James Gist landed early this afternoon at the “Eleftherios Venizelos” airport. Tired from the flight, but also excited, as he stated, behind the prospect of competing for Panathinaikos.
“I am excited to be here, in Greece and Panathinaikos. I am a bit tired from the trip at the moment, but I know I’ll adjust and that I’ll be in a position to help the team out”.
Gist admitted it to be a pleasant surprise that the team showed an interest in him again, during the season, since during the summer time both parties had not managed to come to an agreement. “It is true that I was surprised by the event. It was something that made me extremely happy, because now I am presented with the opportunity, even with a few months delay, to compete for a great team such as Panathinaikos, with great players, a good coach and amazing fans! It is a team known around the world”.
The positive things he had to state concerning Panathinaikos did not rest at the as above mentioned: “I believe it to be the perfect spot for an athlete. I am thrilled to be playing basketball in a new team with new teammates. I know some of them; I will meet the rest too. I have faced some of them, but it will certainly be better to be on the same camp as them. I do not think that I will have any adaptation issues. Ican’t wait to start training sessions”.
A special reference was made to the Panathinaikos fans: “What I want and hope for is that we can have a great season all together. We need the fans power in every game. I know all too well what kind of an atmosphere they are able to create and this exact atmosphere is what we need in order to win games. I came here to give 100%, help the team achieve all of the goals it has set”.
