It’s hard to quantify how effective determination and belief are, but sometimes an example makes it easy to see.

Vanderbilt forward Tasos Kamateros’ journey from Greece to Summit League walk-on to a double-digit scorer and now to being one of Vanderbilt’s rotation players feels like a good one to point to.

In March of 2018, Kamateros had a hard time envisioning the opportunities in front of him. At that time, Vanderbilt’s newest transfer addition was stuck with no offers and plenty of doubt as he entered the final months of his senior year of high school.

“I was kinda thinking that maybe it’s not for me or it’s not meant to be,” Kamateros said.

At that point, he had plenty of reason to think that way.

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the college basketball standpoint," he said. "The year I was about to be done with high school, I didn’t have any offers; I was just going through the process. I think it was in March of 2018 that I made a couple unofficial visits here in the U.S., but I didn’t have any offers in my hands.”

Kamateros’ high-school career isn’t one that had a fairy-tale ending of a team taking a chance on him at the last minute. Instead, it ended with the Greek forward opting to take a gap year to chase his goal of playing college basketball one more time.

It feels as if doing anything else would’ve been doing a disservice to Kamateros’ younger self. Basketball meant too much to that kid.

“I started playing basketball when I was 6 years old,” Kamateros said. "I played all kinds of sports when I was young -- I played tennis, soccer, water polo -- but basketball was the sport that I loved. When I started growing up, I started taking it more seriously; when I saw that I had the height, I had some skills. I thought to myself that I would really love to do something special with it.”

So he gave it one more chance.

Kamateros knew that chance could take him somewhere that he had in mind since his freshman year of high school. That feeling was amplified after a stint with Greece's national team.

“I would say as I first started playing it wasn’t in my head to come to the U.S." he said. "I didn’t really know about it much. My first year in high school as I made the transition [to a club called Proteas Voulas]. My friend [former Washington State guard Pinelopi Pavlopoulou] introduced me to the U.S. and the college culture. It started getting into my head that if I can do it and I get to a level that I can make that transition, I would happily do it.”

Kamateros played that gap season in Greece’s second division and did enough to get an opportunity. That opportunity wouldn’t make things much easier, though. In fact, it made things more difficult in most aspects.

The 6-foot-8 forward’s entry to college basketball was about as far from glamorous as it can get. Kamateros’ best opportunity was at the University of South Dakota to be a walk-on, a term he says he wasn’t even familiar with at first.

“Going to South Dakota, I was a walk-on, and I wasn’t expecting a lot because I didn’t know how college basketball worked; I didn’t even know what the terminology ‘walk-on’ was," Kamateros said. "They had to explain to me that you have to pay your own way and you gotta work to get your scholarship and all that.”

The Greek forward didn’t bat an eye, though. This was his chance, and he believed he could seize it.

“I took two bags and put all my clothes in there and just flew over from Greece to the U.S. chasing my dream,” Kamateros said.

“It was definitely tough,” the now-Vanderbilt forward said. "First of all, I didn’t know much about South Dakota, and I didn’t know much about the U.S., either. So just putting myself in a situation like that was tough, but I just believed in myself."

That’s not to mention the language barrier, which Kamateros had to work through while also balancing being a Division 1 college basketball player and full-time student.

“Obviously, this is not my first language; I speak Greek,” Kamateros said. "I knew English, but it’s different when you live every day around people that speak English and you have to write, have to talk, have to know terminology and all that. There was a good amount of time that I was very quiet and was just listening and trying to catch up on all the slang and the way of talking. It was tough on me; I’m not gonna lie.”

What helped Kamateros adjust to the language was his teammates. The new language is something the Greece native wants to continue to develop, as well.

“I don’t know exactly what the point was when I felt confident speaking and talking in English,” Kamateros said. "I was very close with my teammates over at South Dakota, so they were trying to push me to talk and even if I was making mistakes at the start they didn’t criticize or anything.

"I just got more confident day by day and month by month. I just ended up learning and learning, and I’m still learning.”

Adjusting to Division 1 basketball as a walk-on with players ahead of him that ended up having professional careers wasn’t conducive to early playing time, either. The then-freshman wanted to change that, though.

“It was a huge transition. I came in and I wasn’t at that level yet, so I had to prove myself and to prove to my coaches that I’m good enough to be able to play at that level," Kamateros said. "I just took it personal I guess, and I just said, ‘I’m gonna work hard and be in the gym day and night, do all the extra stuff and get to the level I see myself getting to.’”

Things didn’t get easier at the start of the regular season, but Kamateros didn’t lose faith.

“It was tough because I wasn’t really getting minutes at the start of the year, and obviously as a freshman it’s tougher because I had my teammates in front of me that were better and they were older too,” said the 6-foot-8 forward. “I was working all that stuff together, but I always believed in myself, and I proved to the coaches that I can really do something out there.”

An opportunity in early February and a few timely stops by Kamateros changed everything for the Greece native.

The 6-foot-8 forward played just eight minutes in that game but found something that day. From there Kamateros played meaningful minutes in just about every game for the rest of the Coyotes’ season.

That made the then walk-on’s exit meeting with his head coach, Todd Lee, that much more interesting, but Kamateros still didn’t expect anything out of it.

“I kinda started figuring out that if I do the things that my coach wants me to do, then I’ll get a scholarship," Kamateros said. "But I had no sign, no nothing from my coach up until COVID hit; it was the year COVID hit in March.

“I had to go back to Greece as soon as possible because everything was getting shut down, and I would have been stuck here in the U.S. by myself. So I go to his office, and I just thought he was just gonna say, ‘Go back and we’ll talk about it when you come back.' I didn’t expect the scholarship part.”

What happened in that meeting took Kamateros by surprise and made his sacrifices worth it.

“He [Lee] was just like, ‘Look Tasos, I was really surprised by the things you can do, and you helped the team and all that, and I’m gonna give you a scholarship.’”

That proclamation meant the world to the then-South Dakota forward.

“I remember in my head I forgot my English, for a moment," Kamateros said. "I was like, ‘Man, what is going on? All the work I did all those four or five months or whatever it was, like six months, I just forgot it in a moment. It was a big thing for me and my family because my family sacrificed as well, paying for school and all of that and helping me through that process.

“It was just a big thing for me, as well. Just showing that people understand my work and my improvement,” Kamateros added.

Kamateros was put on scholarship at South Dakota in 2020. (Erin Woodiel / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK) (Erin Woodiel / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Kamateros proved that he was worthy of that scholarship for the rest of his career in Vermillion. As a sophomore, he averaged 8.4 points on 21.3 minutes per game. The forward took another leap as a junior and finished the season as a double-figure scorer for the first time in his career. Kamateros took another step in a senior season, in which he averaged 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 44.9% from the field and 40.1% from 3-point range.

That left Kamateros with one year of eligibility remaining and a decision. On March 15, that decision was made with a transfer portal entry.

“The portal stuff was very interesting and scary at the same time," he said. "I didn’t know what to expect, honestly. I had four very good years at South Dakota, and I enjoyed the time over there. I just thought it was time to move on and do something new for me and just see where I can go and what I can do as a player and a person.

It wasn’t exactly a linear recruitment for Kamateros, either. Rather, it was one that lasted over two months as he committed to Vanderbilt on May 22.

“The portal was definitely madness, I would say," he said. "There is a lot of schools reaching out, a lot of coaches to talk to. I had to leave early and go back to Greece, so I finished the semester online, and I felt the need to be next to my people, next to my girlfriend, my family and the people I love to make a decision. It was rough, but it was also exciting to see what’s next for me and my future.”

The graduate student arrived at Vanderbilt shortly after his commitment. The new destination has been a refreshing reminder of an old one for Kamateros.

“I enjoy my time here," he said. "Nashville is a great city; it’s really nice. "The weather and the city outside is beautiful. I’m also a guy that walks everywhere. I don’t have a car here. I love walking around the campus or going from my apartment to the gym to work out. I just love seeing all the trees; it just reminds me of home, and my mind can rest a little bit and relax and feel at home."

It hasn’t been quite as similar for Kamateros on the floor, but it has been a welcome adjustment for the Greece native.

“As far as the workouts as a team…I really enjoy the way practice has been and the weight room,” he said. "Obviously, everything has been challenging, and it’s definitely different from what I was used to, and it’s one level up or more levels up. It’s something I’m trying to get adjusted to, and I feel like I’ve been making some progress and just feeling more comfortable each day.

“I think the biggest thing is that coming here from the first day it feels like a professional program. What I mean by that is all the guys that are on the team, they seem super serious about what we’re doing out here, from coaches to trainers to GAs, to players to everybody. Obviously the athleticism is off the charts -- all the guys jumping out of the gym, it’s just very much different.”

To adjust to that change, Kamateros has focused in on his shot in particular as well as becoming the Swiss Army knife that Vanderbilt needs him to be.

“I would say what I’m focusing on is getting my shots up and just being a player that can help the team either score or get a stop or be a glue guy,” the transfer forward said. “I’m trying to still figure out my role, and it’s obviously early, but I'm trying to do whatever the coaches ask me and whatever is best for the team, I just really believe that personal success comes through the team’s success.”

Kamateros has played a mix of the four and the five through the summer and isn’t picky as to where he plays. He just wants to win.

“I’m just gonna be out there no matter what my role is, playing defense or on offense directing or just whatever they [the coaching staff] ask from me” he said. "I just see myself being the guy trying to make the team work all together and be the glue guy as I said. Either that’s by making a 3 or by being the post and making the play or setting the ball screen or just playing defense and getting rebounds.

“Overall that’s what’s in my head -- just envisioning myself being out there and helping my team win games. That’s all that matters, to be honest.”

Kamateros hopes that winning can take Vanderbilt and himself to a place that neither has been in the last four seasons: the NCAA tournament.

“My personal goal and what I see for the team is making it to the tournament and making a statement that Vanderbilt belongs there,” Kamateros said. “All the players and coaches know in our minds that we’re aiming for something high.”

If it doesn’t work out that way, Kamateros still believes he has plenty to be proud of.

“Starting from a walk-on to getting a scholarship and getting minutes at a mid-major school to coming here to Vandy and an SEC team, it’s just amazing to me," he said. "I’m still processing it.”

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