Weber State University Athletics
Weber State Men's Basketball Center, Steve Panos, Plays Four Games in Greece
7/10/2008 6:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
OGDEN, UTAH - Weber State's STEVE PANOS (6-8, 235 Jr. / Salt Lake City, Utah / Higland HS) had never been to Greece, the land of his father's ancestors, but got that opportunity in late June and early July as part of a men's basketball team sponsored by the American Hellenic Education Progressive Association.
The team was made up of current collegiate basketball players who are of Greek descent. They played four games in 11 days, three of them coming against Greek professional teams and one against the Greece Junior National Team. The Greek-Americans earned a split defeating one of the pro teams and defeating the Junior National team. The Americans were coached by former Villanova and Massachusetts head coach, Steve Lapas.
"It was a great experience," said Panos. "It was a totally different environment from which we were used to. We were exposed to different cultural traditions, different food and different playing conditions but I learned a lot both on and off the court."
Panos, who will be a junior for head coach Randy Rahe's Wildcats in 2008-09, held his own. He scored 23 points in the win over the Junior National team and was named the game MVP. He also had 31 points in the win over the professional squad.
"We had a lot of good players on our team and we really played well together," Panos said. "Thanasi Pangiotokopoulos from Northern Colorado was the point guard so he and I formed a pretty good bond since we were the only two players on the team from the Big Sky Conference. We ran the pick and roll pretty effectively."
For Coach Rahe, it gave his center some playing experience he will never forget and says the experience will make him better.
"This was a great opportunity for Steve," said Rahe. "There's some pretty good basketball played in Greece and not only did he get to play against their best, but held his own and then some. The whole experience will give him confidence coming into his junior season."
