You know what they say, everything is bigger in…Serbia.
At least that's what UF guard Nick Calathes reported back to his father, John, after playing his first games with the under-20 Greek team.
"He told me they were huge," John said. "Much bigger than the guys he plays with at Florida."
He said Calathes estimated the tallest player to be 7-foot-3 with numerous other 6-foot-10 guys on the roster.
Before Calathes left for Greece, he was hoping to stick with the national team and earn a roster spot for the upcoming Olympic Games.
"It just didn't work out," John said.
By the time Calathes got to Greece, he was only able to practice with the national team once before they left to play in Germany. John said Calathes needed to be overseas by June 14 in order to get enough time with the team. Summer A classes didn't end until June 20, which made it much harder for Calathes to seal a spot.
"He wasn't going to leave school early and screw up his school," he said.
Instead, Calathes has been playing "friendlies" against various European competition in preparation for the U20 European Championships, which are held in Riga, Latvia, and run from Aug. 1-10.
John expects him to be back in the States within a day or two of the competition ending.
The Greek experience has been difficult for Calathes at times, and John said he got a few homesick phone calls during his first week in his new home.
"He's getting used to the Greek food and the guys on the team," he said. "Initially they had him by himself in his hotel room, but recently he got a roommate, Marios, who speaks English and Greek."
John didn't know Marios' last name, as there are two people with that name on roster, but said his bilingual skill set served as an assist for Calathes in at least one situation.
"He calls me up and says, 'Dad, you're not going to believe this," John said. "There's no AC in the hotel room.'"
For two days it was boiling hot until Marios moved in, and Calathes informed him of the situation.
"Marios called down to the desk because he can speak Greek, and it turns out he had AC the whole time," John said. "Over there, you need to swipe a credit card to turn it on, but Nicky had no idea because he doesn't speak the language."
A new dialect is just one of the many benefits to playing basketball overseas this summer.
Calathes was required to obtain a passport, which he will have long after leaving Riga.
John said if Calathes' NBA dream ever comes to an end and he wishes to continue with a professional career, having a passport in place is a valuable tool for signing with a club and making more money.
