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.
kingsofmaroussi 