What Nikos Rogavopoulos, Dimitris Moraitis and the rest of the national team did in Ano Liosia didn’t lead to qualification, not even anything tangible. Of course, they can help the national team climb the FIBA ​​rankings and theoretically have more accessible opponents at the 2023 World Cup, but the real offer is not measured in points and positions.

The thousands of kids who were in the stands will remember this game for the rest of their lives, they are too young to care about leaderboards and all that adults matter. The thousands of children in Ano Liosia saw a game, a victory for the national team and will carry it with them forever. Basketball by the national team – even when it comes to the windows – was won 97 times on Friday night, the number of times our internationals scored with passion.

And the protagonists were 22 and 23 years old. The next batch, the new blood. Those who are so eagerly awaiting the next day of Greek basketball and window games have their chance. Nikos Rogavopoulos and Dimitris Moraitis competed against the EuroLeague players after playing against Serbia for World Cup qualification.

The opponents were Nikola Milutinov from 2 million euros, Ognien Jaramaz from Bayern, Davindovac from CSKA and many others who compete at the highest level. A win would have followed us to the courts of the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, and now they face a final against Great Britain. Yes at home, yes with an even stronger squad as more EuroLeague players are added, but they will play it all in 40 minutes.

There is a future both on the ground and on the platform

Your own problem does not concern Greece at all. And what happened had nothing to do with the Serbs. It was a performance, a win and an overall fantastic night that is the perfect answer to the toxicity of Greek sport. The answer to the toxicity of Greek society. The new kids became leaders on the floor, the little ones in the stands created an atmosphere that even the big teams would envy.

It was a true celebration that had little to do with the result. Also, no one stopped at the points where Serbia looked like a sure winner. But when all of this was combined with over-exertion in defense and offense, with big baskets, with three-pointers, with rebounds against bigger opponents, the explosion came. The victory was celebrated, people left with a smile, but most of all it proved that there is a future. Both on the ground and on the platforms.

Two guys for the EuroLeague and the Philippines…

But let’s focus a little more on the two players who shone in the game against Serbia. Nikos Rogavopoulos, born in 2001, went to Turkey, became the protagonist and showed that he did the right thing. He has both the body and the skills to play at the highest level, now he seems mentally ready too. It is now clear that he can take the next step, which is the EuroLeague, he is of course looking to the NBA and the 2023 draft.

Olympiacos and Panathinaikos should definitely keep an eye on him, especially considering the Greek top players have dwindled dangerously. And it goes without saying that Dimitris Itoudis has to count on him even more for the 2023 World Cup. After all, he looks to him more than anyone else at the Turkish championship.

As for Moraitis? Born in 1999, he is now 23 years old but has years ahead of him. In these windows he played in both games against Turkey 14 months ago, who can forget the three-pointers he set up and Larkin’s defence. He plays more every year, alongside Tomic and now Spanoulis, he learns a lot and has his chance.

It is clearly a serious World Cup candidate, after all the national team suffered from soldiers and players in Germany last summer. And Moraitis is a talented basketball player who can also do necessary jobs for a team. And of course, if he works hard, he can also leave the BCL level and become a EuroLeague player. But to work even harder…