AEK Athens B.C.

AEK BC (in Greek: Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως – Athlitiki Enosis Konstantinoupoleos), the Athletic Union of Constantinople, is a Greek professional sports basketball club based in Athens, Greece. The club was established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922).

Well-known players that have played with the club over the years have included: Rolando Blackman, Ricky Pierce, Giorgos Amerikanos, Giorgos Trontzos, Michalis Kakiouzis, Nikos Hantzis, Minas Gekos, Danny Vranes, Ruben Patterson, Kurt Rambis, J.R. Holden, Willie Anderson, Joe Arlauckas, Anthony Bowie, Claudio Coldebella, Jake Tsakalidis, Nikos Zisis, Kostas Patavoukas, Nasos Galakteros.

History

Early History

The large Greek population of Constantinople, not unlike those of the other Ottoman urban centres, continued its athletic traditions in the form of numerous athletic clubs. Clubs such as Enosis Tataoulon (Ένωσις Ταταούλων) from the Tatavla district, Megas Alexandros (Μέγας Αλέξανδρος) of Vathyriakos, Hermes (Ερμής – Ermis) of Galata, Olympias (Ολυμπιάς) of Therapia, and Kati Kioi (Κατί Κίοϊ) of Chalcedon existed to promote Hellenic athletic and cultural ideals. These were amongst a dozen Greek-backed clubs that dominated the sporting landscape of the city in the years preceding World War I. After the war, with the influx of mainly French and English soldiers to Constantinople, many of the city clubs participated in regular competition with teams formed by the foreign troops. Taxim, Pera and Tatavla became the scene of weekly competitions in not only football, but of athletics, cycling, boxing and tennis.

Of the clubs in the city, though, football was dominated by Enosis Tataoulon and Hermes. Hermes, one of the more popular clubs, was formed in 1875 by the Greek community of Pera (Galata). Forced to change its name to Pera Club in 1921, many of its athletes, and those of most other sporting clubs, fled during the population exchanges at the end of the Greco-Turkish War, and settled in Athens and Thessaloniki.^[2]

AEK (Queen) Athens Basketball is the most successful among A.E.K's athletic departments. The obvious reason is that AEK's basketball team was the first ever Greek team to win an international trophy in any team sports. AEK won an unofficial championship played in Athens that was organized by the YMCA, in 1924.Under Missas Pantazopoulos guidance AEK won the first club's championship in 1958.

The First European Triumph

AEK was the first ever Greek team to participate in the European Championships (now called the Euroleague) Final Four, in 1966, which was held in Bologna, Italy. Two years later, AEK was the first-ever Greek team, not only to reach a European Cup Final, but also to win a European title. On April 4, 1968, AEK defeated Slavia Prague by a score of 89-82, in Athens before 120,000 spectators, 80,000 watching from inside the stadium and 40,000 watching from outside (the Guinness world record in basketball attendance).^[3] In 1970, AEK reached the Cup Winners' Cup semifinals, where the team was eliminated by Vichy Basket, France, in what turned out to be the last year of the first "Golden Era" of the club's history. It was called the "Golden Era" because AEK dominated Greek Basketball during the 1960s, winning the Greek Championship 4 consecutive years in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, as well as in 1968 and 1970; 6 times in 8 years.

Over the next decades, AEK lost its glamour, and managed to win only one trophy, the Greek Cup in 1981, under the direction of Coach Fred Develey, an American coach who previously was the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv and ARIS of Greece, with super star Nik Galis. In addition to winning the Greek Cup in 1981, AEK was also a finalist of the Greek Cup in 1976, 1978, 1980, 1988, and 1992, but failed to win in any of those years.

The Queen's Comeback & 21st Century

AEK made a come back in the late 1990s, when the team played in six consecutive Greek Cup Final Fours in the years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, four consecutive Greek Cup Finals in the years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, winning the Greek Cup in 2000 and 2001. In 2002 AEK won the Greek Championship for the first time in 32 years, becoming the first team to win the Greek Championship after having lost the first two games of a 5 game playoff series. AEK lost the first two games of the series to Olympiacos, but managed to win the next 3 games and take the series and the title 3-2. AEK also reached the Greek Playoff Finals in the years 1997, 2003, and 2005, and the Greek Cup Semi-Finals in the year 2006.

In this same era, AEK reached again a high level in European competitions. The team reached the European Championship's Final Four in Barcelona in 1998, and beat Benetton Treviso by a score of 69-66, before losing in the final to Virtus Bologna by a score of 44-58. In 2000, on April 11, AEK won their second international trophy, the Saporta Cup, by defeating Virtus Bologna 83-76. The next year, 2001, AEK reached the Euroleague semifinals, losing their playoff series there to TAU Cerámica in 3 straight games.Due to many financial problems caused by the lost concern of the club's major shareholder in April 2011 AEK BC relegated from A1 for first time in club's history.

Current Board & Ownership

Crest

In 1924, AEK adopted as their emblem the image of a double-headed eagle (Δικέφαλος Αετός – Dikefalos Aetos). When AEK was created by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the years following the Greco-Turkish War and subsequent population exchange, the emblem and colours (yellow & black) were chosen as a reminder of lost homelands; they represent the club's historical ties to Constantinople.After all, the double-headed eagle is featured in the flag of the Greek Orthodox Church, whose headquarters are in Constantinople, and served as Imperial emblem under the Palaiologos dynasty.A.E.K.'s main emblem underwent numerous minor changes between 1924 and 2007.Since 2007 the emblem changed to the current shield design.

Colours and kit

The colours of yellow and black were adopted from AEK's connections with Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire.^[4] AEK's traditional away colours are all-black with a yellow stripe on the sides and home colours are all-yellow with a black stripe on the sides.AEK's kit manufacturer for 2011-12 is a famous greek company Nickan .

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Arenas

Since 1960 and until 1975 AEK BC was playing all games in Panathinaiko Stadio which could host 80,000 fans.From 1975 and until 1989 team was playing in neighbour's Ionikos NF ground with capacity of 1,500 fans and in Sporting Sports Arena with capacity of 2,200 fans.Team's first home was "Georgios Moschos" with 2,200 fan capacity, in Nea Filadelfeia beside Nikos Goumas Stadium for 6 years (1989–1995). The club used to play for 9 years (1995–2002 and 2006–2008) for all competitions at the Athens Olympic Indoor Hall (OAKA), which seats 19,250 fans, also played for two years (2004–2006) in Galatsi Olympic Hall with capacity of 6,000 fans, in Ano Liosia Hall (2002–2004) with 3,000 fans capacity, and in Sporting Sports Arena 2,200 capacity for the season 2008-09. For the season 2009-10 A.E.K played in Hellinikon Olympic Arena with 8.000 fans capacity. In 20 January 2011 AEK BC returned to "Sports Hall Ano Liosia".

Records

• Record Guinness Book attendance: 80,000 tickets sold in Panathinaiko Stadio"Kallimarmaron" (Athens)

at the game AEK-Slavia Prague, on 4 April 1968.

Supporters

AEK Athens has a large fanbase,the majority of AEK supporters are refugees or have refugee decent from Constantinople and people from the population exchange of the Minor Asia Catastrophe.Original 21 is the largest AEK Athens supporters club. The first attempt to organise AEK supporters was Gate 21 (formed in 1975), which took its name from the gate in the Nikos Goumas Stadium, Nea Filadelfia, where the most hardcore fans gathered.AEK Athens have also many supporters worldwide,most of them Greek immigrants,in places as North America, England, Australia and Cyprus.

Rivalries

AEK Athens biggest rivalries is with Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. Against neighbours Panathinaikos they contest in the Athens local football derby.The rivalry started because of the refugee decent of AEK Athens fans and by contrast Panathinaikos considered the classic representative of high class society of Athens. The rivalry with Olympiacos begun from the different regions of Attica the clubs are from,AEK Athens and Olympiacos from Piraeus.Another reason is that Olympiacos except the working class fans have many high class & rich supporters.

Roster

Depth Chart

Foreign players

Technical and medical staff & Academies staff

Honours and achievements

International titles

• 2 Saporta Cups: (1968, 2000)
  • 1 Euroleague Runners-up (1998)
  • 2 Euroleague Final-Four (1966, 2001)
  • 1 Saporta Cup Semi-Final (1970)

Greek titles

• 8 Greek Championships (1958, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 2002)
  • 8 Greek League Runners-up (1955, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1997, 2003, 2005)
• 3 Greek Cups (1981, 2000, 2001)
  • 7 Greek Cup Runners-up (1976, 1978, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1998, 1999)

International achievements

The road to the European Cup victories

Seasons

Player records

Club top scorers & Most appearances

Notable players

Notable coaches

Chairmen history

Relationships with other clubs

AEK have links with many basketball clubs in Greece and in other countries where greek immigrants living,like ΑΕΚ BC Stockholm in Sweden,and in Greece AEK Argous and AEK Tripolis.

References

External links

• Official Basketball Club Website
• Official Sports Club Website
• Official Football Club Website
• ORIGINAL 21 (Ultras Website)
• AEK Basketball Blog
• AEK BC Fans Website

Amerikanos |
Trontzos |
Zoupas |
Nesiadis |
Larentzakis |
Christeas |
Tsavas |
Petrakis |
Vasiliadis|
Dimitriadis |