After missing nearly two years with a torn ACL, Dimitris Agravanis is back in action and has been a key force in helping Promitheas Patras to a fantastic start in its first 7DAYS EuroCup season. Agravanis discusses that and more in this EuroCupbasketball.com interview.
Dimitris Agravanis, Promitheas Patras: 'We are in good shape'
Interviews
7 Mins read
We haven't seen him too much on a basketball court over the last two years, but Dimitris Agravanis is back in action and making things happen for his new team, the ambitious Promitheas Patras, which is making its 7DAYS EuroCup debut in the 2019-20 campaign. A young veteran at age 24, Agravanis is doing well in the EuroCup after six seasons in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Olympiacos Piraeus. He is averaging 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in less than 19 minutes per game so far in helping Promitheas to a 3-1 record in Group A. After playing in the EuroLeague championship game with Olympiacos in 2015 and 2017, Agravanis went down with an ACL injury and took him almost two years to get back in shape. Agravanis has found a new home and is very happy in Patras, which he said in this EuroCupBasketball.com interview. "I feel much better in Promitheas now. I can play and improve my game. The coach believes in me and in the team," Agravanis told EuroCupBasketball.com. "I have great teammates, we play great together and try to be better every day. The EuroCup is a very big tournament and we have to keep improving."
Congratulations on a great start to the season. Did you expect such a strong start, three wins in four games?
"Thank you. I think we made a good start in this EuroCup season and if anyone had said before the season that we would have three wins right now, we wouldn't have believed that. We have managed to go game by game in a strong group and we believe we can beat anybody. We are in good shape and had a good start, but this is only the beginning of the season. We have to keep playing well, first to qualify and second to finish as high as we can."
How important was it for Promitheas to start a new competition with a massive road win, like the one you got in Israel?
"I think Maccabi Rishon is better than that game. They lost by many points that night, but if you have followed their results, they have been playing better. Every team in this group has a chance to qualify. When we went there, we were focused and tried to finish the game early. We won by a big difference, but I think that in the EuroCup, all the teams are competitive and anyone can beat anybody."
"We have to keep playing well, first to qualify and second to finish as high as we can."
Most recently, Promitheas beat Segafredo Virtus Bologna. They outrebounded you 29-49, but you still got the win. What allowed you to beat such a strong team?
"They might have won the battle of the rebounds but I believe we won all the other battles in the statistics. Virtus is a great team with a great leader like Milos Teodosic and great role players next to him. For sure, they are one of the biggest favorites to win the EuroCup and play in the EuroLeague next season. It was a big achievement for us to beat this team, but it is just another win. We have to continue like this if we want to qualify to the Top 16 and finish as high as we can."
You are playing very well after missing more than a year due to an injury. How does it feel to finally be back?
"You can say it has been two years. I missed the game a lot because in the last two years, I didn't play at all. For one and a half years, I was out due to an ACL injury but after that, I was fine. I feel much better in Promitheas now. I can play and improve my game. The coach believes in me and in the team. I have great teammates, we play great together and try to be better every day. The EuroCup is a very big tournament and we have to keep improving."
This is your first season in Patras. We heard very good things about the club's organization. What is so special about it?
"I think they are family, from the president to the coach. This is their philosophy; they want to have a team that is family, on and off the court. They have great facilities not just for the first team, but also for young kids. This is something you cannot even see in the EuroLeague, the facilities they have. People love basketball here and love to see the team get better, setting new goals for the team. It is very nice here. I love it."
You didn't come alone from Pireaus to Patras; Georgios Bogris also joined the team. How has he helped you adjust to a new team, a new situation?
"I think that having each other as teammates is something that makes us feel comfortable. We were teammates for two years in Olympiacos, knew each other from the national team and are close friends. It is much easier to work with a friend, to have a teammate who is also a very good friend. We are also roommates and are doing very well so far this season. We need to keep working hard to have a successful season in the EuroCup and in the Greek League."
Everyone loves Coach Makis Giatras. What is so special about him?
"The most special thing about him is that he is very close to the players. He tries to help each one of us, knows each player's character and tries to make us play the best we can, to improve our skills every day. He is with us even if we make a mistake or we do something right."
You are 24 years old but have been playing the EuroLeague since 2013. How do you like your role in this team as one of its leaders?
"I made my EuroLeague debut in 2013, but it was after Olympiacos won the EuroLeague and I played two finals with them. Now, it is great to be an important player for the team and try to help the team win in every game. I have more responsibilities and want to have a nice road, especially in the EuroCup. It is nice, I like it."
"The EuroCup is a very big tournament and we have to keep improving."
This is your first EuroCup season. What do you think about the competition, after so many years in the EuroLeague?
"The EuroCup is like the EuroLeague, but a little bit at a lower level. It is also a top competition, with a top organization and there are a lot of good players. I mentioned Teodosic, but also Zoran Dragic and many other players who were in the EuroLeague for many years. Every team is really motivated to win the EuroCup now because the first two teams can go to the EuroLeague."
You will play against MoraBanc Andorra this week, which went to the EuroCup Semifinals last season. What will it take to beat them on the road?
"For sure, the trip to Andorra will be very hard for us, coming from Patras, but we have to be fresh and play with a lot of energy. We will try to win this game, knowing it is not going to be easy because they have a really good team again this year. We are going to fight as we do in every game and hopefully, we can make it. Bogrinho (Georgios Bogris) told me it is really hard to go there and we will be tired when we arrive, so we will rest and be ready for the game. It is a nice place to play."