Ex-Maroussi stars enjoying life abroad

Update on ex-Maroussi players:

Let’s start in Turkey. Frank Elegar scored 18 points and had 12 rebounds in Antalya‘s 92-82 upset victory over league leader Galatasaray on Saturday. He also had three blocks and three steals. In five games since leaving Maroussi, Elegar is averaging 10.8 ppg and 7 rpg. The Drexel alum’s teammates include Scottie Reynolds (30 ppg) and Corey Fisher (25 ppg), both of Villanova. Elegar is connecting on 75 percent of his shots from the field.

Yannis Gagaloudis

Moving southward to Cyprus, Yannis Gagaloudis‘s new team, Apollon Limassol, faces a must-win game tonight. The team is in the Cypriot League playoffs and down 2 games to 1 against Etha. Gagaloudis is averaging 20.5 points in the four games with available box scores (he also played in two other games). The veteran point guard scored 30 points in his debut on the island. Apollon won its first-round playoff series 2-0 over ENAD. Hmm, I wonder if his team gets bounced from the playoffs if he would be eligible to return to Maroussi (no idea what the contract issues/rules are). My guess is neither side would be interested because there are only two games left in Maroussi’s season.

In Italy, Nestoras Kommatos hasn’t had to worry about being his team’s top scorer. That’s Troy Bell‘s job. The Boston College alum is averaging 23 points per game. In three games for second-division Sant’Antimo, Kommatos is scoring 11 ppg and pulling down 7.7 rebounds per game. The 34-year-old was the Greek league’s top scorer (20 ppg). The Italian club recruited Kommatos to add some front court scoring in a bid to avoid relegation. He experienced his first victory Sunday (he left Maroussi when the team was still winless) against Biancoblu, 87-76.

Finally to France, where Dimitris Haritopoulos plays for ASVEL, the club that is partly owned by NBA star Tony Parker. The San Antonio Spurs guard played for ASVEL during the NBA lockout last autumn. In six games, Haritopoulos is averaging 7.5 points and 3 rebounds per game.

Aris 90, Maroussi 69

Hmm. Looking for interesting things to write about this one. Aris defeated Maroussi 90-69. It was close in the first half, then Aris pulled away. Eh. Six Aris players scored in double figures. OK. And four in double figures for Maroussi (1-21). Blah.

Well, I did notice that Aris coach Vangelis Alexandris went ballistic several times. That’s kind of a trend here, where many coaches receive Messiah-like respect from fan bases and media. Alexandris coached Maroussi to its Saporta Cup (now called Eurocup) victory in 2001.

But still, it’s frustrating to see coaches lose their cool and yank a player off the court for daring to be just a little bit creative. Be a robot or you sit. For example, Sergio Kerusch had the ball and backed his defender toward the basket. He made a nice turn into the lane, went up and missed the shot. Ok, he should have sank it. But it was a good move. And apparently it wasn’t in the script. Alexandris immediately yanked him.

Discipline and team play are important. But when players are literally looking over their shoulders after every play to see if they’ll be benched or yelled at, it stifles the creativity coaches pray for when their teams are losing by 12 points in the fourth quarter to Panathinaikos or Olympiakos. Just sayin’.

Ok, so back to the game. Aris led 44-39 at the half. Prodromos Nikolaidis scored 17 of his game-high 21 points in the first half for Maroussi. But the Thessaloniki crew clamped down defensively in the third quarter, and Dan Mavraides hit a couple of 3-pointers to give Aris some space. Princeton alum Mavraides had all 10 of his points in the second half.

Christos Tapoutos led Aris with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Ronald Davis chipped in with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Aris connected on 10 of 20 3-point attempts. Sam Muldrow (South Carolina) had 7 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

For Maroussi, Giannis Demertzis recorded 11 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. Seventeen-year-old center Lampros Tsontzos scored 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Andreas Kanonidis contributed 11 points off the bench, including two 3-pointers that kept Maroussi fairly close in the second half.

Aris (10-12) has won four consecutive games.

Preview: Stretch run for Maroussi

Maroussi wins Saporta Cup (now Eurocup) 2001

So, Maroussi has three more opportunities to get another victory before being relegated to a lower division next season. Since its historic win over Peristeri two weeks ago, Maroussi lost to Panathinaikos and Colossus, but they basically amounted to preparation for the final three games (against sub-.500 clubs).

And may I suggest Maroussi (1-20), which hosts Aris (9-12) tomorrow evening, learned quite a bit in the losses. First, young Dimitrios Agravanis is emerging as a legitimate offensive threat. The 6-foot-10 teenager — he turned 17 in December — averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds per game. Second, poor 3-point shooting is killing them.

Maroussi went 8 of 46 from 3-point range the past two games. That’s 17 percent. Prodromos Nikolaidis is their go-to guy from downtown but he’s just 3 of 17 in the two losses. The problem is, with Nestoras Kommatos and three other starters gone, teams key on Nikolaidis. Still, he led Maroussi with 22 points (7 of 11 inside the arc) against Colossus on Wednesday.

Aris would make the playoffs if the season ended today and is riding a three-game winning streak. Christos Tapoutos is the team’s leading scorer (14.8 ppg, 6 rpg). Ronald Davis, an alum of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, averages 10 points per game.

Aris has young scorers, as well. Sergio Kerusch (Western Kentucky) averages 7.5 ppg and 4 rpg, while Sam Muldrow (South Carolina) is at 6.5 ppg and 5 rpg. Princeton’s Dan Mavraides has been getting more minutes lately, too. Kerusch scored 24 points in a 79-71 victory over Maroussi on Jan. 4.

Preview: Maroussi goes island hopping

Marcus Hatten (www.esake.gr photo)

Maroussi plays Colossus tomorrow on the island of Rhodes. Strictly business. Coach Nikos Linardos ignored my team-bonding idea of shell collecting at the beach. There’s “no time” for that, apparently. The team is scheduled to board a morning flight tomorrow, play at 4 p.m. local time, then return to Athens later in the evening. Normally, a team would arrive the night before and sleep at a hotel. But cash-strapped Maroussi can’t afford it.

Awaiting young Maroussi (1-19) is Colossus (14-6), which has lost three of its last four games but wants to maintain its third-place spot going into the playoffs. With four games remaining, it’s not going catch Olympiakos (20-1) or Panathinaikos (18-2) but Rethymno and Panionios, both 13-7, are close behind. If the season ended now, Colossus would open the playoffs against Kavala (11-10).

The top four finishers in the playoffs qualify for European championships; the top two teams play in the elite Euroleague while the other two go to the qualifying round of the next-best tournament, the Eurocup.

Marcus “Mo” Hatten and fellow guard Angelos Tsamis are the top scorers, averaging 12.4 ppg. Hatten played briefly with the Denver Nuggets in the 2004-05 season. The Baltimore native was undrafted in 2003 out of St. John’s, where he was coached by Mike Jarvis (of the great city of Cambridge, Massachusetts).

Scotty Hopson averages 9 points and 3 rebounds per game. The 22-year-old left Tennessee one year ago, after his junior year. Hopson, a gifted shooting guard with highlight-reel finishing ability, was not drafted. This is his first stint overseas. Another USA American, Ruben Boykin, is averaging 11 points and 6 rebounds.

Last week, Maroussi took a beating, as expected, from Panathinaikos. But the takeaway? Backup center Dimitrios Agravanis finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Agravanis and fellow 17-year-old center Lampros Tsontzos have been gaining valuable experience since four of five Maroussi starters left the financially troubled team earlier this year.

To stay competitive, however, Maroussi’s shooting needs to improve. It’s been deplorable recently. They hit 5 of 25 three-point attempts last week, and went 11 of 39 inside the arc.

Preview: Panathinaikos pays a visit

Vagel Sakellariou

Maroussi didn’t have much time to celebrate its first victory of the season. It hosts Panathinaikos (17-2) tomorrow evening. Normally, it’s an NFL-style schedule, one game each week. But there are no league games this Saturday because of the Greek Cup final — between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos.

Panathinaikos is one of the best teams in Europe, not just Greece. It is the defending Euroleague champion. Basically, tomorrow’s game is a more or less a practice session for the big game Saturday.

So, what does that mean for Maroussi? If they can hang with Panathinaikos for a half, maybe even three quarters, that would be a huge accomplishment. Maroussi, of course, has a depleted roster, which includes several teenagers. Starting center Lampros Tsontzos is 17 years old.

Panathinaikos, historically one of the wealthiest clubs in Europe, has a ridiculously deep bench. Mike Batiste, Ian Vougioukas, and Stratos Perperoglou are unlikely to play because of injuries.

But it’s hardly a break for Maroussi. That means Aleks Maric will get more time in the middle. He’s 6-foot-11 and 275 pounds, and Maroussi doesn’t have the size nor experience to handle big men. Maric is an Australian-Serb and alum of the University of Nebraska.

It will be a homecoming for Kostas Kaimakoglou, who played for Maroussi during the good old days (2004-10). He scored 18 points Saturday in a 85-65 victory over PAOK.

We’ll see how much time the Panathinaikos regulars get, considering the Greek Cup final on Saturday.

Their roster is sprinkled with former NBA draft picks, some of whom have played in the NBA. Sarunas Jasikevicius, 36, played for the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors. Steven Smith of La Salle played briefly for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Nick Calathes, 23, left the University of Florida after the 2008-09 season and signed a three-year deal with Panathinaikos. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected him in the second round of the 2009 NBA draft. Romain Sato was taken in the second round of the 2004 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs, who released the Xavier alum in 2005.

Game of Week: Christmas leads team to road victory (Videos)

Dionte Christmas

This was just downright fun. Fourth quarter lead changes. Emphatic dunks. Clutch 3-pointers. Hostile crowd. In a possible playoff preview, Rethymno defeated Panionios 77-76 in Athens tonight.

Dionte Christmas paced the visitors from Crete with 19 points, including a steal and dunk (see video) that gave his team a 75-73 lead with 56 seconds remaining. Billy Keys (9 points) answered for Panionios before Rethymno’s Brent Petway was fouled and sank two clutch free throws with 17 seconds on the clock.

Up 77-75, Rethymno decided to foul Alex Stepheson — as they had done all night, with considerable vigor — and gambled that he’d miss a free throw. He was 8 of 14 from the line before he was fouled with 5.5 seconds left. The gamble paid off. The USC alum missed the first shot and hit the second. Panionios got the ball back with 3 seconds left but Marios Batis‘ half court shot missed.

Christmas, the league’s top scorer (19.5 ppg), also hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer (video below) going into halftime.

Jon Diebler led Panionios with 16 points and 6 rebounds. The league’s top 3-point shooter hit 3 of 6 from downtown, including two in the fourth quarter. His fast-break layup gave Panionios a 68-67 lead with just over 3 minutes to play.

Petway (8 points, 6 rebounds) saved his best for last. His putback two-handed dunk gave Rethymno a 56-49 lead to end the third quarter. He flirted with a technical, though, when he stared into the crowd after landing. He connected for two more hoops in the fourth quarter, followed by the two free throws. He played nearly the entire fourth quarter with 4 fouls.

Zack Wright also scored 19 points for Rethymno and pulled down 8 rebounds. He had four turnovers, one leading to the Diebler layup, but created many opportunities for his teammates. And he had a memorable steal. Laying belly up on the floor (after a missed shot and no call), he reached and poked the ball away from a Panionios player, directly to Christmas, who laid it in.

Wright’s penetration also freed up shooters including Damir Latovic, who sank some big outside shots (video below). Latovic finished with 18 points (three 3-pointers) and 6 rebounds.

Stepheson, who recently returned to the lineup after a knee injury, finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds.

Panionios (13-7) and Rethymno (12-7) are fourth and fifth, respectively, in the standings. Rethymno has won four in a row. Panionios has lost its last two games, and three of its last four.

DIONTE CHRISTMAS STEAL AND DUNK:

ZACK WRIGHT TO CHRISTMAS FOR HALFTIME BUZZER-BEATER:

WRIGHT TO DAMIR LATOVIC FOR 3-POINTER:

Preview: This one ‘winnable’ (sort of)

Maroussi players celebrating in 2001

In 2007, when the Boston Celtics lost 18 consecutive games, they saw Milwaukee on the schedule, followed by a tough road trip. The Celtics beat the Bucks 117-97 and Paul Pierce said: “We definitely eyed this game.”

Peristeri is Maroussi’s Milwaukee. Peristeri is on a four-game losing streak and is 6-12 overall after starting the season 5-2. Like Maroussi, Peristeri is having financial problems. Three of its top players left the squad. Sound familiar?

Maroussi (0-18) visits its crosstown rival tomorrow night, hosts Panathinaikos (16-2) next week, followed by a trip to Rhodes to face Kolossus (13-5). Maroussi then finishes its season against three clubs in playoff contention.

Maroussi is winless but this is really only Game 2 for the reconfigured squad, playing without four veteran starters who left for greener pastures (i.e. steady paychecks). Their 17-year-old center, Lampros Tsontzos, played 32 minutes last week.

Meanwhile, the flu made its way through the lineup early this week, limiting coach Nikos Linardos‘ ability to prepare the black-and-yellow.

Still, this one is winnable. First, Peristeri doesn’t have a wide-body center the likes of Zisis Sarikopoulos, the muscular 7-footer for Panionios who scored 17 points (8 of 10) in 14 minutes against Maroussi two weeks ago. Peristeri’s Sotirios Manolopoulos, despite his size (6-foot-10), prefers launching 3-pointers (8 of 28 past four games) to grinding in the paint.

Peristeri has been out-rebounded in all four games of its current losing streak. Maroussi, despite losing last week, pulled down 30 rebounds to Rethymno’s 28.

Peristeri’s top scorer Charalampos Giannopoulos (12 ppg) can do a little of everything. The 22-year-old had a career game five weeks ago in an 81-69 victory. He scored 32 points (6 of 7 from 3-point range). He’s slowed down during the current skid. In the past two weeks, he’s 0 for 7 from downtown.

Connecticut alum Gavin Edwards (9.5 ppg, 5 rpg) is connecting on 64 percent of his shots. Giannopoulos and Edwards, 24, are capable of getting the the foul line if their jumpers aren’t falling.

Realistically, though, Maroussi will need continued stellar play from its back court of Lefteris Akepsimaidis (18 points, 7 assists last week) and Giannis Demertzis (16 points, 6 assists). And they’ll need help from newcomer Andreas Kanonidis, (15 points, 5 rebounds last week) and Vagel Sakellariou (15 points).

Ex-Celtics Giddens, O’Bryant leave Greece

Former NBA first-round draft picks J.R. Giddens and Patrick O’Bryant — both of whom played for the Boston Celtics — have left their Greek clubs. Giddens had surgery in the United States to repair his injured left wrist. O’Bryant plans to play in Puerto Rico.

Giddens, 27, averaged 8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for PAOK in Thessaloniki. Like Maroussi, PAOK has major financial problems. Giddens almost left the team earlier this winter in a payment dispute, but the sides patched things up.

The swingman, selected 30th overall by the Celtics in the 2008 NBA draft, tweeted that he had surgery on his left wrist last Friday. The Celtics traded Giddens, a New Mexico alum, to the New York Knicks in February 2010.

O’Bryant left Kavala to take more money ($14,000 per month, according to www.basketnet.gr) in Puerto Rico, where he plans to sign with Mayaguez. The 7-footer was the Greek league’s top shot-blocker (1.5 per game) and averaged 9.6 points and 6 rebounds per game.

After playing Sunday, he tweeted: “Just played my last game as a Greek. Love this country. Except the refs. Takin my talents to Puerto Rico now.”

The Celtics signed O’Bryant to a 2-year, $3 million contract before the 2008-09 season. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors in February 2009. O’Bryant was the 9th overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft, selected by the Golden State Warriors. He’s an alum of Bradley University.

Elegar wins in Turkey; Kommatos loses in Italy

Nestoras Kommatos

After suffering through a season-long losing streak in Maroussi, Nestoras Kommatos and Frank Elegar saw their first action with their new clubs this weekend. Elegar tasted victory in Turkey, while Kommatos’ squad lost in Italy.

Elegar, 25, had a strong game Saturday, helping Antalya to an 88-83 road upset over Erdemir. The Drexel alum started alongside Philadelphia pals Corey Fisher and Scottie Reynolds. Fisher and Reynolds were teammates at Villanova. Elegar and Fisher are old friends from the same neighborhood in the Bronx.

Elegar was in the starting lineup and finished with 11 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. Fisher scored 24 points; Reynolds 19.

There’s another Philly connection: Erdemir’s leading scorer was La Salle alum K’Zell Wesson, 34. He scored 21 points and had 9 rebounds.

Kommatos, who led the Greek league in scoring (20.4 ppg) when he skipped town last week, started for second-division Sant’Antimo yesterday. They lost 77-67 to Enel Brindisi. The 34-year-old scored just 4 points. He shot 1 of 6 from 3-point range. He had 10 rebounds and played 32 minutes.

Wright, Christmas earn co-MVP weekly honor

Zack Wright looks over the Maroussi defense

Zack Wright and Dionte Christmas are this weekend’s co-MVPs after leading Rethymno to a 92-80 victory over Maroussi.

This is Wright’s sixth MVP award this season and it’s the third consecutive week he’s captured the honor — the Greek league’s version of player of the week. Christmas now has two MVP honors this season.

Temple alum Christmas recorded his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds against winless Maroussi. Wright also scored 21 points. He was 9 of 11 from the field, with four rebounds and three steals. Both players had performance ratings of 31.

The official announcement is expected later today or tomorrow. Last week, Wright shared the award with Jon Diebler of Panionios (which defeated Maroussi 97-57).

Christmas records double-double; gives shout-out to young Maroussi

Lampros Tsontzos

This one is what they call a “good loss.” Maroussi’s veterans are gone, so the back-ups and some teen-aged kids from the junior squad gave it their best shot. The visitors from Cretewon 92-80, but young Maroussi (0-18) was in the game the whole way, and led by six points in the third quarter.

Halftime adjustments: Dionte Christmas (center) and Zack Wright talk strategy with an assistant coach.

Even the league’s leading scorer, Dionte Christmas, was impressed. Maroussi “held” Christmas to 21 points and 13 rebounds — his first double-double of the season. After the game, the former Temple star tweeted that he likes the team.

“Those young guys played real hard and had a lot of heart. I respect that team,” he tweeted.

Zack Wright also scored 21 points for Rethymno (11-7) on 9 of 11 shooting. Wright added four rebounds and three steals.

Considering Rethymno’s firepower and Maroussi’s lack thereof, they must feel pretty confident coming out of this one. Five Maroussi players scored in double figures, led by Lefteris Akepsimaidis (18 points, 7 assists). Giannis Demertzis had 16 points and 6 assists. Seventeen-year-old center Lampros Tsontzos pulled down 10 rebounds.

Maroussi led 44-41 at halftime but Rethymno’s Giorgos Koumoulos hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 47. Wright put Rethymno ahead for good late in the third when he drove, was fouled and hit both free throws for a 61-59 lead.

The visitors gave themselves breathing room when Koumoulos hit back-to-back 3-pointers again, making it 77-66 with seven minutes remaining. A Wright steal and long pass to Brent Petway for a dunk (see video) made it 83-71 at the 3:30 mark. Maroussi pulled within six points, but got no closer.

For Maroussi, it was the first time this season not having either leading scorer Nestoras Kommatos (20.4 ppg) or leading playmaker Yannis Gagaloudis (15 ppg, 6 apg) on the court. Like two starters before them, Kommatos (to Italy) and Gagaloudis (to Cyprus) left because of Maroussi’s financial problems.

Petway dunk:

Christmas 3-pointer:

Can Maroussi stop Christmas?

Let’s see. Looks like engineers and lawyers are on strike (http://livingingreece.gr/strikes/), but not pilots and air traffic controllers. So, Maroussi’s opponent tomorrow — Rethymno — should arrive as planned in Athens sometime today from the island of Crete.

Maroussi players celebrating back in '01

That’s bad news for winless Maroussi, of course, because now they’ll have to face Dionte Christmas and Company tomorrow afternoon. Temple alum Christmas enters the game as the Greek league’s leading scorer (19.4 ppg). Maroussi’s Nestoras Kommatos (20.4 ppg) held that title until yesterday, when he signed with a team in Italy. Christmas, who played briefly in 2009 for the Philadelphia 76ers, scored a season high 41 points against league-leading Olympiakos.

The departure of Kommatos (see ‘Arrivederci’ post) means we won’t get to see what all of Athens — ok, me — has been buzzing about: a Larry Bird–Dominique Wilkins ’88 Game 7 style shootout between the league’s top scorers. (I just went to youtube and watched a 10-minute clip of that game. Good times, good times — and RIP Reggie Lewis and DJ).

Ok, so what will we see? Probably some insane dunks from Brent Petway of Michigan and Harlem Globetrotters fame. Christmas will hit some threes (he’s shooting 38 percent from out there), and point guard Zack Wright will do a little bit of everything. Wright’s efficient play has earned him five player of the week honors this season. The 6-2 Wright is the team’s leading rebounder (5.3 rpg) and he can throw down dunks, as well.

In a win last week, Christmas and Wright combined for 12 steals. Maroussi’s ball handlers, Lefteris Akepsimaidis and Giannis Demertzis, will need to be extra careful.

Since Kommatos left the building, cash-strapped Maroussi has just four professional players remaining on its roster.

The team had used teenagers from its junior squad to fill in gaps earlier this season, but now the kids are being asked to play significant minutes. Most of them are just 17 years old.

On the bright side, their two young centers Lampros Tsontzos and Dimitrios Agravanis are both 6-10. Realistically, Rethymno (10-7) should have the game wrapped up by halftime. What I would do, though, is start both Tsontzos and Agravanis, feed them the ball and encourage them to shoot literally every time they touch the ball. They’ve been playing pass-first with Kommatos on the floor.

If the two big kids can draw some attention, maybe 3-point specialist Prodromos Nikolaidis will find some room. Under pressure last week, Nikolaidis went 0-for-3.

Oh, and they should empty the bench to use up all of their fouls. Rethymno isn’t great from the foul line: Christmas and Petway, both 70 percent average, and Wright’s average is 59.4 percent.

Just thinking out loud.

Elegar signs with Turkish team

Frank Elegar has signed with Antalya in Turkey’s top division, and it looks like an unofficial Bronx-and-Philly reunion.

Elegar, 25, was the lone import for financially troubled Maroussi. He averaged 9 points (59 percent from the field) and 5 rebounds per game from the center position but left about two weeks ago when the winless team told players that it ran out of money to pay salaries.

At Antalya, Elegar’s new teammates include fellow Bronx native Corey Fisher, 23. Both played their college ball in Philadelphia; Fisher for Villanova and Elegar for Drexel. Also on the roster is Scottie Reynolds, who was Fisher’s teammate at Villanova. Reynolds was cut by the Utah Jazz this pre-season.

Former Boston Celtics first round draft pick (11th overall in 2001) Kedrick Brown, 30, plays for Antalya (4-14), as well. Brown was traded to Cleveland in December 2003. He also played for the 76ers. He averaged 3.6 ppg in 143 NBA games spanning four seasons.

The Celtics also drafted Joseph Forte with the 21st pick in 2001. Among the players they passed on? Tony Parker, taken with the last pick of the first round by the San Antonio Spurs. Just sayin.

Elegar and Brown were teammates two years ago in Turkey when they played for Bornova Belediye.

Sink threes, win prize … Diebler, Wright co-MVPs

Jon Diebler‘s barrage of 3-pointers against Maroussi has earned him co-MVP honors with Zack Wright of Rethymno. Yes, the same Zack Wright who was named MVP last weekend.

You’ll recall that Maroussi’s Nestoras Kommatos had a good case for the honor after scoring 40 points Saturday against PAOK. But the system rewards players on teams that “win.” The award is the Greek league’s version of player of the week.

Jon Diebler

Diebler hit six 3-pointers — including a buzzer-beater at the half — and finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead Panionios to a 97-57 victory over the Maroussi Six (as in, they only have six professionals on the roster, seriously).

Wright led Rethymno to a 81-71 win over PAOK on his home court in Crete. He scored 18 points, had 7 steals, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 4 turnovers. Rethymno was in control throughout. The 6-2 Wright’s dunk late in the third quarter gave his team a 15-point lead.

This is Wright’s fifth MVP award this season. His teammate Dionte Christmas had 19 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals in last night’s win.

Why is that important? Maroussi’s next opponent is Rethymno, at home on February 25. No game this Saturday.

Wright has shared the award twice before — with Georgios Printezis of Olympiakos, and with former Boston Celtics center Patrick O’Bryant of Kavala.

Maroussi a long shot to stop Diebler, Panionios?

I bet Jon Diebler is excited about playing Maroussi tomorrow night. They called him “3bler” at Ohio State. He holds the Big 10 record for most 3s. Diebler now plays for Panionios and is the best 3-point shooter in the Greek league.

'We gotta stop all these 3s!'

You know who doesn’t defend 3-pointers very well? Yup, the black-and-yellow (you know what it is). Maroussi’s last six opponents, on average, have connected on 53 percent of their 3-point attempts, compared to just 34 percent in the first 10 games of the season. In any case, Maroussi lost all 16 games.

The Portland Trail Blazers selected Diebler, 23, in the second round (51st overall) of last year’s draft. During the NBA lockout, he signed a one-year contract with Panionios, which also brought in power forward Alex Stepheson (6-9, 250 lbs), who went undrafted out of USC.

Diebler is shooting 53 percent from 3-point range. Only Konstantinos Sloukas of Olympiakos has a higher success rate (53.6 percent) but on far fewer attempts. Diebler’s scoring average is 9.4 points for the season, but nearly 12 points in the past eight games, as he’s become a more regular starter.

Maroussi is coming off an emotional loss (I can’t find the F key for that phrase, but it would be useful), 86-82, at PAOK on Saturday. Nestoras Kommatos scored 40 points and played nearly the entire game. We’ll see how the 34-year-old responds with just a few days rest. Unlike the NBA, it’s usually just one game per week here.

Kommatos is the league’s leading scorer, at close to 21 points per game. But it hasn’t been enough to get Maroussi in the win column. The club is nearly bankrupt and recently told its players that it probably won’t be able to pay them for the rest of the season. Two reliable starters, Frank Elegar and Dimitris Haritopoulos, left the team.

With a full squad earlier this season, Maroussi played Panionios tough in a 69-67 loss. Yannis Gagaloudis, who is still with the team although looking for other offers, led Maroussi with 18 points.

Stepheson (11.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg) hasn’t played since January 28 because of a knee injury. He’s missed four of the last six games. He’s doubtful for tomorrow night. Panionios is 7-1 at home — the one loss coming against Olympiakos (15-1).