VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - Sometimes in life, you don't appreciate the things you have until you no longer have them.

Greece's Giannis Bourousis and Stella Kaltsidou know that only too well.

The former hit the heights as a 21-year-old in Belgrade 10 years ago, when Greece had their stunning comeback against France in the Final minute of EuroBasket 2005 and then beat a Dirk Nowitzki-led Germany in the title game.

Bourousis was a member of the team, although he didn't play much.

Four years later and he was a lynchpin in the side that reached the podium at the EuroBasket in Poland.

Kaltsidou hasn't hung a medal around her neck with the women's team, but she did have the highlight of her career with the national side at the EuroBasket Women six years ago in Latvia, helping it stun Italy in the Fifth-Place Game.

That outcome qualified the Greeks for a FIBA World Championship for Women for the first time.

I still remember the celebrations of the players, the dancing on the court in Riga.

They did not get much sleep that night.

Since that impressive run in Poland for Bourousis, Greece have been in a steady decline.

One year after another, including 2014 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, has been filled with disappointment.

When the Greeks fell to Nigeria at the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, they lost a chance to compete at the London Games.

Last year, the 2.15m center Bourousis experienced a painful Round of 16 defeat to Serbia at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

They lost, despite having gone unbeaten in the Group Phase.

Bourousis, now 31, had some big moments last year.

But the Greek players didn't go nearly as far as they had expected.

Bourousis is running out of time to experience another high with his country, and he knows it.

"We want to help the national team return to the podium," Bourousis said, "especially us, the older ones, because we know that this may be our last year in the national team."

For Kaltsidou, it's been an emotional, challenging few years.

After playing at the 2010 World Championship in the Czech Republic, and at EuroBasket 2011 in Poland, she had a couple of serious injuries that might have ended the careers of some players.

She tore her right ACL in 2012 and one year, did the same to her left ACL.

The time on the sidelines was difficult, but only deepened her love for the sport.

I asked her about this, and why she persevered to keep her career alive.

"There are so many 'best parts' of being a basketball player for me," she said.

"I will start by the fact that I have the blessing to do as a job my biggest passion.

"Not a lot of people in life have this choice and I'm grateful for that.

"In a basketball game that lasts 40 minutes, you have the chance to feel all the emotions that are changing so fast. Stress, tranquility, disappointment, satisfaction, sadness, happiness."

She missed all of this while recovering from her injuries.

During her period of recovery, Kaltsidou was reminded of everything that made the game special to her.

"You learn to become a member of a small society, to adjust yourself in a group of different people from different cultures and sometimes, you make friends for life," she said.

"Being a basketball player gives me the opportunity to live unique experiences that I will never forget and at the end, this is what stays."

Kaltsidou was elated when Greece won the 1st Qualification Round for EuroBasket Women 2015.

She couldn't play because of her injuries, yet should knew she'd have a chance to make it back for this year's tournament.

She will be in the Greek squad that plays at the EuroBasket Women in Romania and Hungary come June, while in September, Bourousis will be with his national team at EuroBasket 2015.

They won't have the same nerves of rookies, but they will have plenty of excitement and yes, a tremendous appreciation for the opportunity just to take part.

Jeff Taylor

FIBA

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