- Sofoklis Schortsanitis
infobox Euroleague Player
caption = Schortsanitis in the middle.
name = Sofoklis Schortsanitis
Σοφοκλής Σχορτσανίτης
nickname = Baby Shaq, Big Sofo,Incredible Hulk
league = Greek LeagueEuroleague
position = Center
height_ft = 6 | height_in = 9.5
weight_lbs = 342
team = Olympiacos
jersey =| number = 15
nationality = flagicon|Greece Greek
birth_date = birth date and age|1985|6|22
birth_place =Tiko ,Cameroon [http://www.bigsofo.gr/site/index.php?&file=com_texts&catid=2]
college =
draft = | draft = 2nd round, 34th overall
draft_year = 2003
draft_team =Los Angeles Clippers
career_start = 2000
career_end =
former_teams = Iraklis Thessaloníki (2000–2003)Pallacanestro Cantù (2003–2004)
Aris Thessaloníki (2004–2005)
awards = Greek League All Star GameMVP 2006Sofoklis Schortsanitis or Sophocles Schortsanitis (in Greek: Σοφοκλής Σχορτσανίτης) (born
June 22 ,1985 in Tiko, Cameroon, from a Greek father and a Cameroonian mother) is a Greek professionalbasketball player who currently plays for Olympiacos in the Greek League and also in theEuroleague . A 6 ft 9 ½ in (2.07 m) 342 lbs. (155 kg) center, Schortsantis was selected by theLos Angeles Clippers in the 2nd round (34th overall) of the2003 NBA Draft .Club career
Schortsantis has been playing at a professional level in the Greek A1 League since he was a teenager, beginning with the club Iraklis, where he averaged 6.4 minutes and 2.6 points per game. He then went to
Italy to play in the Italian League withPallacanestro Cantù . He then returned back to Greece to play with Aris.After his return to Greece he made a great effort to once again become the player with "unlimited potential" that had NBA scouts interested in his dramatic increase in ability that was closely linked to Olympiacos's attempt to regain its past glory days. For the
A1 Ethniki 2005-06 season, George Garbolas chose him to be Olympiacos's new power forward. The press criticized the signing, stating that Schortsanitis was too heavy, but Garbolas proved everyone wrong, as he encouraged Big Sofo to lose weight. The center became a vital member of the team, and his performances impressedPanagiotis Giannakis who selected Schortsanitis to play for the Greek National Team.Greek National Team
After some friendly matches and qualifiers, his first appearance at a major competition was at the
2006 FIBA World Championship inJapan , where Greece won thesilver medal and defeated Team USA 101-95. Most notably, Sofo managed to score several impressive dunks against China's National Basketball Team starYao Ming and theMike Krzyzewski -coached Team USA.Awards and Accomplishments
Pro career
*Won the Italian Supercup (2003)
*3-time Greek League All Star (2005, 2006, 2007)
*Greek League All Star GameMVP (2006)Greek National Team
*
FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship All-First Team Selection (2001)
*Won the bronze medal at theFIBA Europe Under-18 Championship (2002)
*Won the bronze medal at the FIBA Under-18 World Championship (2001)
*Won the silver medal at the2006 FIBA World Championship with GreeceNotes and References
External links
* [http://www.bigsofo.gr Big Sofo's Official Website (Greek/English)]
* [http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?clubcode=oly&pcode=JXX Euroleague.net player profile]
* [http://www.nba.com/draft2003/profiles/SchortsanitisSofoklis.html NBA.com NBA draft player profile]
* [http://nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/sofoklisschortsanitis.html NBADraft.net player profile]
* [http://www.interbasket.net/greek/Prospects/prospects.htm Interbasket.net Greek prospects]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/craig/draft/2003_draft/Players/schortsanitispf.shtml Craig NBA Draft info]
* [http://www.interbasket.net/players/sofo.htm Interbasket.net player profile]
* [http://clippers.topbuzz.com/modules/gallery/sofoklis-schortsanitis Sofoklis Schortsanitis Pictures]
* [http://www.sport.gr/basket/euro2003/021123/gre.mpg Big Sofo monster dunk]
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