Revealing one-on-one interview with Sofo Schortsanitis on brawl vs fan

(Photo Credit: Raddad Jbara)

A couple weeks removed from when Sofoklis "Big Sofo/Baby Shaq" Schortsanitis went ballistic, storming into the bleachers in attempt to assault a rival fan for taunting the Greek center following Maccabi Tel Aviv's 83-80 triumph over crosstown rival Hapoel Tel Aviv, Sportando linked up with the 6-foot-10 muscle to discuss the above mentioned, Euroleague series versus Armani Milan, and much more.

"When I saw the video of what happened it changed me. I never saw myself in this kind of a situation. I feel bad because due to my actions I can't help the team fight in the Israeli-League. I have enormous respect for the organization for supporting me after such an incident," Schortsanitis said.

How did your family respond to footage of your outburst?

"(My family) didn't know what happened at first. We didn’t really discuss it because I make sure to keep my home stress-free. Still, they were upset and surprised because they know I don’t react easily."

What were the reactions inside Maccabi's locker room?

"My teammates made fun of me. They laughed and said, 'we never saw you jump like that for rebounds,' or, 'look at "Sofo's" athleticism and how he jumped over the advertisement boards.' We didn't really talk about the whole incident and tried to keep it out of our locker room and I'm happy the guys supported me and made it easier to move on."

Did you entertain any thoughts of leaving Israel?

"Leaving Israel never crossed my mind. I love the team, the management, my teammates and the fans, and I am really happy to have the privilege to play for an organization like Maccabi. My wife and kids enjoy Israel as well, so hopefully I'll be here for as long as the team wants my services. And my fiery personality of course."

Did you receive any positive/negative feedback in the streets?

"I got a couple of comments and responses. There was a certain level of support, but I'm not an easy guy to approach. Besides, I rarely go outside unless it's to practice or to play with my son."

The Israeli Basketball Association recently suggested an immediate eight-game suspension, $11,500 fine and 40 hours of community service for the Greek centre's actions.

The IBA's ruling is not final and while the hearing has been postponed to the end of April, Schortsanitis is sidelined in the Israeli-League indefinitely, serving his suspension retroactively.

What are your thoughts of the IBA's potential sentence?

"I really want to help my teammates and to be there for them. Sitting out and possibly being away from the court for eight games really hurts. I made a mistake and reacted in a bad way and I regret the whole situation, but it's in the past. I'm a team guy and it hurts me not being able to there for my teammates."

Ironically, Scohrtsanitis' first showcase following the heated Tel Aviv derby was a Euroleague game against Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow and its Serbian center Nenad Krstic. "Sofo" and Krstic were previously involved in a 2010 brawl as a fight broke out between national-teams for Serbia and Greece.

Did playing Nenad Krstic the same week of the derby brawl bring back any harsh memories?

"No, not at all. It was a game I had to participate in because it was my last before the series against Milan and coach David Blatt wanted me to play. There were a lot of factors that contributed to what happened in 2010, it was a bad day for both Serbian and Greek basketball. We're student athletes of the game and we shouldn’t have gotten into that situation. I'm sure Krstic regrets that incident, he's a great player and we share a lot of mutual respect."

How do you feel ahead of Games 3 and 4 in Tel Aviv with the series vs Milan tied at 1-1?

"We match up perfectly against Milan, but we need a little extra effort from all our guys. There is no room for error and everyone at Maccabi understands that. Over the years Milan spent a lot of money to make an impact in the Euroleague, but it didn’t happen because the players and coaches didn’t click. Now they're doing a tremendous job in the Seria A and in the Euroleague. They're playing really good basketball, but I think we will close the series in four games, 3-1 in favor of Maccabi."

For someone who won back-to-back Israeli-League championships for Maccabi, how did you react when hearing Tel Aviv lost last season's title to Haifa?

"When I found out Maccabi lost I wanted to watch the game. I was surprised and needed to see what happened with my own eyes. I won't sugarcoat it, I didn't come back to Israel to lose the championship. I saw Maccabi lose last year, I'm not ready to go through all that. We started the season bad and had a lot of bumps along the road, but our minds are set and we need to get that championship back."

STORY BY DAVID PICK

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