Water Polo Club's main star, Dimitris Seletopoulos, in order to get Alvertis. A great deal had been accomplished for Panathinaikos in the trade however, as the years to come would demonstrate. Alvertis was indeed an intriguing prospect at the time, almost 10 cm (4 inches) taller than the conventional shooting guard. His potential was proven to be great in the 1991 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, where Alvertis led the Greek team to the silver medal alongside Panagiotis Liadelis. At the same time, Panathinaikos was going through a transition period during which the lackluster team of the late 1980s strove to become a European powerhouse. Consequently, young Alvertis had to wait until the 1993–94 season to get significant playing time on a team with high ambitions, as PAO reached the EuroLeague Final Four. The star of the twenty-year-old player shone right away, particularly in the Top 8 playoff series against reigning champions Limoges. Alvertis averaged 13 points per game, forcing Head Coach Božidar Maljković to state that he already was to be counted as one of the very best players in Europe. Panathinaikos had a status to confirm in the 1994–95 season and Alvertis helped them do so by elevating his play to an even higher level. Using his sharp shooting with a rare maturity for a player his age, he was a major contributor to his team's march towards a second consecutive EuroLeague Final Four. In the Top 8 playoffs against Kinder Bologna and Predrag Danilović, he averaged 12.7 points and 3.3 rebounds, while holding Danilović to just 8 points and 4–15 from the field in the decisive Game 3. Although the semifinal against Olympiacos proved to be tough, as he only shot 1-10 from the field for only 3 points, he scored a season high 29 points in the third place game against Limoges. Alvertis finished his EuroLeague season averaging 12 points per game. In the 1995–96 season, Alvertis saw NBA legend Dominique Wilkins join the team and the EuroLeague title seemed closer than ever. He averaged 10.8 points per game in the competition, led Panathinaikos in scoring during the winning Final against Barcelona with 17 points, and was selected to the EuroLeague All-Final Four Team. In the Greek League semifinals, Panathinaikos faced a Panionios team under Dušan Ivković, featuring the likes of Žarko Paspalj and Fanis Christodoulou. Alvertis scored 12 points in the last eight minutes of a