Picture this Sports
Think of it as gymnastics' version of H-O-R-S-E. Or what gymnastics might look like if the adrenaline junkies at the X Games got ahold of the sport.
Vassilis Spanoulis of Olympiacos Piraeus named Euroleague MVP
Written by ANA-MPA
LONDON—Vassilis Spanoulis, a professional basketball player for Olympiacos Piraeus, has been named 2012-13 Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Euroleague.
The National Hellenic Invitational Basketball Tournament played April 4-7 at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois. Nearly 40 teams and 300 players competed in three divisions of men,. women, and boys’ high school, including out-of-town men’s teams from Massachusetts, Denver, Milwaukee, Indiana, Buffalo, and Minneapolis. The tourney also featured a boys’ mini-juniors bracket. There was some great talent on display throughout the weekend as many of these players, in the men’s and women’s brackets, are current and former college players, and some played pro ball overseas as well, including in Greece. NHIBT president Phil Bouzeos was most proud that this year, two players who have been competing in the NHIBT’s boys’ high school division landed NCAA Division I scholarships. One is slick sharpshooting and ball-handling wizard Dean Danos, a Northwest Indiana product who will start in his freshmen year at Northern Kentucky University this Fall, and the other is athletic guard Kurt Karis of Glenview, IL, who’ll play at Chicago State.
Women's marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe voiced the question on many lips: ``There are some very sick people out there, who would do something like this?'' Whoever he, she or they are, the bombers of the Boston Marathon committed a monstrous act. Targeting an activity —running — that is so quintessentially human and so bursting with life made them, by definition, inhuman and anti-life.
ANNUAL NHIBT THIS WEEKEND: This year's National Hellenic Invitational Basketball Tournament (April 4-7 at Fenwick H.S. in Oak Park, IL) will hold a special place in the hearts of the people who comprise this great institution, one of the pillars of the Greek American community nationwide. Began in 1931, the NHIBT played first at a since-demolished rustic old gymnasium on the campus of DePaul University on Chicago's north side. For a quarter of a century during its hey-days (c. 1950-1970), the venerable Cicero Stadium was its venue. During this time, the NHIBT was the premiere event in Greek America coast-to-coast at the outset of each Spring, almost as synonymous with Spring to Greek Americans as Easter itself.
ATHENS (AP) —He pulled off one of soccer’s greatest historic upsets. Now Otto Rehhagel has been handed a task equally challenging: to make Germany popular again in crisis-hit Greece.
FIRE BEGINS SEASON: The Chicago Fire began their MLS slate in early March and look to build upon a solid playoff season last year under head coach Frank Klopas. Of 34 total matches, 16 are slated for TV. On October 12, the Fire plays at FC Dallas, which features Greek American star player George John. We recommend GreekSoccer.com for comprehensive of “futball,” which happens to not be this writer’s forte (bad Greek, I know ;)
PANGOS, GONZAGA 20-2: Sophomore Kevin Pangos, a 6-foot point guard, as of the start of February was the 3rd leading scorer on the men’s basketball team at 11.8 per game, leads in assists at 3.5 per, and is 1st with 48 three-pointers (.436 percentage). He’s shooting .443 overall and the Zags are 20-2 and looking to make a run in the postseason NCAA tournament.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)—Officials from both sides of ethnically split Cyprus say they have moved closer to a deal that would reunify rival football organizations.
Cyprus Football Association President Costas Koutsokoumnis said after talks with Turkish Cypriot Football Association counterpart Hasan Sertoglu on Thursday that there's now a ``light at the end of the tunnel'' for an agreement.
He says he will meet again with Sertoglu at FIFA headquarters in Zurich this March in hopes of finalizing the deal that would allow Turkish Cypriots to play internationally.
Cyprus was split into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece.
Only the Cyprus FA, in the island's south, is recognized by FIFA.
KONTOS WORLD SERIES CHAMP! Chicago area Greeks are beaming with pride as one of our own is now a World Series champion! Relief pitcher George Kontos, signed by the San Francisco Giants mid-season, posted a solid 2.80 ERA during the regular season and was on the roster for the postseason as well, including an appearance in the World Series in relief. The Giants swept the Detroit Tigers 4-0 to win the title. Kontos, 25, prepped at Niles West High School in north suburban Chicago and played college ball at Northwestern University. He attended St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church and he and his family are well-known throughout the region. George has a facebook fan page so enter his name in the search box and “like” his page. We’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the years to come and are thrilled at many more opportunities to cheer on our “local kid done good”!
