At Spain, Dimos Dikoudis, was feeling like home! Since he had played for two years at ABC League, with the team of Pamesa Valencia and he didn’t feel stranger. This is the fact that gave him the possibility to become the “strongest avantage” for the coach Panayotis Giannakis during the Eurobasket. The 30-year old power forward fulfilled absolutely the trust of the National coach, who increased the time of Dikoudis’ participation and he proved to be the most stable player of our National team, during the most mature and full tournament with the National Team.
Dimos Dikoudis gave at “PRASINI” newspaper an exclusive interview for the path of our National Team at Eurobasket, the relationships between the players and reveals his thoughts about tomorrow that shows towards his retirement.
- Do you believe that the fourth position is a success for our National Team, after the gold medal of 2005 and the silver medal at the World Championship of 2006.
“I believe that, according to our talent, our goal was a medal and we went to Spain with these thoughts. Nothing less was our goal! We entered in the four best teams, we fought for the medal and it was because of some details that we didn’t manage to be at the Final of Eurobasket. Definitely we are not happy not to get the medal. On the other hand though, failure is a really bad word. Failure it would be to stay out of the eight best teams. But, we didn’t. We entered the four best teams and we did our best. It is simply because the third place would allow us to participate directly at Peking’s Olympic Games, which the fourth place seems worse, compared to previous years”.
Finally, the atmosphere between the players at the team was it good? Because you referred all the time at that point like you would like to hide something…
"The atmosphere was excellent. We are all friends and sometimes we gathered all together in our room and talked. We were all together, even at day-offs. This National Team is one of the few that, regardless if a player for 40 minutes or for one, one treats each other as equal and friend”.
During some games since the beginning of Eurobasket you seemed tighten and like you missed the freshness. Why do you believe this happened?
“I believe that definitely it was because we play without cease during the last five years! Since Swedish Eurobasket…The lack of freshness has to do with the tiredness, as we seemed tighten and slow in other games too. I believe that we can play much better. There were some games that we showed our capacities and I believe that game after game, we had an improving route at Eurobasket”.
Personally for you was probably the best tournament with the National Team. Why do you think this happened?
“It has to do with the fact that the coach trusted me a bit more comparing to other tournaments and I simply tried to help the team, as much as I could. We had one important absence of Antonis (Fotsis) at the last moment, one player that we play approximately the same position and, by seeing that he wouldn’t participate at Eurobasket at the last moment, I tried to focus more, as I had more responsibilities. Apart from that, I tried with the other players to do our best”.
What do you think is the future of this National Team?
“This team has a lot of talent and must have high goals in every tournament. We have proved that we are able to do great things and we will not do less, as far as the team’s expectations”.
Dimos Dikoudis has already started to think the next big tournament, which is the Peking’s Olympic Games?
“The truth is that I fell really tired right now. And I feel that this might have been my last tournament! The previous year was very full and difficult and I suffered some injuries during the preparation, hopefully not serious ones, which were results of tiredness. We have one season in front of us and I will speak with the masterminds of the National Team, as well as those of my team Panathinaikos, and then, we will see…”