PAOK BC
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| PAOK BC | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leagues | A1 Ethniki/EuroCup | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1928 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| History | 1928 - present | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Arena | PAOK Sports Arena
(capacity 8,600) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Thessaloniki, Greece | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Team colors | White and black | |||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Vaggelis Galatsopoulos | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | Kostas Flevarakis | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Championships | 1 Saporta Cup 1 Korać Cup 2 Greek Championships 3 Greek Cups | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Uniforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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PAOK BC is the basketball team of the Greek PAOK sport department, based in Thessaloniki, Greece. The club has established a firm reputation in Greek sports, especially for its success in European leagues.
The club has an undisrupted presence in the Greek First Division (A1) since 1960.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] 1928-1980
The basketball section of PAOK was created in 1928 when Alekos Alexiadis, a young member of the administration council, took the initiative to create a basketball team. He "gave birth" to the basketball department again after World War II. After the war, Alekos Alexiadis began to organize a basketball team from the children that played in the only basketball court in Thessaloniki. The first honor for PAOK was the win of the 1959 Greek league. The team was crowned Champions of Greece with the following players; Daponte, Kyriakou, Oikonomou, Paschali, Stalio, Kokko, Theoridi, Angelidi, Stergiou, Konstantinidi, and player-coach Irakli Klaga. Four years later the Greek league is reconstructed to a professional National League but PAOK is placed in the Second National Division, winning immediate promotion the next year.
The worst season of the club to day was in 1977 where PAOK avoided relegation with a 66-53 play-out win to Democritus.
[edit] 1980-1990
PAOK met Panathinaikos in its first Greek Cup Final, in 1982. The Athenians managed to scrape through a two point victory, despite the game being played in Alexandrio Melathron, the then PAOK home ground. The next season the team finished second to Aris, being defeated only in one game by the champions.
The success of both teams fuelled the ongoing rivalry between their fans that had long been established in football. In 1984, the two teams reached the Greek Cup Final. PAOK coach, Faidonas Mathaiou, trying to boost his team’s morale, ordered the players to completely shave their heads. PAOK won the Greek Cup by four points (74-70) in what is now remembered as the “final of the shaven heads”.
The then 22-year old Branislav Prelevic debuted in the 1988-89 season. He became the definitive leader and a fan favorite, often compared to the great Nick Galis, who was at the time the captain of Aris. Prelevic was often quoted for his loyalty to the team. He had a number of injuries and medical emergencies because of weak legs, but he would constantly choose heavy dosages of painkillers than missing out on important games.
[edit] 1990-2000
PAOK brought limitless joy to its fans by winning the European Cup Winners Cup when PAOK defeated Zaragoza in Geneva 76-72 on March 26, 1991.
The next season PAOK reached the final again but to Real Madrid 63-65. The game was going to overtime, as the two teams were equal at 63 points, when Panagiotis Fasoulas lost the ball in the last 2 seconds and the Real players scored an unexpected basket. In the same year PAOK won the Greek Championship, beating Aris and Olympiacos.
PAOK participated in the 1992-93 European Champions Cup for the first time and managed to reach the Athens Final Four. PAOK lost in the semi final game to Benetton Treviso 77-79 led by superstar Toni Kukoč.
In 1994 PAOK returned to European success by winning the Korać Cup two-leg final against Pallacanestro Trieste winning both at home and away by 9 points. The following year PAOK won the Greek Cup in a 19 point victory against Panionios 72-53. In 1999 PAOK won again the Greek Cup by defeating AEK Athens 71-54.
[edit] 2000-2007
The new home of PAOK, the PAOK Sports Arena able to hold 8000 fans, was inaugurated on 17 March 2000 that ended a long period of sharing home court Alexandrio Melathron with Aris. Bane Prelevic returned to PAOK after quick spells at Kinder Bologna and AEK and quit basketball at the end of the season. He returned to PAOK in season 2001-02 as an assistant coach.
PAOK finished 6th in the 2003-04 season, boasting a squad full of youngsters. Prelevic become head coach and led the team into a short winning streak.
A month after the start of the 2006-07 season, Prelevic was replaced by Kostas Pilafidis and assumed a non-technical position as General Manager of the team. PAOK and Aris gave a spectacular show that PAOK won after two overtime periods (101-99). PAOK changed coaches again in 2007 when Vangelis Alexandris took over as head coach.
[edit] Honors
- Total Titles: 7
- Cup Winners' Cup/Saporta Cup: 1
- 1991
- Korać Cup: 1
- 1994
- Greek Championships: 2
- 1959, 1992
- Greek Cups: 3
- 1984, 1995, 1999
- Cup Winners' Cup/Saporta Cup: 1
[edit] Greece
|
[edit] Europe
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[edit] Basketball records
[edit] Domestic record
| Season | Standing | Win/Loss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greek Championship | |||
| 2000 | 2 | ||
| 2001 | 7 | ||
| 2002 | 8 | ||
| 2003 | 7 | ||
| 2004 | 5 | ||
| 2005 | 4 | ||
| 2006 | 6 | ||
[edit] International record
| Season | Standing | Win/Loss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Champions Cup | |||
| 1959-60 | First Round | 0-2 | |
| 1994-95 | Group Stage (16) | 7-9 | |
| 1997-98 | 8th Fin. Play Offs | 10-9 | |
| 1998-99 | Qual. Round (16) | 7-9 | |
| 1999-00 | 8th Fin. Play Offs | 8-11 | |
| 2000-01 | Qual. Round (16) | 8-5 | |
| 2003-04 | Group Stage | 5-1 | |
| Season | Standing | Win/Loss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korać Cup | |||
| 1974-75 | Second Round | 0-2 | |
| 1975-76 | Second Round | 1 - 1 | |
| 1981-82 | Second Round | 2 - 2 | |
| 1983-84 | Group Stage | 3 - 5 | |
| 1985-86 | Group Stage | 5 - 5 | |
| 1986-87 | Second Round | 2 - 2 | |
| 1987-88 | Group Stage | 3 - 5 | |
| 1988-89 | Second Round | 3 - 1 | |
| 1993-94 | Final - Winner | 12 - 2 | |
| 1996-97 | 8th Finals | 9 - 1 | |
| 2001-02 | Group Stage | 5 - 3 | |
[edit] Basketball squad
[edit] Current roster
The numbers are established according to the official website of the team (www.paokbc.gr)
As of January 2008
| Number | Player | Position | Height (m) |
| 4 | Image:Flag of Sweden.svg Martin Ringstrom | F | 2.06 |
| 5 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg/Image:Flag of France.svg Antoine Gillespie | SG | 1.94 |
| 6 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Dimitrios Verginis (c) | PG | 1.91 |
| 7 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Yiannis Vassiliou | SG | 1.93 |
| 8 | Image:Flag of France.svg Mamoutou Diarra | F | 2.00 |
| 9 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Dimitrios Haritopoulos | PF | 2.07 |
| 10 | Image:Flag of Turkey.svg İbrahim Kutluay | SG | 1.97 |
| 11 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Thrasyvoulos Sfeikos | SG | 1.95 |
| 12 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Jason Rowe | G | 1.78 |
| 13 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Nikolaos Kouvelas | SF | 2.03 |
| 14 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Giorgos Tsiakos | F | 2.04 |
| 15 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Edmund Saunders | PF/C | 2.06 |
| 17 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Harilaos Yiannopoulos | SF | 2.01 |
| 18 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Karalo Galazualas | G | 1.90 |
| 19 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Yiannis Demertzis | G | 1.93 |
[edit] Notable players
PAOK fans have had the opportunity to admire legendary European players and also world famous basketball players that have played with the jersey of their team.
[edit] Former coaches
- Image:Flag of the United States.svg Scott Skiles
- Image:Flag of Serbia.svg Dragan Šakota
- Image:Flag of Serbia.svg Dušan Ivković
- Image:Flag of Greece.svg Soulis Markopoulos
- Image:Flag of Serbia.svg Image:Flag of Greece.svg Branislav Prelević
- Image:Flag of Greece.svg Kostas Politis
- Image:Flag of the United States.svg Johnny Neumann
- Image:Flag of Greece.svg Phaedon Mattheou
[edit] References
- ESAKE Official Website(Greek)
- KAE PAOK Official Website(Greek)
- Eurobasket PAOK BC Page (English)
- Galanis Sports data
fr:PAOK Salonique (basket-ball) hr:PAOK BC Solun lt:Salonikų PAOK
