Papagou BC has announced its second foreign player acquisition with the signing of American forward Kaleb Scott (1.97m / 6'5", 23 years old).
The 23-year-old American forward recently completed his collegiate career at Presbyterian Blue Hose. In his senior year, Scott showcased his all-around game, averaging 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1 assist in 31 games.
Kaleb Scott, born on May 23, 2002, in Fuquay-Varina, previously played for Georgia State Panthers before transferring to Presbyterian. His collegiate stats show consistent improvement throughout his career. In his last season (2024-25) with Presbyterian Blue Hose, he averaged 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 31 games, with a field goal percentage of 55.3%.
Papagou will be Scott's first professional team, and the club will be hoping his athleticism and rebounding prowess translate well to the Greek league.
Papagou BC has announced the acquisition of its first foreign player for the upcoming 2025-26 Elite League season, signing American guard Jarrett Adderton (190cm / 6'3", 86kg).
The 20-year-old American comes to Papagou after a standout collegiate career with Columbus State, where he graduated in 2025. In his last season at Columbus State, he averaged an impressive 20.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. His exceptional performance earned him the All-PeachBelt Player of the Year award in 2025 and a spot on the NABC Division II All-American Team. His team also won the PeachBelt Regular Season title in 2025.
Adderton is embarking on his first professional season. He also had a brief stint in the Dominican Republic with Immortals in the United Pro Invitational. In 4 games there, he averaged 15.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 steals, with shooting percentages of 50.0% from the field and 40.0% from three-point range. For his performance in the United Pro Invitational, Adderton was named Usbasket.com All-United Pro Invitational Rookie of the Year and earned First Team honors.
Papagou is set to benefit from Adderton's scoring ability, rebounding, and playmaking as he makes his professional debut in Greece.
Another promising Greek basketball player is set to join the NCAA ranks, with 19-year-old forward Stefanos Spartalis (2.06m / 6'9") announcing his commitment to Monmouth University via his personal social media.
From Olympiacos to NCAA: A Promising Path
Spartalis, a youth international for Greece, was previously with Olympiacos, where he signed his first professional contract in September 2024, valid until 2029. Despite this, he'll now pursue a collegiate career in the US, following in the footsteps of other young Greek players like Neoklis Avdalas, Vangelis Zougri, and Lefteris Mantzoukas who also opted for the NCAA this year.
During the 2024-25 season, Spartalis played in 7 GBL games for Olympiacos. He also notably excelled in the Elite League while on a dual-roster agreement with Papagou, where he averaged 10.1 points and 6.7 rebounds. With Papagou, he finished the season averaging 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 19 minutes per game.
Spartalis made his Olympiacos debut against Karditsa in October 2024, but scored his first points against Kolossos Rodou.
Youth Success and Super Cup Adventures
Spartalis's talent has been evident in his youth career. He joined Olympiacos's academies in 2022 and quickly made an impact, winning the Panhellenic U18 Championship (2024) and the Rising Stars tournament (2024), being named MVP in both competitions.
A testament to his dedication and commitment to playing, Spartalis had a remarkable Super Cup journey in September 2024. On Friday, September 27, he traveled with Olympiacos for the Super Cup, but as he was not in the 12-man roster, Papagou arranged for him to fly back to play in a Greek Cup game against Psychiko. In that game, he played 13 minutes, contributing 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block in Papagou's 75-66 victory, securing their spot in the UNICEF Trophy Final Four. Immediately after, he flew back to Rhodes for the Super Cup final with Olympiacos against Panathinaikos, returning to Athens with the Olympiacos squad early on Monday morning.
Spartalis's GBL Appearances with Olympiacos
In his 7 appearances for Olympiacos in the GBL during the 2024-25 season, Stefanos Spartalis had the following averages and best game:
Average Minutes Played: 4.1 minutes per game Average Points: 1.9 points per game Average Rebounds: 1.0 rebound per game Average Assists: 0.6 assists per game
Best Game Performance (vs. Kolossos Rodou, 88-73 win):
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.
Peristeri sign Yaser Saleh. The 20-year-old Egyptian Greek guard/forward penned a three years contract with the newly promoted club. Saleh started his career with Ikaros Kallitheas and in the last season he played for Papagos in A2 League Greece. In 30 games with Papagos Saleh averaged 5.5 points and 2.9 rebounds. Saleh will play on loan to Dafni Dafniou in the B League.
The coach Nikos Karagiannis left Papagos for Peristeri and his previous team published an ironic announcement about the coach. Papagos claims that the coach was unemployed when they trust him and offered him a contract but after only 22 days he left the club for personal reasons. When the board asked him if he had agreed with another club he denied it but days after he agreed terms with Peristeri.
Peristeri and Kostas Papamarkos parted ways. The Greek coach was blamed for the two consecutive defeats and the two sides agreed on a mutual contract release after almost a season. The new coach of Peristeri is Nikos Karagiannis who left Papagos.
