🇬🇷SPORTS NEWS🇺🇸

A unprecedented meeting between Sparta Mayor Michalis Vakalopoulos and members of The Harry Agganis Charitable Foundation led by Gregory Agganis took place on July 26, 2025 in Sparta. The Foundation was one of the sponsors of the well known DEI 3X3 Basketball Tournament” which was organized by the Municipality of Sparta and The Greek Basketball Federation. The basketball courts were set up in the main square of Sparta.

This was the first face to face meeting discussing the promotion of the legacy of The Golden Greek Harry Agganis in Sparta and it was a great success. Talks are under way with the Harry Agganis Charitable Foundation toward a long-term partnership with the City of Sparta to continue the legacy of Harry Agganis while supporting youth development, education, recognition, and community engagement with in the region.

The meeting also included some of Mayor Vakalopoulos staff including Councilor for Culture, Spiros Selimou, Atty.Elias Papalimberis, former President of the Pan Laconian Federation USA & Canada Foti Kokkotos, SLAA Basketball Academy James Pristouris, Culture Associate George Foutouki, Nick Tsiotos, Greek-American Sports Publisher and Mike Agganis joined the meeting by zoom from Boston. Mayor Vakalopoulos presented Greg Agganis with a statue of King Leonidas and Greg Agganis gifted the mayor an Agganis sports shirt.

Mayor Vakalopoulos stressed that it is a common goal that we stress to recognize the great accomplishments of Harry Agganis as a great athlete, person, and Hellene. We have to make Harry Agganis legacy better known both in Sparta and in Greece. Agganis has an amazing historical identity and is a brilliantly distinguished Laconian. 

Harry Agganis parents George and Georgia Agganis were from the village of Logganikos,

Sparta.

Yale star John Poulakidas a 6-foot 6inch guard recently played for the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Summer League. The sharpshooter has several teams that are interested in signing him for EuroLeague Basketball. Poulakidas is from Naperville,Illinois a sharp shooting  senior guard for Yale  averaging near 20 points per game this season. He led Yale to the Ivy League Championship in 2025 and two consecutive NCAA Basketball Tournament appearances.

Panagiotis (Peter) Eliopoulos, a senior and three-year varsity player, recently completed a high school basketball career as the Captain of the Newton South High School team. In the 2024–25 season, Peter emerged as a standout leader, helping guide his team to a 16-4 record and securing the Dual County League Championship Title. Newton South earned the No. 10 seed in the Massachusetts State Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16; a milestone the school hadn’t reached in years. In a thrilling Sweet 16 matchup against Springfield, Peter tied the game with just 15 seconds remaining, giving his team a fighting chance.

Peter has also been a longtime member of the AAU program A Step Ahead (ASA). Known for his tenacity on the boards, smooth shooting touch, and strong transition game, Peter consistently delivers in clutch moments, particularly at the free throw line, where he boasts a high percentage. Defensively, he's a cornerstone for his team, bringing relentless hustle on both ends of the court.

Deeply proud of his Greek heritage, Peter has also played for the JOY/GOYA basketball teams representing Saint Demetrios Church in Weston, Massachusetts. He’s helped lead them to 2 Championship Titles in the JOY League and 1 Championship Title in the GOYA League. He has earned 6 All-Star selections representing Saint Demetrios. A two-time Harry Agganis Tournament Champion at the High School Division, based out of Lynn, MA – with April of 2025 being the most recent title, with a two-time MVP. He also actively participates in the Teddy K Classic Tournament based out of Hellenic College, and he recently led his team to another High School Division Championship in May of 2025. Peter is a member of his high school’s Greek Club and frequently visits Greece to spend time with his extended family. One of his dreams is to play basketball in Europe one day. As he looks ahead, Peter plans to study Civil Engineering at Michigan State University and is excited for the next chapter.

Ariana Shokrollahi is a senior at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in Sudbury in

Massachusetts. Arianna is a member of the Girls Varsity Rugby team. Ariana earned

Commonwealth Conference All-Star honors and was selected for the Metro West Daily News All-Star team. Ariana was 1 of only 2 non-seniors, and the only junior, who earned all-star honors. She led the conference in defensive scrum steals and is known for her highly effective tackling. Her contributions helped her team finish in second place at the state championships. She is looking forward to her final high school rugby season this spring 2026.

When not on the Rugby field, Ariana enjoys coaching kids' basketball, as well as weekly volunteering at a farm in her community, which is the second oldest working family farm in the USA.

Ariana is very connected to her Greek heritage. She speaks Greek, visits Greece annually, and has served as a volunteer for Organization Earth (OE), an Athens-based non-profit organization that supports sustainability and promotes social inclusion in blighted urban areas of Athens through green education, farming and sports. As an OE summer volunteer, she assisted sports programs that promoted social integration and personal development of migrant children in Greece. She also supported OE farm projects in Athens, which has among the lowest rates of citizen access to green space in the world.

Ariana is the daughter of Elaine Papoulias and Amir Shokrollahi.

AHEPA Supreme Athletic Director Chris G. Atsaves and  AHEPA Hall of Fame Chairman Gregory Stamos  presented the  Agganis -Family-Galatis Award to Niki Kerstein as the Most Outstanding High School Hellenic Athlete for 2025. The prestigious award was given at the Supreme AHEPA (national) Sports Awards and Hall of Fame Induction Banquet at the Supreme Convention in Orlando,Florida. Niki Kerstein is a 4-time all-state basketball player at Deerfield H.S. and Montini Catholic who won the Illinois Class 3A state championship this Spring. She was named MVP of the tournament, and is now preparing to begin her collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin.  Nikki played for the Pappaflessas girls team in the Greek tournaments. Nikki and Supreme Athletic Director Chris Atsaves proudly hold the Wisconsin Badgers Banner.

Family, Oikogenia - A Big High Five to all the grandparents Papou, Yiayia, and Parents taking their children to Greek School and Sunday School.  

ΝΑ ΜΙΛΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΣΤΑ ΠΑΙΔΙΑ ΣΑΣ!