It's was all Greek to Conant's Sotos

Tommy Sotos considers himself a "mutt" because of his German, French, British and Greek ancestry.

But the elegance and mythology of Greece was of most interest to Sotos. It was a place he always dreamed of visiting.

Thanks to basketball, Sotos made the trip of a lifetime earlier than he expected. Sotos, a Daily Herald All-Area pick who led Conant to a second straight Mid-Suburban League title in the winter, made a 10-day trip to Greece in late June and early July with a United States Greek American All-Star Team.

"It was something I always wanted to do," said Sotos, who will be playing basketball at the University of Chicago. "To get there kind of culminated everything."

Sotos received an award in June as the Greek-American male high school athlete of the year in the Chicago area. That opened the door to the all-star basketball team, which originally was comprised of 10 Greek-American college players. But former Ohio State star and Utah Jazz first-round draft pick Kosta Koufos and two others were unable to play, so Sotos and another high school player from Boston were added to the team.

"It was pretty unexpected and a bit of a surprise," said Sotos, whose father, Jim, went to Greece on a similar all-star team and played there professionally. "It was a great honor."

The team led by former Villanova head coach Steve Lappas included DePaul guard Michael Bizoukas, Miami (Ohio) standout Michael Bramos and former Prairie Ridge star Nick Livas, who is now at Illinois-Springfield. Playing only about five minutes a game hardly detracted from the time of Sotos' life.

After all, Sotos got to visit the Acropolis, see the Parthenon and the statue of Pericles and take a tour of the Greek parliament. But his favorite experience was a trip to a little-known island off the coast near Athens he described as a trip back in time.

"There are little tidbits of history that get lost in the shuffle," Sotos said. "To hear them first-hand through guys who lived through it, or their grandparents who lived through it, was really a cool experience."

So was the basketball as Sotos' team played four games and watched the Greek National team play the Brazilian national team. Especially the differences of playing with a shot clock and without three-second calls.

Sotos is an accomplished shooter but wouldn't stand out in the Greek crowd.

"The ballhandling isn't close or as good as it is in America," Sotos said. "But the shooting so far surpasses anything in America, and it changes the whole rhythm of the game.

"Every single person, from 5-11 guards to 7-footers, made 3s. They just have way better shooters because they have more of them."

But what about taking a shot at playing professionally there after college?

"It would be fun to play for a little bit. but if you don't make one of the better teams the money isn't that good at the lower levels," said Sotos, who is playing a lot this summer with future Chicago teammate and former Schaumburg star Jake Pancratz. "I'd love to go play for a year or two."

It would give Sotos even more chances to explore the culture that fascinates him so much.

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com