PORTLAND, Ore. – Kostas Antetokounmpo was the last addition to the World team roster for the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit.
“Man, I’m really excited, this is going to be a wonderful experience for me,” the 6-foot-10 Antetokounmpo said after his second day of Hoop Summit practice.
The Hoop Summit will take place at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Moda Center. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
While Kostas is looking to make a mark on the nationally televised game this Saturday, he is also trying to figure out where he will be playing college basketball next season.
“St. John’s, Georgia, Purdue, Florida, Louisville, and Iowa State,” noted Antetokounmpo when asked about schools recruiting him. “I’m going to take visits to St. John’s and Florida, but I don’t know the dates yet. St. John’s I want to visit them. They’ve been recruiting me hard. They said they have a great program and a great coach as does Florida. I’m excited to go on my first visits.”
“I’m going to sign as 2016,” added Antetokounmpo. “I want to go to a school that needs and trusts me as a player and that is going to be there for me and my family.”
Antetokounmpo’s family includes Giannis, the star forward for the Milwaukee Bucks who is better known as the Greek Freak, as well as the oldest brother Thanasis, who plays for the Westchester Knicks in the NBDL.
While growing up in Greece, Kostas always had to compete against his older brothers in all sports even though he has been playing basketball for just seven years.
“It’s good pressure, its not bad pressure,” said Antetokounmpo when asked about living up to the standards his older brothers had set. “It makes me get better and motivates me.
“Our motto was to always be the best. If you played soccer you wanted to be the best. If you ran track you got to be the best. From the time we started playing basketball we wanted to be the best and play in the NBA.”
With Giannis in Milwaukee, Kostas has been soaking up lessons.
“The only thing he taught me is that you need to wait until your body is all the way developed before you start lifting weights,” he said. “I’m still lifting, but I don’t even know if I’ve stopped growing yet.”
Last year Kostas played on the Nike EYBL AAU circuit with the Wisconsin Playground Elite and during the high school season he played at Dominican (WI) High School in Whitefish Bay where he helped the Knights win a state championship.
“We won the fifth straight championship in a row,” said Antetokounmpo. We made history in the state of Wisconsin. With a state championship under his belt and college only a few months off, Antetokounmpo is looking to make a mark in the Hoop Summit while also continuing to improve his game.
“I think I can play a lot of positions, said Antetokounmpo. “I think I can play the 1 through the 4 like my brother. I also think I can work on my handles and my shooting as well.”
NKostas Antetokounmpo, was the last addition to the World team roster for the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit.
