Pat Calathes

Infobox Euroleague Player
name = Pat Calathes
Πατ Καλάθης
nickname = PC2


caption =
league = Greek League
ULEB Cup
team = Maroussi
position = Small forward
Power forward
height_ft = 6
height_in = 10
weight_lb = 220
number =
nationality = USA
GRC
birth_date = birth date and age|1985|12|12
birth_place = Casselberry, Florida
college = St. Joseph's
highschool = Lake Howell High School
career_start = 2008
awards = All Atlantic-10 First Team 2008
All Big 5 Team 2008
Big 5 Co Player of the Year 2008

Pat Calathes (in Greek: _el. Πατ Καλάθης, born on December 12, 1985 in Casselberry, Florida) is a Greek American professional basketball player. He is 6'10" in height (2.08 m) and plays the forward position.

College career

Calathes began high school at Lake Howell as a wiry 5'11" (1.80 m) tall point guard, but he would grow to 6'10" (2.08 m) by his senior year. After graduating, he would go on to play for the Saint Joseph's Hawks at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. At St. Joe's he saw limited time as a freshman and played as a key substitute during his sophomore season.

It was not until his junior season, during which he averaged 13.9 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game, that he began to fully regain the physical and athletic abilities that he possessed before his growth spurt. [ [http://sjuhawks.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/calathes_pat00.html Saint Joseph's Hawks player bio.] ] He increased his per game averages to 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in his senior year and teamed up with center Ahmad Nivins to lead the Hawks to the 2008 Atlantic 10 title game and the Hawks' first NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Tournament appearance since 2004. SJU would lose to the University of Oklahoma's men's basketball team the Oklahoma Sooners in the opening round.

Although he was listed as a small forward for the Saint Joseph's Hawks, his versatility allowed him to play multiple positions throughout his career. Calathes ranks 27th all-time on the Saint Joseph's University's career points list with 1,251 points scored. He also is 22nd all-time in the school's history with 630 career rebounds. He is one of 26 players in school history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds in their career.

Pro career

Europe

In the year 2008, Calathes began his professional basketball career when he signed a 3 year contract with the Greek League club Maroussi [ [http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/ulebcup/home/news/i/34376/448 Maroussi signs rookie forward Calathes for 3 years] ] .

NBA

Many NBA mock drafts, including DraftExpress.com, had included Calathes as a draftee in their 2008 NBA Draft mock draft boards. He was projected to be drafted as high as the late first round, but he was most frequently projected to be drafted in the mid-second round. Because of his unique combination of height and guard skills, Calathes continues to intrigue a number of NBA teams, despite not having been drafted.

Greek national team

Calathes has been invited to join the Greek national team in the future.

Personal

Calathes' younger brother Nick is the point guard for the University of Florida's men's basketball team the Florida Gators. The Calatheses led their respective college teams in scoring during the 2007-08 college basketball season.

Notes

External links

* [http://sjuhawks.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/calathes_pat00.html SJUHawks.cstv.com player bio]
* [http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?playerId=19231&draftyear=2008&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnbadraft%2fdraft%2ftracker%2fplayer%3fplayerId%3d19231%26draftyear%3d2008 ESPN.go.com 2008 NBA Draft bio]