GREEK AMERICAN SPORTS

NBA

Giannis Antetokounmpo the best basketball player in the world scored a Milwaukee Bucks Franchise record 64 mega points in a 140-126 win over the Indiana Pacers. Giannis’ game was lights out when it came to shooting, he spun around players for dunks and was dribbling in and out driving to the hoop over three players. Giannis talent and will to win makes him unstoppable.

Antetokounmpo’s effort broke the Bucks record of 57 set by Michael Redd in 2006 in a 113-111 loss to the Utah Jazz. Giannis had previously scored a game-high of 55 in a 123-113 win over Washington in January 2023. Giannis stats for his 64 points was 20 of 28 from the field, made 24 of 32 free throws, and had 14 strong leaping rebounds.

"The Greek Freak" Giannis Antetokounmpo

National Football League

Pittsburgh long snapper Christian Kuntz has become a Steelers fan favorite. Kuntz number 46 represents the embodiment of the city and its hard-working fans. Kuntz is from Bridgeville, Pennsylvania and attended Chartiers Valley High School. He worked very hard and never gave up on his dream of playing professional football after being a star linebacker at Duquesne. Christian Kuntz family has their roots from the beautiful island of Icaria.

Christian Kuntz will be inducted into the prestigious Duquesne Athletic Hall of Fame on January 24, 2023.While attending Duquesne he was a three-time All-American (2012-2016). In the 68-year history of football he is the second player to earn a spot on an NFL roster. During his career for the Dukes he was a long snapper, as a linebacker he holds the career record 30½ sacks and had 71½ tackles for loss rank sixth on the NCAA FCS all-time list. Kuntz was honored being named in 2020 as one of the four greatest players in the conference’s 40-year history.

Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz

📚High School Paideia Notebook 🇬🇷

The Agganis Trophy is awarded by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association to the eight division MIAA high school football Championship teams after their victory at Gillette stadium. This football season there were many teams with Greek Americans that competed. In the Division 1 State Championship.In the championship game Xaverian would clash with Saint John’s Prep. The Agganis Trophy and the name Harry Agganis received incredible press during the playoff week in newspapers, television news, and sports channels. Winning players and coaches could be seen holding up the cherished trophy in every division with pride. The Agganis Trophy was established in 2019 in cooperation between the MIAA and Mike Agganis, Greg Agganis and Bill Galatis.

THE ULTIMATE PRIZE

Xaverian won the 2023 Division 1 MIAA State Football Title over Saint John's Prep 31-25 at Gillette Stadium. The Hawks played great defense and quarterback Henry Hasselbeck was tremendous in the win. The Hawks have two Greek Americans on their roster that will be receiving 2023 Division 1 MIAA State Football Title Super Bowl rings and also got to raise the Agganis Division 1 trophy at Gillette Stadium. Xaverian's Defensive Tackle Peter Matheos No. 57 and Tight End John Condakes No. 85 are pictured on the sidelines during the game.

Xaverian's Peter Matheos and John Condakes

The Original Marathon Run 2023

"Athens Marathon Brothers"

A group of longtime friends left the Athens of America, Boston to fly to the “Cradle of Democracy” Athens, Greece. They wanted to run in the footsteps of the Athenian soldier Pheidippides, who ran from the battle of Marathon to Athens proclaiming," Nenikikamen!“ meaning “We are victorious!”

These marathoners exemplify Plato’s quote, self-conquest is the greatest of victories.

GAS interviewed marathon runner Savvas Fetfatsidis to tell us his personal story and his 2023 Athens Marathon brothers inspiring story.

Tony Milatos, Bill Dimopoulos, Bo Olsen, Savvas Fetfatsidis, George Kotopoulos.

My name is Savvas Fetfatsidis. 47 years old, a former smoker and a man whose life changed just 5 years ago.

At my age, the idea of running 26.2 miles seemed impossible. Thirty years had passed since I'd run even a mile. Then came 2018, a year of transformation. We were overweight, aging, and I smoked, unaware of my longing for inspiration.

The catalyst? Nikitas Tsoukalis, who invited me on New Year's Day to run. That marked the start of marathon training. Our group grew week by week, and a stranger, Bo Olsen, became a cherished running companion. Fate even reunited me with my childhood friend, Pericles Marinos. Our bond, strong in youth, reignited through running.

Out of this, the Greek Time Running Group emerged, welcoming more like-minded souls: Peter Panagakis, George Kotopoulos, Bill Dimopoulos, Tony Milatos, and Makis Laftsidis. Running with them revealed the power of shared goals and support.

Our initial steps toward marathon training, despite some of us being in our 40s and beyond, were met with skepticism and surprise from many. Yet, as we persevered and our commitment grew stronger, something unexpected began to happen. People started noticing the changes in us—not just the physical ones but the mental and emotional fortitude we were building through our runs.

Soon, acquaintances, friends, and even strangers, many in their 40’s and beyond, started reaching out, expressing their astonishment and admiration for what we were accomplishing. They found hope and courage in our story, seeing that age was not a barrier but an opportunity for new beginnings. Some even took their first steps into running, inspired by our dedication and brotherhood.

Peter Panagakis, Savvas Fetfatsidis, Nikitas Tsoukalis, Bo Olsen, Pericles Marinos.

Our running endeavors became a beacon of possibility, proving that regardless of age or starting point, one could set ambitious goals and work relentlessly toward them. We inadvertently became mentors, guiding others through their initial struggles, sharing our experiences, and celebrating their milestones, just as our own were celebrated within our group.

Witnessing the ripple effect of our actions, how our pursuit of personal growth and fitness transcended our immediate circle, was truly humbling. It reinforced the idea that inspiration knows no boundaries and that our determination could ignite a spark of change in anyone willing to embrace it.

Returning to Greece, the birthplace of knowledge and our ancestors, to conquer the Athens marathon was deeply meaningful. Running the original route of Pheidippides, experiencing that historic finish in the Olympic stadium, became an annual pilgrimage.

Since then, every November sees us in Greece, exploring different facets of our beautiful country. Running with these incredible individuals has elevated my life in every aspect—health, intellect, character. Our runs became forums for solving mysteries and sharing vulnerabilities.

Ultimately, our story became a testament to the fact that it's never too late to start something new, chase a dream, or push personal boundaries. We demonstrated that age is just a number, and with the right mindset and support, incredible transformations are within reach for anyone, at any stage of life.

Crossing finish line-Savvas Fetfatsidis, Bo Olsen, Peter Panagakis, Nikitas Tsoukalis.

College Field Hockey

Junior forward Irini Stefanakos had another amazing Field Hockey season for Keene State University. This 2023 season she scored 17 goals, had 11 assists, and tallied 45 points. In her freshman and sophomore years she led the Owls in points, goals, assists, shots and shots on goal. In three seasons the talented Stefanakos has scored 52 goals, 32 assists, and recorded 136 points.

Irini’s hard work on the field and in the classroom did not go unnoticed. She repeated again as a first team All-LEC Conference player, second team All-Region and again she was a member of the All-LEC Academic Team. She has shown her leadership skills and is well respected on campus.

Irini is from Fitchburg, Massachusetts and attended Oakmont High School. She is a former lacrosse and field hockey captain. She was also a member of the National Honor Society. She attended Holy Trinity Church, went to Sunday school, and did Greek dance. She enjoys traveling to Greece and speaking Greek. “I love my Greek heritage and am very proud to be Greek. I really want to carry it on.” Irini is the daughter of Theofanis and Paula Stefanakos.

Keene State University's Irini Stefanakos.

National Hellenic Society

ἈΕἸΝ ἈΡΙΣΤΕΎΕΙΝ - Always Excellence

GAS recognizes the importance of the National Hellenic Society which was established by a group of dedicated Greek Americans each a leader in their respective fields. The members of The National Hellenic Society have demonstrated the values and ideals that the National Hellenic Society espouses: service to our fellow citizens, the communities we live in and our nation.

The National Hellenic Society’s purpose and interest is the perpetuation of those values and ideals that are embodied within the Hellenic heritage—classical ideas associated with ancient Greek democracy including the pursuit of knowledge, education, the arts and civic responsibility. They are leaders in the Greek American community.

Their members also are big sports fans and were seen recently tailgating at the New England vs Washington Commanders Game. Football fans especially had to love it with the American and Greek Flags flying side by side as NHS members had a lot of kefi cheering on their respective teams. Bravo! Greeks are E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E!

NHS Members - Mike Manatos, Costa Sideridis, Drake Behrakis, Elias Manolis, Arthur Dimopoulos.

Miscellaneous - Λίγο από όλα

Every Kuriakee ON AIR WNTN Grecian Echoes 1550AM from Boston “ The Athens of America” The one and only Greek-America Sports show “THE BENCHWARMERS” Hosted by Greek radio legend Ted Demetriades, Bill Galatis, Nick Ypsilantis, and Nick Markopoulos. They are serious and hilarious. They brilliantly discuss all sports along with the Three Stooges, the koutala and pantofles.

The 94th NHIBT-National Hellenic Invitational Basketball Tournament will take place in Chicago on March 20-24th, for High School and Senior Divisions. The tournament will be here before you know it. NHIBT President Dr. Peter Petrovas is urging leaders to enter a team from their community. Treasurer/Director Frank Korbos is waiting for your call at 708-691-8500.

OLI MAZH STO CHICAGO! OPAH! You Can stay a day extra and celebrate Greek Independence on March 25th.

The 78th Harry Agganis Basketball Tournament has announced their tournament will take place April 5-7, at the Saint George Community Center in Lynn, Massachusetts.The tournament started in 1956 in memory of New England's Greatest athlete Harry Agganis.

The George Mougolias Memorial Basketball Tournament announced that the tournament will take place on April 18-21, 2024 in Chicago. They were the first to announce in the Greek- American Basketball Circuit for 2024.

Basketball Tournament will take place in Chicago on March 20-24th, for High School and Senior Divisions.

"The Golden Greek" - Harry Agganis

Hermes The Messenger

Our winged message of thanks to the entire community for backing this grass roots GAS effort in 2023. We have discovered that there are so many athletes of Hellenic ancestry from our high school, college, GOYA, AHEPA, and our treasured senior citizens. GAS also recognizes athletes from around the Kosmos and has a deep respect for those legendary Golden Greeks like Harry Agganis that paved the way. In order for us to notify you on posts GAS updates, Instagram, Facebook , and more we are asking that you forward your email to us to stay trendy with our sports news. We have done extremely well as a start up website we are in the top of new websites. However, we need to be able to communicate prior to posts. We will start the New Year 2024 with a GAS resolution to get as many emails as possible to keep our readers updated. We will be covering basketball and hockey. in our first post in 2024.

ΚΑΛΆ ΧΡΙΣΤΌYΓΕΝΝΑ ΚΑΙ ΧΡΌΝΙΑ ΠΟΛΛΆ 2024

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2024

Happy Name Day to everyone celebrating their Name Day on New Years Day!