After nine Turkish Airlines EuroLeague seasons playing for the main teams of his native Greece – Olympiacos Piraeus and Panathinaikos Athens – veteran guard Ioannis Papapetrou joined Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade last summer.
Now, in his first experience outside Greece, Papapetrou is glad to have joined such a historic team as Partizan as it returns to Europe's main stage.
"In my career, I always look for challenges," Papapetrou says. "I always look for something to keep me going and give me motivation. I like the vision of the club."
That vision includes putting Partizan in the thick of the battle for the EuroLeague Playoffs in its very first season back.
"I think we should consider ourselves underdogs, because after so many years, the club is back in the EuroLeague," Papapetrou says, " [but] we should fight for everything... I think it's our job to give 100 percent to bring the club back where it belongs."
Of course, as a young Greek player, Papapetrou also looked up to his current head coach at Partizan, legendary Zeljko Obradovic, who won five EuroLeague titles coaching Panathinaikos.
"When you mention his name, it goes along with Panathinaikos," Papapetrou says. "I know how much they love him and how much they appreciate him."
Obradovic explains the reasons why he called Papapetrou during the summer.
"This is an excellent opportunity for him, to show everything that he has inside," the Partizan coach says. "He is experienced because he played a lot of games in the EuroLeague, and it will be very important to help for the rest of the team."
That experience tells Papapetrou that even at this late point in the regular season, there's still a long road ahead.
"I understand how difficult the EuroLeague is," Papapetrou concludes. "I would be happy to make the playoffs, honestly, first of all, and try to fight after this. Because after the playoffs, anything can happen."