Pat Calathes

Patrick Sean "Pat" Calathes (Greek: Πατρίκιος Σον "Πατ" Καλάθης, born on December 12, 1985) is a Greek-American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Cantù of the Lega Basket Serie A. He is 6'10" (2.08 m) and can play both small forward and power forward.

College career

Calathes began high school at Lake Howell as a wiry 5'11" (1.80 m) tall point guard, but he would grow to 6'10" (2.08 m) by his senior year. After graduating, he would go on to play for the Saint Joseph's Hawks at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. At St. Joe's he saw limited time as a freshman and played as a key substitute during his sophomore season.

It was not until his junior season, during which he averaged 13.9 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game, that he began to fully regain the physical and athletic abilities that he possessed before his growth spurt. He increased his per game averages to 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in his senior year and teamed up with center Ahmad Nivins to lead the Hawks to the 2008 Atlantic 10 title game and the Hawks' first NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Tournament appearance since 2004. SJU would lose to the University of Oklahoma's men's basketball team, the Oklahoma Sooners, in the opening round.

Although he was listed as a small forward for the Saint Joseph's Hawks, his versatility allowed him to play multiple positions throughout his college career. Calathes ranks 27th all-time on the Saint Joseph's University's career points list, with 1,251 points scored. He also is 22nd all-time in the school's history, with 630 career rebounds. He is one of 26 players in school history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds in their career.

Professional career

Many NBA mock drafts, including DraftExpress.com, had included Calathes as a draftee in their 2008 NBA Draft mock draft boards. He was projected to be drafted as high as the late first round, but he was most frequently projected to be drafted in the mid-second round. However, he went undrafted. Because of his unique combination of height and guard skills, Calathes continues to intrigue a number of NBA teams, despite not having been drafted.

In the year 2008, Calathes began his professional basketball career when he signed a 3-year contract with the Greek League club Maroussi. In 2010, Calathes moved to the Greek League club Kolossos Rodou. He joined the EuroLeague club Panathinaikos in 2011.

He joined the Israeli League club Maccabi Hafia in 2012, and he was a key player in the team's successful 2012–13 season. He was named to the Israeli League's All-First Team. He also helped lead the club to win the Israeli League championship, as he was named the MVP of the Israeli League Final.

From 2013 to 2016, he played with BC Astana of the VTB United League. On August 1, 2016, it was announced that Calathes had returned to Panathinaikos. On January 4, 2017, he left Panathinaikos and signed with Pallacanestro Cantù for the rest of the season.

Greek national team

Calathes became a member of the senior men's Greek national basketball team in 2011.

Personal

Pat Calathes' younger brother, Nick, was the primary point guard for the Florida Gators men's basketball team. The Calatheses led their respective college teams in scoring during the 2007–08 college basketball season. Nick currently plays with Panathinaikos in Greece.

Calathes holds a Greek passport thanks to his descent from his grandparents, who emigrated to Florida from Lemnos.

In 2014, Patrick's wife, Mary, gave birth to the couple's first child.

Awards and accomplishments

High school

• 2x Florida State Championship Final Four: (2003, 2004)

College

• All-Atlantic-10 Third Team: (2007)
• 4x Atlantic-10 Player of the Week
• All-Atlantic-10 First Team: (2008)
• 7x Big 5 Player of the Week
• All-Big 5 Team: (2008)
• Big 5 Co-Player of the Year: (2008)

Professional

• Greek League All-Star: (2011)
• Greek Cup Winner: (2012)
• Israeli League All-First Team: (2013)
• Israeli League Champion: (2013)
• Israeli League Finals MVP: (2013)
• Kazakh Cup Winner: (2014)
• Kazakh Cup All-Cup Team: (2014)
• 2x Kazakh League Champion: (2014, 2015)
• Kazakh League All-Kazakh Team: (2016)

References and notes