the level of a medal contender yet. The 105–82 loss against Russia in the next game confirmed that. Consequently, in order to reach the quarterfinals, Greece's game against rising power Germany appeared to be a difficult task. After leading the game by 22 points in the eighteenth minute of the game, the Greek team eventually collapsed against the frontcourt of Dirk Nowitzki, Ademola Okulaja and Shawn Bradley, and lost by a score of 80–75. Alvertis averaged 16 points in the tournament, but Greece ended up in ninth place. It was his last opportunity to reach success with the national team as its leader, especially since Greece had not qualified for the 2002 FIBA World Championship. The transition period to the young generation was soon going to be over. 2001–2004: The last years Prior to the EuroBasket 2003, Alvertis was a player whose leadership and experience with Panathinaikos and the Greece national team were priceless. Consequently, although his role within the Greece national team had become secondary on the court, it was still a leading one off the court. He was in charge of transmitting values such as commitment, partnership, and ambition to the new generation of Greek stars. After Greece finished in fifth place at both the EuroBasket 2003 and the 2004 Summer Olympics, the veteran star announced his retirement from the Greece men's National Team. Alvertis kept his word that he was staying retired from the national team, even though Head Coach Giannakis initially thought about including him on the Greek team that would eventually win the gold medal at the EuroBasket 2005. Alvertis had already seen that the future of the Greece national team was in good hands. In total, Alvertis had 155 appearances with the Greece men's national team. In those 155 appearances, he scored a total of 1,605 points, for a career scoring average of averaging 10.4 points per game. Player profile Alvertis was regarded for most of his career as one of the best sharp shooters in Europe. While his relative lack of athleticism and average all around skills did not allow him to create his own shot on a consistent basis, his exceptional shooting prowess, with a rare combination of height and mechanics, turned him into a very hard to defend mismatch on the perimeter. As a consequence, he converted at a quite efficient rate, in numerous clutch situations over the years. Alvertis was