What Happened at the Athens Sports Festival and AUBG’s Basketball Team?

Between April 2-4, students from AUBG competed in the ACG International Sports Festival at the American College of Greece in Athens. They placed fourth overall in the basketball tournament.

 

The team’s coach, Boyan Tenev, says, “it was very beneficial for everyone,” and the players have built confidence despite the losses they experienced.

 

Another positive takeaway is the knowledge and information exchanged with the representatives of other colleges’ sports departments. Tenev says both he and AUBG’s Sports Manager, Yasen Nedelchev, have gathered ideas that can be implemented in our university. 

 

“I think that’s gonna be a partnership in the making for the future between AUBG sports and the Sports Department in the College,” Tenev says.

 

Speaking about the team’s performance, the coach says that the students “played outstanding despite losing, and they showed character.” He adds that every game was close because they fought until the end.

 

The other teams participating in the basketball competition were students from the American University of Dubai, the American University of Lebanon, and the host university, the American College of Greece.

 

Coach Tenev confirms that AUBG has received an invitation to take part in next year’s edition of the tournament as the organizers were “extremely happy with how we behaved.” He adds that “we were for sure the most professional looking team behavior-wise.”

 

AUBG’s Provost J.D. Mininger and President Ensign made a surprise appearance before the team’s final game of the tournament. They were attending a conference in Athens, which took place at the same time. “It was a moral boost that we needed after playing five games in two and a half days,” the coach says.

 

Quoting the American College of Greece's Sports Director, the AUBG coach says that “tournaments like that are mostly to show that collegiate sport is not all about winning or losing, but about sharing the love of the game and showing sportsmanship.”

 

“The guys had a great time, and we didn’t bring back a medal, but I think we brought back something much more valuable. A team, a group that’s going to bring a lot of success in the future,” Coach Tenev shares.

 

Marko Milanov, a shooting guard and small forward on the team, shares that the week in Athens “was kind of a team-building experience rather than just a tournament.”

 

 

Marko adds that they could have played better and promised to perform on a higher level next year. “We came to find out that we could have prepared a little bit better, but time was an issue with us,” he says.

 

He shares that the fact they did not win left them dissatisfied, but the players can find consolation in being a new team and constantly improving in the future.

 

“Basketball is not a run, it's a marathon, you have to develop yourself over a period of time,” Marko shares. He explained the necessity of having a game plan and getting along with your teammates, which comes with time.

 

 

Speaking about the team’s discipline, Marko says they tried their best to present themselves in a proper way. “You have to behave because at the end of the day, sports is about discipline, it's about sportsmanship, it's not only about bouncing a ball and shooting at a basket,” he shares.

 

Christian Dupps, a power forward and a center on the team, shares that he got closer with other people from the team and compares it to forced family time.  For him, the best part of the experience was seeing Athens.

 

Speaking about his expectations, Christian says that he anticipated at least one win from the team. “Once I saw what the teams looked like in real life, I realized, yeah, maybe we need some more time,” he adds.

 

Christian expressed his excitement and readiness to participate in other tournaments in case the opportunity arises.

 

Marko has similar thoughts, stating, “If we are able to participate in other tournaments, I am all for it.” He shares that he and the other students have been waiting for something similar to happen since they came to AUBG.

 

Marko shares his hopes about the future of AUBG’s sports programmes. “I really hope that we invest a little bit more in sports people and athletes,” he says.

 

Edited by: David Mitov and Vasil Paskov