The signs that led Kevin Pangos to Milano? They are everywhere, in Rho, in Trento and more

Signs are all over the place. Unmistakable. His grandfather and his grandmother, both from Slovenia, left the country after WWII choosing the freedom of being separated from families and roots over remaining behind the iron curtain in the then-Yugoslavia. His grandfather, Roman Pangos, went to Italy, Udine, and eventually was transferred to Capua, in a refugee camp where he met his future wife. Together, at some point, they left Italy to go where some relatives were already living, in Canada.

But everything started in Italy. Yes, Italy, the same country where at 15, so close to Milano he could almost touch it, Kevin Pangos led a team from Ontario to the win in the prestigious Rho tournament. He was instrumental in defeating the Lithuanian team in the championship game. For him it was some kind of coming-out party. You don’t comeback from something like that. You become a household name, even if you are from Canada, a hockey-mad country, including in the Pangos’ household: his uncle, Jim Koudys, has been drafted by the New York Islanders in 1982 and his cousin Patrick has been drafted by the Washington Capitals.

And again, his dad, Bill Pangos, a basketball lifer who coached the women’s team at York University, in Toronto, for about thirty years (Kevin’s sister, Kayla, played for him), met his future wife (a tough basketball player herself) at a basketball camp in the area, named Olympia. Look? Signs are everywhere.

More evidence? When Kevin was climbing the ladder in Canada basketball, getting big exposure with the youth national teams, Leo Rautins – one of the best Canadian players ever – selected him for the senior team before a trip to Italy in 2009. Kevin at the time was just 16. In Trento, Italy dominated the game against Canada, Andrea Bargnani was a star that night, scoring 28 points, Marco Belinelli was there, Gigi Datome too and so Peppe Poeta. The outcome decided, Coach Rautins decided to make his 16-year-old point-guard the youngest player ever to actually play for Canada’s senior team. Kevin beat the record held by Rautins himself. A couple of possessions into the game, Bargnani rotated slow on defense, so Pangos had the time to shoot the three. He was 16. He didn’t blink. He made it. And he made another three a short time later. He finished his first game ever with six points. Italy is all over the place. Now, he can call Milano home.

It didn’t go as planned. Cleveland was a top-heavy team at his positions, with Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, even Ricky Rubio. He was limited to be marginal. He went to the G-league a couple of times, appeared in 29 games, and then finally relented. Signs are all over the place. Udine where his grandfather went to escape from Yugoslavia, Capua where his granddaddy met his grandmother, Rho where he became a prospect to be followed, Trento where he became the youngest player ever to suit up for the Canadian National Team and finally Milano. A place to be called home.