Giorgi Shermadini: 'Where I go is a secret but it's a Euroleague team'

After crushing its domestic opponent Maccabi Ashdod 102-74 at Nokia Arena, Maccabi Tel Aviv players regrouped around Giorgi Shermadini's locker, wishing him luck on his new journey. 

According to team sources, the 23-year-old Georgian international will leave Israel tomorrow. Where to is still up in the air, though.

"Where I go is still a secret, but I'll tell you this -- it's a Euroleague team -- and I will get the chance to meet Maccabi in the Top 16 round," Shermadini said on the latest rumours linking him to a handful of European powerhouses.

The 7-foot-1 center, who signed a 1+1 year contract with Maccabi last summer, has been officially waived for failing to live up to expectations. 

"I don't know what happened with the coaching staff or why I didn't get a real chance to perform," an embarrassed and dissapointed Shermadini told Sportando inside Nokia Arena halls. "Unfortunately though, these things happen in basketball," he added.

After holding his own against last season's Tel Aviv team while playing for Italian Cantu, David Blatt marked Shermadini as his premier off-season recruit. 

Yet, with Shawn James securing Maccabi's Euroleague first round Most Valuable Player award alongside impressive performances from captain Lior Eliyahu and interim big man Malcolm Thomas, Shermadini lost both his role and arguably his passion for the game.

"Maccabi is a really good team and a first class organisation, but the pressure here is unlike any other club I've played for before. I tried to play well and do my best, but things just didn't workout," Shermadini said.

Why?

"I don't want to talk about why things are the way they are or get into specifics, but I didn't get enough chances to show my real potential. I'm capable of playing at a high level as I did against Maccabi last season (while in Cantu)," he said. 


Shermadini played six domestic league games with Tel Aviv, averaging 7.5 points and 5 rebounds in 14.8 minutes of action, and 4.8 points, 2.3 boards in nine minutes over nine Euroleague games for Maccabi.

UPDATE: As reported by David Pick Giorgi Shermadini is heading to Olympiacos, in Greece.