Dinos Mitoglou: Tim Duncan’s photo on the wall at Wake Forest, I’ll never forget that feeling

Dinos Mitoglou is the last Greek player to come at Olimpia Milano, but his basketball DNA is double. Raised in Thessaloniki, a basketball city, but in a soccer-oriented family, Mitoglou honed his art in the United States, in the small town of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the heart of college basketball and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Within 150 kilometers of radius, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Duke University are based. He stayed there for three years, was coached by Danny Manning, the former NBA player who won the NCAA title in Kansas and was the first player picked in the 1988 NBA draft. The all-time greatest player at the school Dinos attended was Tim Duncan and the second-best was the magnificent point guard Chris Paul. But for him the "Duncan Legacy" is more important. It is a matter of position affinity.

About his soccer family – "It’s kind of funny, because mine is a soccer family. My dad used to play for Paok in the Eighties and Nineties, my brother is actually playing for AEK. It’s a funny story, because I started to play soccer myself, but when I was 10 or 11 years old, I decided that it wasn’t the right sport for me. I remember very intensely that I was in my room, with five or six footballs, and threw them to my younger brother and said "Simon, they are all yours, I’m done with football, I’m done with soccer. It’s time for me to change sport". So, I decided to try to play basketball, I feel in love with the sport and the story continues".

About growing up in Thessaloniki – "For sure being from Thessaloniki was very important, this is a city of two teams very important in our basketball history, there are actually three teams, Paok and Aris are very famous everywhere. Growing up there was crucial in making me a basketball fan."

About the decision to move to the U.S. – "I started to play in an academy, Asteria, and the coach there was Coach Ted Rodopoulos, who taught me the fundamentals of basketball, and also a lot on and off the court. He was basically the one who created the idea to move to the U.S. He has an American mentality, I owe him a lot, I’ll never forget about him. Basically, he is the reason why I love America and made the important step of moving there."

About the Wake Forest experience – "I was in a small city, but I was playing for a great university like Waka Forest. It was an amazing experience. The students, over there, love basketball, they are dedicated to it, it was an honor and a bless to be part of a great basketball team. Coach Danny Manning was there, it was an amazing experience, I will never forget about it."

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About the Wake Forest Legacy – "One of the reasons I chose Wake Forest was because it is a legendary basketball school. Think about Tim Duncan, Randolph Childress, Chris Paul, Jeff Teague, all those great former players. When you enter the practice facility, you see all those players on the walls, it’s goosebumps basically every time. I remember my first practice there, and also when I visited, I looked up and saw Tim Duncan on the wall. I will never forget what I felt."

About playing along John Collins – "JC, John, is an amazing player, an amazing guy, one of the best teammates I ever had. What I remember of when he was in college is that he used to work very hard, he is very athletic, and he has evolved his game. I’m very happy for his career and I wish him to continue doing great."

About this return to Greece – "Me, not being able to test the NBA waters, was a matter of time, was something different. When I went to Greece for my family break and for the National Team break, I was called by the National Team. After that, automatically, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos became interested in me. At that point, I had to make a decision. Should I continue my college career, return to Wake Forest for my senior year, and then test the NBA waters, or should I sign for a Greek team and play in the EuroLeague? I decided to sign with Panathinaikos and play in the EuroLeague too."

About his Panathinaikos years – "For me, to play in Greece for such a prestigious club like Panathinaikos has been a great experience. Also, as a Greek player, to be able to play in front of great fans, along great teammates and personality, I consider this a big privilege. I’ve loved it."

About his coming to Milan – "The decision to come to Milan was helped by Coach Messina. We have a team with great teammates, great players, a lot of expectations. I took this step to open a new chapter of my career. Hopefully, we’ll have a great year."

About his position on the floor – "The Coach can use me as a 4 and as a 5. But honestly, I like more to play as a 4, I enjoy it."

About his three-point shooting – "It’s a big goal to become very stable in my three-point shooting. Statistic-wise I don’t have a specific number, but every day in practice it is a challenge. I’m blessed to be with players working on their game and as long as I can I’ll do the same."