P.A.O.K. B.C.

P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki B.C. is the professional basketball department of the Greek multi-sports club P.A.O.K., originally founded in 1926 and is based in Thessaloniki, Greece. The club has established a firm reputation in Greek sports, especially for its success in European leagues. The club has maintained a presence in the Greek First Division (A1 Ethniki) since the year 1960.

Well-known players that have played with the club over the years have included: Peja Stojaković, John Korfas, Panagiotis Fasoulas, Nikos Stavropoulos, Scott Skiles, Rasho Nesterovič, Zoran Savić, Walter "The Truth" Berry, Charles Shackleford, Lawrence Funderburke, Conrad McRae, Anthony Bonner, Tracy Murray, Cliff Levingston, Ken Barlow, Rafael Addison, Damir Mulaomerović and above all the great legend, the team's captain and leader on and off the court, Branislav Prelević,

History

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; Dapontes, Kyriakou, Oikonomou, Paschalis, Stalios, Kokkos, Theoridis, Angelidis, Stergiou, Konstantinidis, and player-coach Iraklis Klagas. Four years later the Greek League was reconstructed to a professional National League but PAOK was placed in the Second National Division, winning immediate promotion to the first division the next year. The worst season of the club to date was in 1977 when PAOK avoided relegation with a 66-53 play-out win over Democritus.

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 Aris and PAOK fueled 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 Prelević 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 to take heavy dosages of painkillers rather than missing out on important games.

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 lost 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 out Aris and Olympiacos.

PAOK participated in the 1992-93 European Champion's Cup for the first time and managed to reach the Athens Final Four. PAOK lost in the semi final game to Benetton Treviso, which was led by superstar Toni Kukoč by a score of 77-79 .

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 again won the Greek Cup by defeating AEK Athens 71-54.

2000–2007

The new home of PAOK, the PAOK Sports Arena, able to hold 8,650 fans, was inaugurated on 17 March 2000. That marked the end of a long period of time of sharing the home court of Alexandrio Melathron with Aris. Bane Prelevic returned to PAOK after quick spells at Kinder Bologna and AEK Athens B.C. and then quit basketball at the end of the season. He later returned to PAOK in the 2001–2002 season as an assistant coach.

PAOK finished 6th in the 2003-04 Greek A1 League 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 A1 Ethniki 2006-07 season, Prelevic was replaced by Kostas Pilafidis and assumed a non-technical position as the General Manager of the team. During a game that year PAOK and Aris put on a spectacular show that PAOK ended up winning after two overtime periods.^[2] PAOK changed coaches again in 2007 when Vangelis Alexandris took over as the team's head coach.

Roster

Honors

• Total Titles: 57
  • Greek Championships (2): 1959, 1992
    • Runner Up (9): 1960, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000
  • Greek Cups (3): 1984, 1995, 1999
    • Runner Up (4): 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991
  • Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1991
    • Runner Up (2): 1992, 1996
  • Korać Cup (1): 1994
  • Euroleague Final Four (1): 1993

The road to the European Cup victories

Seasons

Notable players

Coaches

This is a list of the last 30 years PAOK B.C. coaches:

Notes

References

• ESAKE Official Website (Greek)
• Eurobasket PAOK BC Page
• Galanis Sports Data

External links

• PAOK Thessaloniki Football Club - Official Website (Greek) and (English)
• PAOK Thessaloniki History - PAOK Thessaloniki History Provided On Behalf Of Melbourne Club PAOK
• PAOKworld- Most informative PAOK Thessaloniki Forum (Greek) and (English)
• PAOKmania - PAOK Thessaloniki Supporters Downloads, Radio and News (Greek)