Austin Hollins talked about his first impressions from playing in Greece with AEK Athens, explained why his new team can recover from a bad streak, and reflected on his time with Crvena Zvezda and Zalgiris.
Austin Hollins joined AEK Athens on January 18. For the veteran guard/forward, that was the first non-EuroLeague deal he took since 2019 when he debuted in the top competition with Zenit Saint Petersburg.
He then went on to play with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Zalgiris Kaunas. Overall, Hollins played four straight seasons in Europe's premier league.
AEK haven't been doing particularly well lately, even after coach Ilias Zouros took over from Joan Plaza. The Greek side are currently 0-3 in their Basketball Champions League group in the Round of 16 and barely 8th in the Basket League with a 7-10 balance.
Austin Hollins
| Team: |
AEK BETSSON Athens |
| Position: | SG |
| Age: | 32 |
| Height: | 193 cm |
| Weight: | 86 kg |
| Birth place: | United States of America |
To add insult to injury, on Thursdsay night, they suffered a premature elimination at the hands of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens. The Greens prevailed 79-72 in the Greek Cup Final 8 quarter-finals, forcing their opponents to bid farewell to one of their goals in the season. Hollins scored 8 points in 17 minutes in that contest, but couldn't hit one of the 3-point shots down the stretch that could have potentially changed the outcome.
Yet, the 32-year-old remains hopeful that his team will be able to flip the script provided that they keep working.
"It's going well," he told BasketNews in Crete.
"I think we have a really good team and coach. We've had a series of ups and downs, but we're working together every day in practice to get better. We have to keep our heads up.
Even though we lost tonight, we showed a lot of good things and we have to go back to the drawing board and continue to work. We have a lot of new players that have to get to know each other. So, it takes time. You never want to lose, but we have to take the positive out of this game."
For Hollins, who had received offers from Peristeri in 2018 and Panathinaikos a year later, AEK gave him the chance for a belated arrival in Greece.
"This has definitely been a later arrival," he smiled. "But it's been good so far. You can't complain when you're in Greece."
In mid-January, Zalgiris decided to part ways with Hollins, known for his defensive skills. The veteran wingman joined the Lithuanian champions in December 2023 on a non-guaranteed deal.
During his stint, Hollins participated in 8 EuroLeague games, averaging 3.9 points and 1.0 rebounds in 12 minutes of play. In two Lithuanian league games, Hollins maintained an average of 5.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 17 minutes.
"He is an amazing human being. The best teammate you can find. He is helping the coach and his teammates. Whatever happens, I'm very thankful for how he did his job," said Zalgiris head coach Andrea Trinchieri following a EuroLeague loss in Barcelona.
But the feeling is rather mutual. "I enjoyed playing for coach Trinchieri. He's one of the great basketball minds," Hollins argued.
"It was good and I enjoyed it, even though it was for a short period of time."
The same can be said of Hollins' one-year tenure with Crvena Zvezda in 2021-22. The Serbian outfit didn't make the EuroLeague playoffs, but managed to capture all domestic trophies available. That part alone labeled the season's outcome as successful.
"That was a couple of years ago, but I loved playing for them," Hollins reiterated.
"I loved my teammates and my coach Dejan Radonjic. Our EuroLeague season wasn't how we thought it would have been or how we wanted it to be. We had our chances down the stretch, but winning the ABA League made it a really good season."
As Hollins' deal with AEK expires at the end of the season, it goes without saying that the former EuroLeague player is coveting a comeback to where he used to be over the past four seasons.
"I think all guys who're not playing in the EuroLeague, want to get there," he conceded.
"If it happens, it happens. I'm going to continue to work and my focus right now is to help AEK as much as I can," Hollins concluded.
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