakos, Brian Angola (injured)
Center: Dimitris Mavroidis
How he got into the Final Four: AEK eliminated Peristeri in the Quarterfinals to prevail 90-77 in Ano Liossia.
In a few words: AEK of a thousand problems stayed true to another big date. “Union” has been hit hard by injuries this year while its players are still trying to get over the tragedy they experienced with the death of Stefan Gelovac. Still, despite the many issues that have cropped up on and off the pitch, AEK want to get the best out of themselves as anything can happen in a two-game, three-day period.
The personality of Keno Colom and (rookie, but…old) Keith Langford, the all-round play of Ian Hammer, the class of Pappas and Rautins, and the flashes of Griffin are the hallmarks of AEK, who are a strong team this year at two sides of the floor and will try to make up for the absence of their top player (Brian Angola).
Prometheus
The trainer: Elias Zouros
The roster:
Guard: Abdul Gandhi, Kendrick Ray, Travis Simpson, Nikos Gikas (patient), Thanasis Bazinas, Nikos Vassiliou
Forward: Dimitris Agravanis, Nikos Rogavopoulos, Haris Giannopoulos, Michailo Andric,
Center: Dario Hunt, Jeray Grant (patient), George Tanoulis
How he got into the Final Four: Prometheus qualified for the Quarterfinals thanks to his 100-86 win over PAOK in Patras.
In a few words: Prometheus, having been present in the last two cup finals, wants to treat the good guys and reach the end of the flagpole this time. If he succeeds, then he will have written the greatest page of his history.
The leadership qualities of Central Ray and Travis Simpson, the trio of Agravani, Hunt and Grant under the basket, the enthusiasm of Rogavopoulos and the experience of Giannopoulos are Patras’ weapons.
I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.
