- Maroussi B.C.
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Maroussi B.C.
K.A.E. ΜαρούσιLeagues Greek League
Greek CupFounded 1950 History 1950 - present Arena Maroussi Indoor Hall
(capacity 2,500)
OAKA Indoor Hall
(capacity: 19,250)Location Maroussi, Athens, Greece Team colors Yellow and Black
President Vasilis Konstantinou Head coach Vangelis Alexandris Championships Saporta Cup (1):
2001Website maroussibc.gr Uniforms Maroussi Athens B.C. (Greek: K.A.E. Μαρούσι Αθήνα), is a Greek professional basketball club that is based in Maroussi, a northern suburb of Athens, Greece. The club's full name is Gymnastikos Syllogos Amarousiou. The club competes in the Greek League. Its long-time owner was Armodios Vovos of the BVIC construction firm. The club's name sponsor is Turkish Airlines.[1]
Contents
History
Maroussi Basketball Club (BC) is the basketball department of one of the oldest sports clubs in Greece (third oldest, founded in 1896) with a strong tradition of excellence in what is described as the country's favorite sport.
The basketball club, founded in 1950, is also known as the Gymnastikos Syllogos Amarousiou K.A.E. (abbreviated as G.S. Amarousiou K.A.E.) and is located in Maroussi, a northern suburb of Athens. The emblem of Maroussi BC is identical with the crest of the former Anavryta School, a highly regarded lyceum of Athens, traditionally the school of the Greek royal family, that used to have strong connections with the club. The basketball team (Maroussi BC) has since its creation been the preeminent department of the club. It is one of the original members of the Greek Basketball Championship and had excellent results, both domestically, and representing Greece in Europe during the 1960s and 1970s.
1980s-1990s era
The dark period for the club started in the 1980s and continued through the 1990s. During those years the club lost its standing in the Greek A1 League and participated (often with great success) in the Greek A2 League and Greek B League, but without being able to complete a comeback to the top division. Maroussi regained its A1 status in 1998, and made it clear that it was there to stay. The team is now known in European basketball as a model team and one of the best places to play basketball in Greece. The professional staff and support from the city of Maroussi and Greek businessman Aris Vovos have created a very competitive team, a combination of younger and older players that in the following years left no opponent undefeated.
2000s decade
The year 2001 was the breakthrough year for Maroussi. The team participated in the final of the European Saporta Cup and won its first European trophy (the 6th Greek team to achieve a European Cup). After that, the team was transformed. With the Greek National Team's head coach, Greek basketball legend Panagiotis Giannakis (coach of the 2005 FIBA European Champions and 2006 World Championship runner-ups) at the head of the bench, and with the young Greek national team star Vassilis Spanoulis at point guard,[2] the team started dominating the Greek Championship, earning respect within Greek basketball.
The team made it to the championship final of the 2003-04 season in the Greek A1 League, losing to Panathinaikos Athens. Maroussi also finished in second place in the EuroCup Championship in 2004, losing to UNICS Kazan in the championship game. In those years, the team participated in 2 European Final Fours in the EuroCup. The team made it to the finals game of the Greek Cup in 2002, losing the championship game to the Euroleague powerhouse Olympiacos Piraeus. In the 2004-05 season, Maroussi finished second in the Greek League in the regular season, behind only Panathinaikos Athens. In 2006, Maroussi again made it to the finals game of the Greek Cup. This time losing to Euroleague powerhouse Panathinaikos Athens in the championship game.
Recent Years
Maroussi, without its star coach Panagiotis Giannakis, faced the new period that began in the 2006-07 season as a challenge, and continued its success. In the 2007-08 season, after a bad start, the new coach of the team, Soulis Markopoulos (hired after the firing of Russo), provided a fresh outlook in the team. Maroussi finished in 6th place in the Greek League in the regular season, but advanced to the semifinals of the playoffs. They then lost the 3rd place Euroleague series 3 games 2 to Panionios, but the 4th place finish in the Greek playoffs secured Maroussi a return to the next season's Eurocup.
In the 2008-09 season, Maroussi finished in 3rd place in the Greek League, after beating Aris Thessaloniki 3 games to 2 (despite having a home court disadvantage), and thus secured a preliminary qualification spot in the next season's Euroleague 2009–10 competition. The club was then able to qualify to the Euroleague regular season for the first time, after defeating both Aris and ALBA Berlin in Euroleague qualification playoff rounds.
Maroussi is considered to be one of the 3 most successful Greek clubs during the first decade of the 21st century, along with the Euroleague powers Panathinaikos Athens and Olympiacos Piraeus. Maroussi is currently a much feared and respected opponent in Greece and all of Europe.
Arenas
The home stadium of Maroussi for Greek League matches is Agios Thomas Basketball Hall (Maroussi Indoor Hall), a small arena with a capacity of 2,500, located in Maroussi, Attica. The stadium always sports a nice family atmosphere for games, unlike many other Greek halls and stadiums. The club plays their European cup home games at the Athens Olympic Indoor Hall (OAKA), also located in Maroussi, Attica, which seats 19,250 fans. Maroussi also occasionally plays European cup home matches at the 14,905 seat Peace and Friendship Stadium.[3]
Roster
Maroussi Athens BC rosterPlayers Coaches Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age PG Gagaloudis, Giannis 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 33 PG Akepsimaidis, Lefteris 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) 26 SF Kojadinović, Feliks 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 32 SF Kommatos, Nestoras 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 34 PF Sumpter, Curtis 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 102 kg (225 lb) 27 PF Charitopoulos, Dimitris 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) 27 C Skordilis, Gaios 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) 23 - Head coach
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (*) Playing only in Euroleague
Roster
Updated: 2010-08-09Depth Chart
Pos. Starter Bench Bench Reserve Inactive C Frank Elegar Lambros Tsontzos PF Dimitris Charitopoulos Nestoras Kommatos SF Feliks Kojadinović Gerasimos Mantalvanos SG Giannis Gagaloudis Vaggelis Sakellariou PG Giannis Demertzis Lefteris Akepsimaidis Filippos Kalogiannidis Honors
- Saporta Cup: 1
- 2001
- FIBA Europe EuroCup League Runners-Up
- 2004
- A1 Greek League Championship Runners-Up
- 2004
- Greek Championship Cup Runners-Up:
- 2002, 2006
The road to the 2001 Saporta Cup victory
Round Team Home Away Group Stage Valencia
82–75 81–95 Karşıyaka İzmir
101–92 99–95 Pivovarna Laško
112–71 93–77 Chalon-sur-Saône
70–62 56–75 Hapoel Galil Elyon
98–82 83–89 2nd Round Aris
20–0 88–76 Quarter finals Telekom Bonn
102–82 101–91 Semifinals UNICS Kazan
93–81 87–95 Final Chalon-sur-Saône
74–72 Seasons
Season A1 Ethniki Cup Europe Coach Roster 1998-99 7th place - _ Kostas Petropoulos Andy Toolson, Henry Turner, Erik Meek, Junior Burrough, Craig Robinson, John Korfas, Pit Papachronis, Alexis Falekas, Nikos Kasuridis, Sotiris Manolopoulos, Vagelis Logothetis, Panagiotis Panagiotarakos, Spiros Panteliadis, Charis Charalampidis, Alexis Karatzas, Pete Pangas 1999-00 10th place - Korać Cup
Last 8Vangelis Alexandris Ashraf Amaya, Henry Turner, John Korfas, Pit Papachronis, Vagelis Logothetis, Alexis Falekas, Anatoliy Zurpenko, Sotiris Manolopoulos, Panagiotis Panagiotarakos, Spiros Panteliadis, Dimitris Karaplis, Kostas Anagnostou, Charis Charalampidis, Kostantinos Tsevas 2000-01 7th place - Saporta Cup
WinnerVangelis Alexandris Ashraf Amaya, Jimmy Oliver, Vangelis Vurtzumis, Vasco Evtimov, Alexis Falekas, Giorgos Maslarinos, Sotiris Nikolaidis, Dimitris Karaplis, Vagelis Logothetis, Sotiris Manolopoulos, Dimitris Marmarinos, Kostas Anagnostu, Charis Charalampidis, Panayotis Stavropoulos, Kostantinos Tsevas 2001-02 7th place Finalist Korać Cup
Last 4Nikos Linardos,
Kostas PetropoulosAshraf Amaya, Jimmy Oliver, Pat Burke, Michael Koch, Vassilis Spanoulis, Angelos Koronios, Marty Conlon, Dickey Simpkins, Alexis Falekas, Sotiris Manolopoulos, Dimitris Marmarinos, Giorgos Maslarinos, Sotiris Nikolaidis, Kostas Anagnostou, Stavros Daniil, Giorgos Pavlidis, Kostantinos Tsevas, Giorgos Tsiakos 2002-03 6th place - FIBA Europe League
Last 64Panayotis Yannakis Jimmy Oliver, Kenyon Jones, Norman Nolan, Vassilis Spanoulis, Angelos Koronios, Giorgos Maslarinos, Samo Grum, Sotiris Manolopoulos, Dimitris Marmarinos, Giorgos Tsiakos, Nikos Liakopoulos, Stavros Daniil, Bill Phillips, Panayotis Stavropoulos 2003-04 Finalist _ FIBA Europe League
FinalistPanayotis Yannakis Andre Hutson, Roderick Blakney, Vassilis Spanoulis, Giorgos Karagutis, Ivan Grgat, Oliver Popović, Aleksandar Smiljanic, Lazaros Agadakos, Prodromos Nikolaidis, Giorgos Tsiakos, Stavros Daniil, Kostas Gagaudakis, Dimitris Lolas, Nikos Moutoupas, Angelos Siamandouras, Dimitris Yannakis 2004-05 3rd place - ULEB Eurocup
Last 8Panayotis Yannakis Vassilis Spanoulis, Roderick Blakney, Blagota Sekulić, Larry Stewart, Giorgos Karagutis, Nikos Buduris, Kenyon Jones, Oliver Popović, Aleksandar Smiljanic, Kostas Kaimakoglou, Markos Kolokas, Christophoros Stefanidis, Dimitris Lolas, Petros Noeas 2005-06 3rd place Finalist FIBA EuroCup
Last 8Panayotis Yannakis Roderick Blakney, Alexis Kiritsis, Blagota Sekulić, Jared Homan, Giorgos Karagutis, Nikos Buduris, Kostas Kaimakoglou, Markos Kolokas, Dimitris Lolas, Sotiris Nikolaidis, Petros Noeas, Christophoros Stefanidis, Dimitris Despos, Vasilis Giannoulakos 2006-07 8th place - FIBA EuroCup
Last 16Darko Russo Alexis Kiritsis, Renaldas Seibutis, Danya Abrams, Chris Thomas, Kostas Haralambidis, Ermin Jazvin, Vasilis Giannoulakos, Kostas Kaimakoglou, Markos Kolokas, Petros Noeas, Philippos Simeonidis, Christophoros Stefanidis, Giorgos Karagutis, Mark Dickel, Alexandros Melniks, Dimitris Lolas, Theodoros Tsiotras 2007-08 4th place - FIBA EuroCup
Last 32Soulis Markopoulos Branko Milisavljević, Jarod Stevenson, Kostas Haralambidis, Kostas Kaimakoglou, Donell Taylor, Jason Parker, Nikos Buduris, Andreas Glyniadakis, Bojan Bakić, Ermin Jazvin, Feliks Kojadinović, Dimitris Mavroeidis, Christophoros Stefanidis, Petros Noeas, Travon Bryant, Epameinondas Papantoniou, Michalis Paragios, Stavros Toutziarakis 2008-09 3rd place Last 4 ULEB Eurocup
Last 16Soulis Markopoulos Billy Keys, Jarod Stevenson, Giorgos Diamantopoulos, Loukas Mavrokefalidis, Andreas Glyniadakis, Pat Calathes, Kostas Haralampidis, Dimitris Mavroeidis, Fanis Koumpouras, Christoforos Stefanidis, Stavros Toutziarakis, Epameinondas Papantoniou, Shawn Huff, Petros Noeas, Kostas Kaimakoglou 2009-10 3rd place Last 8 Euroleague
Last 16Georgios Bartzokas Billy Keys, Jared Homan, Giorgos Diamantopoulos, Stephen Arigbabu, Levon Kendall, Pat Calathes, Jamon Gordon, Dimitrios Mavroeidis, Fanis Koumpouras, Konstaninos Papantonakos, Michalis Pelekanos, Marios Batis, Christos Lakkas, Kostas Kaimakoglou, Stevan Nađfeji, Igor Milošević Notable players
Maroussi players who have played in the NBA
Vassilis Spanoulis
Andreas Glyniadakis
Pat Burke
Dickey Simpkins
Andy Toolson
Notable coaches
Sponsorships
- Babis Vovos International Construction (1999–Present)
- Telestet (2001–03)
- Telecom Italia Mobile (2003–04)
- Honda (2004–06)
- Costa Coffee (2007–09)
- Turkish Airlines (2010–Present)
Notes
- ^ "Turkish Airlines signs as main sponsor of Maroussi Basketball Club" (Press release). Turkish Airlines. 2010-02-18. http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-INT/press-releases/4497/turkish-airlines-signs-as-main-sponsor-of-maroussi-basketball-club%E2%80%A6.aspx. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
- ^ Euroleague.net Team History.
- ^ Talkbasket.net Maroussi to play in SEF.
External links
- Official Website (Greek)
- Official Website (English)
- Maroussi Basket Website (Greek)
- Euroleague.net 2009-10 Team Profile
- Euroleague.net 2009-10 Team Focus
- Basketpedya.com Team Profile
- HEBA Team Profile (Greek)
- Greek Basketball Federation (Greek)
- Galanis Sports Data - Maroussi 2009-10
Greek Basket League 2011-12 Aris · A.G.O.R. Aegean · Ikaros · Ilissiakos · K.A.O.D. · Kavala · Kolossos · Maroussi · Olympiacos · Panathinaikos · Panionios · P.A.O.K. · Peristeri ·Categories:- Sports clubs established in 1950
- Basketball teams in Greece
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