Day 7 Photo Gallery (Facebook)

By Greg Royce, Director of Athletics Communications

Apologies for the delay in Sunday's trip report.  Internet service can be spotty at times at the team hotel.

Saturday saw the team relax by the hotel pool for most of the day before heading into the village of Mouzaki for dinner.  The day of rest prepared everybody for a busy day Sunday, starting with a visit to the village of Porti, the birthplace of head coach Stan Spirou, followed by a game Sunday evening against the Trikala All-Stars, a squad comprised of older, professional players.

Getting to Porti was no easy task, especially on a bus.  The village is built into the side of a hill, and the only way to reach it is a narrow, winding road featuring several hairpin turns, and while the trip once you leave the main road is only about four miles, it took better than 15 minutes.  The bus made it up into the village without incident, and parked at the edge of the village, since the layout makes it impossible for a bus to navigate.

Porti, like most of the small Greek villages, is comprised of narrow, one-lane streets, many at very steep grades.  The team and traveling party embarked up the hill, eventually reaching a local establishment owned by the mayor of the village, who took a photo with the team. 

Next door was the boyhood home of the Spirou family where Coach Spirou, along with his siblings, were born.  Stan described to the team how his parents had the one bed in the house, their grandmother slept on a mat on the floor of the two-room house, while the four children also slept on the floor.  The house remains in the family to this day, with little alteration to the inside.  Although there is now a bathroom inside, an outhouse remains in the backyard.

After visiting where it truly all began for Coach Spirou, the team took a short walk over to the new Spirou family home on the edge of the village, overlooking the valley.  The vantage point was perfect for looking at several other villages, with mountains on both sides.  For the most part, the team enjoyed the basketball court on-site, with intermittent rain putting somewhat of a damper on things. 

A traditional Greek feast was on tap for lunch, with lamb, goat, chicken and pork all on the menu.  As the team arrived, the lamb and goat could be seen cooking on a spindle.  After enjoying a buffet-style meal, the team relaxed for a few minutes, took a few more pictures, and took the 10-minute ride back to the bus to head to the hotel to relax before Sunday night's game.

Arriving at Trikala Hall, the site of the game, around 6, the Penmen were greeted by a familiar face in Sotirios Karapostolou '03, one of the all-time greats in program history.  A native of nearby Larissa, Karapostolou was named a First Team All-American in 2003, the only played in the storied history of SNHU basketball to earn that honor.  Since graduation, the 2009 inductee into the SNHU Athletic Hall of Fame has been playing professionally in his home country.

After a well-attended pre-game clinic put on by Coach Spirou, the Penmen were ready to face the Trikala All-Stars.  Most of the team members, including Karapostolou, play professionally in Greece, many helping Aries Trikala B.C. ascend to the Greek First Division.  Playing in the home arena of Aries, Trikala Hall (capacity 2500), the Penmen ran away early and cruised to a 106-80 win, the third win of the trip.

After the game, the team headed to downtown Trikala for dinner.  With the recent economic news in Greece, lines could be seen at every ATM machine, however, other than that, there was little sign of the potential crisis about to unfold, as the downtown area was especially active for a Sunday night.  The team headed back to Mouzaki after dinner to turn in for the night.

The third and final leg of the trip kicks off on Monday, with the Penmen headed towards the Aegean Sea and Thessaloniki, where it will play the final game of the trip Tuesday night.  We'll have a report Monday night on the trip eastward. As always, keep following the Penmen on social media (snhupenmen on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) for updates from the trip.