PAOK BC
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| PAOK Marfin BC | |||
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| Established | 1928 | ||
| Grounds | Pylaia Municipal | ||
| Team Colors | White and Black | ||
| President |  Dionysis Psomiadis |
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| General Manager |  Bane Prelevic |
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| Head Coach | Kostas Pilafidis |
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| Website | www.paokbc.gr | ||
PAOK Marfin 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. PAOK BC participates in the ULEB Cup.
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[edit] History
In 1928 O.Rushud a turkish refugge from Ankara created the basketball section of the then two-year old PAOK football club. The first honour for PAOK comes with the win of the 1959 Greek league. Four years later the Greek league is reconstructed to an organised National League and 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. PAOK avoided relegation with a 66-53 play-out win to Democritus.
[edit] 1980-1990
PAOK met Panathinaikos BC in its first Greek Cup Final, in 1982. The Athenians managed to scrape through a two point victory, despite the game being played in Alexandreio Melathron, the then PAOK home ground. The next season the team finished second to Aris BC, 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. Aris at the time was justly nicknamed “Basketball Emperor” and the PAOK players needed every possible help they could get.
The PAOK coach, Faidonas Mathaiou, trying to boost his team’s morale, ordered the players to completely shave their heads, in Spartian warrior fame. PAOK went on to defeat Aris by four points (74-70) in what is now remembered as the “final of the shaven heads”.
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 leading rivals Aris. Prelevic was often quoted for his loyalty to the team. He had a number of injuries and medical panics 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 in winning the European Cup Winners Cup. In the final game PAOK defeated Saragosa BC in Geneva, at 26 March 1991 (76-72).
The next season, PAOK reclaimed the Cup Winners Cup, but lost to Real Madrid (63-65). The game was going to overtime, as the two teams were equal at 63 points, when Panayiotis Fasoulas lost the ball in the last 2 seconds and the Real players scored an unexpected basket. PAOK won the Greek Championship, overcoming Aris and growing strength Olympiacos BC.
PAOK participated in the 1992-93 European Champions Cup for the first time and managed to reach the Athens Final Four. PAOK lost the final game to a vastly superior Benetton (77-79), led by superstar Toni Kukoc.
In 1994 PAOK returned to European success, by winning the Korac Cup two-leg final game against Italian Pallacanestro Trieste (Stefanel). PAOK won both at home and away by 9 points. The following year PAOK won the Greek Cup, in a 19-points wide victory against Panionios BC. (72-53)
[edit] 2000-2007
The “PAOK Sports Arena” was inaugurated at 17 March 2000. The new grounds are able to hold more than 8000 spectators and PAOK ends a long period of sharing Alexandreio Melathron with Aris. Bane Prelevic returned to PAOK after a quick spell at Bologna and AEK Athens BC 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 lead the team into a short but fair winning streak.
A month after the start of the 2006-07 season, Prelevic was substituted 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).
[edit] Honors
[edit] Greece
- 1959 Greek Championship
- 1982 Greek Cup Finalists
- 1983 Greek Championship 2nd place
- 1984 Greek Cup
- 1992 Greek Championship
- 1993 Greek Championship 2nd place
- 1994 Greek Championship 2nd place
- 1995 Greek Cup
- 1998 Greek Championship 2nd place
- 1999 Greek Cup
[edit] Europe
- 1989-1990 Cup Winners Cup Semi Final
- 1990-1991 European Cup Holders Cup Winners
- 1991-1992 European Cup Holders Cup Finalists
- 1992-1993 European Champions Cup(Euroleague) Finalists-3rd place
- 1993-1994 Korac Cup Winners
- 1995-1996 European Cup Finalists
[edit] Roster
[edit] Current
The numbers are established according to the official website: www.paokbc.gr
| 4 |  |
Jason Parker | Point guard | 5 | |
Sotirios Manolopoulos | Small Forward | |
| 6 | |
Dimitrios Verginis | Point guard | 7 |  |
Vlado Scepanovic | Shooting guard | |
| 8 | |
Djuro Ostojic | Center | 9 | |
Dimitrios Haritopoulos | Power Forward | |
| 10 | |
Ioannis Kalabokis | Shooting guard | 11 |  |
Felix Kojadinovic | Guard | |
| 12 | |
Nikolaos Kouvelas | Small forward | 14 | |
Lazaros Agadakos | Center | |
| 15 | |
Drago Pasalic | Center | 16 | |
Ioannis Vasiliou | Guard | |
| 17 | |
Harilaos Yiannopoulos | Small Forward | 19 | |
Darius Washington | Point guard |
[edit] Former players
|
Predrag Stojakovic | |
Branislav Prelevic |
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Nikos Stavropoulos | |
John Korfas |
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Efthimios Rentzias | |
Panagiotis Fasoulas |
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Ken Barlow | |
Mike Jones |
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Cliff Levingston | |
Scott Skiles |
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Matt Bullard | |
Walter Berry |
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Amit Tamir | |
Damir Mulaomerovic |
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Zoran Savic | |
Radoslav Nesterovic |
[edit] References
| A1 Greek Basketball League 2006-2007 | |||
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AEK Athens BC | AEL BC | Aris BC | Maroussi BC | Olympiacos BC | Panathinaikos BC | PAOK BC | Panellinios Gymnastikos Syllogos | Panionios | Makedonikos | Olympia Larissas BC | Apollon Patras Achaia Clauss | Aigaleo | Olympiada Patras | |
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International basketball
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