PAOK with low profile roster this season in Basketball Champions League
PAOK with low profile roster this season in Basketball Champions League
Last month we presented the poor situation of PAOK, a prestigious Greek club but with no players. All the foreign players from last season have left and at that moment, PAOK looked like an easy target for every club. But somehow they managed to bring some new players and fulfil their roster.
They brought in some American players like Amanze Egekeze, JeQuan Lewis, Adam Smith or Antwaine Wiggins alongside the Zane Knowles from Bahamas. All those players are low profiles and some of them played in Korea or Japan and the others played in second division teams from Italy or France. I can’t see how those players will be able to raise their game before the start of the season. I think they will play against the wall when the squad will meet Champions League teams or Greek super-powers.
In terms of Greek players, many were brought in, but very few with notable mentions. Only Zisis Sarikopoulos, who played for Tsmoki-Minsk, had a contract overseas, while the rest of Greek players additions are from lower national teams or from the junior team.
In the end, the most notable addition was, without any doubts, Aaron Best. He was among the final cuts that Canada made before the World Cup. Last season he played for Ludwigsburg where he averaged 6.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in Champions League.
The last addition is very decent, but there are tough times ahead for PAOK. They definitely have a weaker squad than last season and I don’t expect from them to make some noise the next season. They brought in some foreign players only to have them on the court, but as for now, neither of those players has proven anything, so the expectations must be low. That’s the problem if you don`t act quickly on the transfer market: in the end, you need to look in Japan, Korea or second division teams to find some Americans. When you choose them you look at the stats and then, God`s help us.
Photo credit: championsleague.basketball
Bogdan Vasile Tirc
