Vasilis Spanoulis, renowned for his accomplishments as a player, made an impressive coaching debut for Greece as his team secured a hard-fought 72-64 victory over Czechia in front of a sold-out crowd in Piraeus.
The Peace and Friendship Stadium was packed with 12,439 enthusiastic spectators for the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers game, witnessing Greece overcome a tough challenge.
Konstantinos Mitoglou led the charge with an outstanding performance, scoring 22 points. Thomas Walkup also made a significant contribution with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Kostas Papanikolaou added another 16 points to the scoreline.
Spanoulis, no stranger to success, played a crucial role in Greece's triumph at the FIBA EuroBasket 2005 and their second-place finish in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2006.
The choice of the Peace and Friendship Stadium for Spanoulis' coaching debut was especially meaningful. This arena, where Greece previously celebrated victory in the FIBA EuroBasket 1987, holds great significance in Greek basketball history. Moreover, Spanoulis had an illustrious career as a player for Olympiacos Piraeus, a dominant force in Greek basketball for more than ten years.
Renowned as "Kill Bill," Spanoulis achieved many accolades while playing for Olympiacos, including two EuroLeague titles, three Greek league trophies, and the EuroLeague MVP award in 2013. After retiring from professional basketball in 2021, he made his club coaching debut with Greek club Peristeri, and he currently coaches in the Basketball Champions League.
Appointed as Greece's new head coach in October 2023, Spanoulis aims to continue his winning streak as they face the Netherlands in their next game and strive to improve their record to 2-0.
The game marked a memorable beginning for Spanoulis' coaching journey, leaving Greek basketball fans optimistic about the future under his leadership.
