 Alvertis cemented his role as one of Panathinaikos' main stars, in spite of the fact that the team experienced a dispiriting 1996-97 season.Although he increased his scoring average to 12.7 points per game, he was unable to help PAO reach the EuroLeague Final Four as they were bested by eventual champions Olympiacos in the quarterfinal playoffs.His 35 points facing Caja San Fernando set his EuroLeague personal record.