Greece's Performance at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2024

Game Scores and Dates: 

July 13, 2024: Greece 75 - Serbia 73

July 14, 2024: Poland 75 - Greece 68

July 15, 2024: Greece 62 - France 68

July 17, 2024: Round of 16: Israel 65 - Greece 68

July 18, 2024: Quarter-Finals: Greece 87 - Lithuania 82

July 20, 2024: Semi-Finals: France 69 - Greece 57

July 21, 2024: 3rd Place Game: Belgium 68 - Greece 70

Final Position: 3rd Place

Player Averages

Alexandros Samodurov (#20): 9.4 PTS, 5.7 REB, 47.1% FG
Vangelis Zougris (#35): 11.6 PTS, 8.3 REB, 51.7% FG
Ioannis Karakostas (#3): 14.7 PTS, 3.3 REB, 80.6% FT
Nikolaos Plotas (#5): 9.8 PTS, 1.7 REB, 1.7 STL
Nikolaos Chitikoudis (#16): 6.9 PTS, 4.3 REB, 75.0% 3PT FG
Charilaos Paraskevopoulos (#10): 4.7 PTS, 3.3 REB, 45.8% FG
Theodoros Konstantinidis (#6): 4.7 PTS, 1.1 REB, 58.3% 2PT FG
Nikolaos Vasileiou (#14): 1.4 PTS, 0.9 REB, 50.0% 2PT FG
Christos Bountouris (#12): 3.8 PTS, 1.0 REB, 47.1% FG
Evdoxios Kapetakis (#8): 3.4 PTS, 1.1 REB, 75.0% FT
Apostolos Ioannou (#33): 1.4 PTS, 1.6 REB, 50.0% FT
Alexis Kamperidis (#21): 0.0 PTS, 0.4 REB, 0.0% FG

 

Vangelis Zougris' Standout Performance

Vangelis Zougris emerged as a key player for Greece in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2024. Averaging 11.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, he played a crucial role in both offensive and defensive plays. Zougris' performance was characterized by his efficient field goal percentage of 51.7%, making him a consistent scoring threat and a reliable rebounder.

His outstanding contributions earned him a spot in the All-Star Five of the tournament, an honor shared with Noah Penda and Zacharie Perrin of France, and Belgium's Nathan Missia-Dio. This recognition highlights his impact and excellence throughout the competition, underscoring his importance to the Greek team's success. 

Maroussi Signs Young Talent Giannis Karakostas

Maroussi has signed the "Best Young Player" of the Elite League 2023-2024 for the next four years. The 20-year-old point guard Giannis Karakostas will make his debut in the Basket League with the team from the northern suburbs of Athens.

The announcement from Maroussi:

"The G.S. Amarousiou 1896 announces the acquisition of international point guard Giannis Karakostas for the next four years. In the 2023-24 season, as a player of Papagou BC, he was named 'Best Young Player' in the Elite League, with an average of 13.9 points (85.9% free throws, 52.3% two-pointers, and 36.7% three-pointers), 4.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 31 minutes per game."

Giannis Karakostas Bio and Career

Giannis Karakostas comes from a basketball family, with his father Fotis being a coach and his brother Nikos a basketball player. He was born on February 4, 2004, stands 1.90 meters tall, and plays as a guard. He began his basketball journey with GAO Koukouvaunon. In the 2019-20 season, he played for Panathinaikos, contributing to winning the Greek U16 Championship.

On July 27, 2022, he was acquired by Lavrio and, using a "dual license," also played for Papagou to gain experience. With Lavrio, he recorded 3 appearances in the Basket League in the 2022-23 season, scoring 5 points in 8 minutes in a game against Kolossos (April 9, 2023).

He continued with Papagou, where he stood out and proved that he is ready for the next step in his career. He is currently a member of the national teams (now with the U20 team) and a student at the Athens School of Dentistry.

Season Highlights

Karakostas finished the last season with Papagou, playing 34 games and averaging 31 minutes per game. He scored a total of 473 points, with an impressive shooting performance: 52.3% on two-pointers, 36.7% on three-pointers, and 85.9% from the free-throw line. He also contributed significantly with 4.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, accumulating a total efficiency rating of 536, which averages to 15.8 per game. He was named the best young player in the Elite League and is Maroussi's fourth signing after acquiring Elvar Fridriksson, Jonathan Stove, and Ismael Sanogo.

This impressive performance earned him the title of "Best Young Player" in the Elite League and paved the way for his move to Maroussi, where he is expected to continue his promising career.