Greece national basketball team
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Greece  Ελλάς |
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| FIBA ranking | 6th | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Joined FIBA | 1932 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| FIBA zone | FIBA Europe | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Panagiotis Giannakis | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Επίσημη Αγαπημένη (Official Cherished) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | None | ||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals |  2006 |
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| Eurobasket | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals |  1987, 2005 |
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| Uniforms | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The Greece national basketball team for men represents Greece in international men's basketball competitions and it is organized and run by the Hellenic Basketball Federation.
Greece is considered among the best national basketball teams in the world, as it has won the European Championship twice in 1987 and 2005, reached the "final four" in three FIBA World Championships (1994, 1998, 2006) and reached the "final four" in 7 of the last 11 European Championships. Greece has also won the Youth World Championship in 1995. They are the current World Championship silver medalists since 2006.
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[edit] History
Basketball in Greece has a very long history and tradition (Greece was one of the eight founding members of FIBA in 1932), but only came into prominence in the mid-eighties. Since 1986, the national team has a constant presence in international tournaments and the U21, U19 and youth squads have also won a host of medals in European and world competitions.
Basketball became extremely popular in Greece after the achievements of the Greek national team in Eurobasket 1987, when they won the gold medal and the first international title for a Greek national team ever.
[edit] 1949-1952: International Debut
Greece's first appearance in international competition came at Eurobasket 1949 in Cairo, Egypt, where they won the bronze medal after a 4-2 finish in the seven-team round robin tournament. The losses came against Egypt and France.
The Greeks returned for Eurobasket 1951 in Paris. They placed second in their preliminary group with a 2-1 record but lost the semifinals to the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Italy. Further losses to Turkey and Belgium in classification matches put Greece in 8th place in the 18-team field.
Greece also made its first Olympic Games appearance in 1952, but only managed to reach 17th position.
[edit] '60s and 70s: Decades of Obscurity
In the 1960s and 1970s the Greece national basketball team appeared sporadically in Eurobasket competitions, failing to qualify for the Olympic Games or the World Championships. In the mid-1980s, a strong group of players at the team's core helped to turn the group's fortunes. In 1986, Greece qualified for the first time for the FIBA World Championships, placing 10th.
[edit] Eurobasket 1987
In 1987 Greece was the Eurobasket host. That competition (commonly called Eurobasket 1987) was the 25th regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Twelve national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) entered the competition. Athens was the location of the event.
Greece won the tournament with a final game against the USSR. The Greek squad consisted of Panagiotis Giannakis, Panagiotis Fasoulas, Fanis Christodoulou, Nikos Stavropoulos, Argiris Kambouris, Nikos Linardos, Panagiotis Karatzas, Michalis Romanidis, Nikos Filippou, Liveris Andritsos, Memos Ioannou, the MVP of the tournament Nick Galis, and was coached by Kostas Politis. The national team's two point victory (103-101) over the Soviets in the final made basketball the national team sport overnight.
The points in the games were scored by Nick Galis 296 (averaging 37 per game - top scorer of the tournament and MVP), Panagiotis Giannakis 101, Panagiotis Fasoulas 98, Fanis Christodoulou 70, Argiris Kambouris 53, Liveris Andritsos 24, Michalis Romanidis 18, Memos Ioannou 16, Nikos Filippou 16, Nikos Linardos 4, Panagiotis Karatzas 2, Nikos Stavropoulos 1.
For the 1988 Olympic Basketball Tournament, Greece was poised for its first Olympics appearance in 36 years, but it was not to be. Disappointing performances saw the team bow out in the pre-Olympic competition.
[edit] Eurobasket 1989
At the next European Championship, the Eurobasket 1989, Greece again reached the final. Greece beat the Soviet Union in the semifinal, before bowing to a superior Yugoslavian team in the final and taking home the silver medal. The Greek squad consisted of Galis, Giannakis, Fasoulas, Christodoulou, Filippou, Dinos Angelidis, Kambouris, Patavoukas, Stergakos, Andritsos, Papadopoulos, Korfas, and was coached by Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou.
[edit] 1990-1998: Sustained Success But No Medals
For the next decade, there was a series of successful results in international meetings, both for the national team and at club level. Greece was present in all major international competitions (save for the Olympics in 1992), never falling below 6th place (and usually ending up 4th).
In 1990, in Argentina's World Championship, the team would face a new challenge. For the first time in a decade, it would have to compete without its leading scorer, Nikos Galis, who was injured. Nevertheless, Greece placed 6th despite strong competition.
In Eurobasket 1991 Greece placed 5th, and for the next 3 competitions (1993, 1995, 1997) it reached the semi-final but ultimately ended up 4th.
In 1994 FIBA World Championship the team reached the semifinals, but was eliminated by Dream Team II and was beaten in the third place game by Croatia 78-60. Despite the loss, the 4th place result was considered to demonstrate the continued prominence of the team.
In 1998 the World Championships where hosted by Greece and as hosts the Greeks were very close to qualifying for the final. They were just beaten in the semi-final by Yugoslavia in extra time. The disappointment of missing the chance to reach the finals and a certain medal led to an easy defeat to the USA team in the third place game (84-61), once more leaving Greece with the 4th place and without a medal.
Greece qualified for a second Olympic appearance in 1996, where the team reached the 5th position. The Greek team was partly composed of older players from the national team of 1987 (Giannakis, Christodoulous, Fasoulas) and partly of young stars (such as Sigalas, Ekonomou, Alvertis and Rentzias).
[edit] 1999-2004: Decline and Rebirth
The team failed in Eurobasket 1999 and 2001, and as a consequence did not qualify for the Sydney Olympics and the 2002 FIBA World Championship.
The Federation had to consider the representation of the country in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The team was overhauled for Eurobasket 2003, with a new coach Giannis Ioannidis and a new, younger roster. The experiment was partly successful, as Greece placed 5th, but the public was not very enthusiastic.
The next year, the team took part at the 2004 Olympic tournament as host, since the Games were held in Athens. In the first round, Greece finished their group games in second place, with three victories and two losses behind Lithuania and qualified for the quarter finals, where they were defeated 64-69 by eventual golden medalists Argentina. Despite the Greek hopes for a medal, the team only managed a 5th position, like the year before and the 1996 Olympics. They beat Puerto Rico 85-75 in the 5-6th place match.
[edit] Eurobasket 2005
During Eurobasket 2005, Greece advanced from the group phase in second place, with two victories and one defeat and then beat Israel 67-61 in an elimination game to reach the quarter-finals. There they faced Russia, beating them 66-61. In the semifinals, Greece beat France with a narrow 67-66 victory. France led by 7 with 1 minute to go, but Greece won the game with a last-second three-pointer by Dimitris Diamantidis from the top of the key. In the Final, Greece beat Germany 78-62, and were crowned European Champions for the second time.
[edit] 2006 FIBA World Championship
In preparation for the World Championship, Greece won the 2006 Stanković Cup going undefeated in the tournament. They were victorious over Australia by a score of 68-60, and eliminated Dirk Nowitzki's Germany 84-47 in the tournament's final game.
In Japan, Greece advanced undefeated from the group phase in first place with five close wins, and then defeated China 95-64 in an elimination game to reach the quarter-finals. There they faced France, beating them 73-56. In the semifinals, Greece defeated the popular favorite team, the United States, in a 101-95 upset, rallying back from 12 points down. In the Final, Greece lost to Spain 70-47, ending up with the silver medal. Despite the loss, the players were greeted enthusiastically by celebrating fans on their return to Greece.
[edit] Eurobasket 2007
In Eurobasket 2007, Greece advanced from the groups in second place with a 2-1 record; then compiled another 2-1 record in the qualification group stage to advance to the quarterfinals, where they faced Slovenia. The European Champions at that time, took a 63-62 win, having covered a 12-point disadvantage in the last 2' 22". Greece had an excellent game against clear favorites and organizers Spain, but lost in the final minutes of a very closely fought game. In the 3rd place game, Greece succumbed to Lithuania and finished 4th.
[edit] Olympic Games 2008
Greece will participate in the qualifying tournament for the Beijing Olympic Games, which will be held in Athens, Greece. There are 12 teams participating, and 3 available spots for the Olympic Games.
[edit] Participation in FIBA Competitions
[edit] Olympic Games
[edit] FIBA World Championships
[edit] European Championships
- 1949 -
- 1951 - 8th
- 1961 - 17th
- 1965 - 8th
- 1967 - 12th
- 1969 - 10th
- 1973 - 11th
- 1975 - 12th
- 1979 - 9th
- 1981 - 9th
- 1983 - 11th
- 1987 -
- 1989 -
- 1991 - 5th
- 1993 - 4th
- 1995 - 4th
- 1997 - 4th
- 1999 - 16th
- 2001 - 9th
- 2003 - 5th
- 2005 -
- 2007 - 4th
[edit] Mediterranean Games
[edit] Roster
Pre Olympic 2008 Tournament Roster:
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Greece National Basketball Team roster
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[edit] Past Rosters
Eurobasket 2007: finished 4th among 16 teams
Dimitris Diamantidis, Theodoros Papaloukas, Vassilis Spanoulis, Michalis Pelekanos, Lazaros Papadopoulos, Yiannis Bourousis, Nikos Zisis, Michalis Kakiouzis, Dimos Dikoudis, Kostas Tsartsaris, Nikos Hatzivrettas, Panagiotis Vasilopoulos (Coach: Panagiotis Giannakis)
2006 FIBA World Championship: finished 2nd among 24 teams
Dimitris Diamantidis, Theodoros Papaloukas, Vassilis Spanoulis, Antonis Fotsis, Lazaros Papadopoulos, Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Nikos Zisis, Michalis Kakiouzis, Dimos Dikoudis, Kostas Tsartsaris, Nikos Hatzivrettas, Panagiotis Vasilopoulos (Coach: Panagiotis Giannakis)
Eurobasket 2005: finished 1st among 16 teams
Dimitris Diamantidis, Theodoros Papaloukas, Vassilis Spanoulis, Nikos Zisis, Lazaros Papadopoulos, Michalis Kakiouzis, Dimos Dikoudis, Antonis Fotsis, Kostas Tsartsaris, Nikos Hatzivrettas, Yiannis Bourousis, Panagiotis Vasilopoulos (Coach: Panagiotis Giannakis)
2004 Olympic Games: finished 5th among 12 teams
Theodoros Papaloukas, Dimitris Diamantidis, Vassilis Spanoulis, Antonis Fotsis, Dimos Dikoudis, Michalis Kakiouzis, Lazaros Papadopoulos, Nikos Zisis, Kostas Tsartsaris, Nikos Hatzivrettas, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Fragiskos Alvertis (Coach: Panagiotis Giannakis)
Eurobasket 2003: finished 5th among 16 teams
Theodoros Papaloukas, Dimitris Diamantidis, Antonis Fotsis, Giorgos Sigalas, Michalis Kakiouzis, Fragiskos Alvertis, Dimos Dikoudis, Efthimios Rentzias, Nikos Hatzivrettas, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Jake Tsakalidis, Christos Charisis (Coach: Giannis Ioannidis)
Eurobasket 2001: finished 11th among 16 teams
Theodoros Papaloukas, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Antonis Fotsis, Giorgos Sigalas, Fragiskos Alvertis, Dimos Dikoudis, Michalis Kakiouzis, Efthimios Rentzias, Nikos Hatzivrettas, Ioannis Giannoulis, Giorgos Kalaitzis, Lazaros Papadopoulos (Coach: Kostas Petropoulos)
Eurobasket 1999: finished 16th among 16 teams
Giorgos Sigalas, Fragiskos Alvertis, Michalis Kakiouzis, Jake Tsakalidis, Nikos Boudouris, Aggelos Koronios, Ioannis Giannoulis, Giorgos Kalaitzis, Giorgos Balogiannis, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Vasilis Soulis, Giorgos Karagoutis (Coach: Kostas Petropoulos)
1998 FIBA World Championship: finished 4th among 16 teams
Nikos Ekonomou, Fragiskos Alvertis, Giorgos Sigalas, Efthimios Rentzias, Jake Tsakalidis, Panagiotis Fassoulas, Nikos Boudouris, Aggelos Koronios, Giorgos Kalaitzis, Giorgos Balogiannis, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Giorgos Karagoutis (Coach: Panagiotis Giannakis)
Eurobasket 1997: finished 4th among 16 teams
Nikos Ekonomou, Giorgos Sigalas, Fragiskos Alvertis, Fanis Christodoulou, Aggelos Koronios, Efthimios Rentzias, Nikos Boudouris, Kostas Patavoukas, Giorgos Kalaitzis, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Christos Myriounis, Ioannis Giannoulis (Coach: Panagiotis Giannakis)
1996 Olympic Games: finished 5th among 12 teams
Fragiskos Alvertis, Nikos Ekonomou, Panagiotis Giannakis, Fanis Christodoulou, Panagiotis Fassoulas, Giorgos Sigalas, Lefteris Kakiousis, Dinos Angelidis, Efthimios Rentzias, Efthimis Bakatsias, Kostas Patavoukas, Dimitris Papanikolaou (Coach: Makis Dendrinos)
Eurobasket 1995: finished 4th among 14 teams
Panagiotis Giannakis, Fanis Christodoulou, Fragiskos Alvertis, Nikos Ekonomou, Panagiotis Fassoulas, Giorgos Sigalas, Lefteris Kakiousis, Dinos Angelidis, Efthimios Rentzias, Kostas Patavoukas, Efthimis Bakatsias, Tzanis Stavrakopoulos (Coach: Makis Dendrinos)
1994 FIBA World Championship: finished 4th among 16 teams
Panagiotis Giannakis, Fanis Christodoulou, Panagiotis Fassoulas, Giorgos Sigalas, Nikos Boudouris, Efthimis Bakatsias, Kostas Patavoukas, Nasos Galakteros, Christos Tsekos, Efthimios Rentzias, Giannis Milonas, Argiris Papapetrou (Coach: Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou)
Eurobasket 1993: finished 4th among 16 teams
Panagiotis Giannakis, Panagiotis Fassoulas, Fanis Christodoulou, Giorgos Sigalas, Lefteris Kakiousis, Nikos Ekonomou, Nasos Galakteros, Efthimis Bakatsias, Kostas Patavoukas, Christos Tsekos, Georgios Bosganas, Giannis Papagiannis (Coach: Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou)
Eurobasket 1991: finished 5th among 8 teams
Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis, Panagiotis Fassoulas, Dinos Angelidis, Kostas Patavoukas, Argiris Kambouris, Vasilis Lipiridis, Liveris Andritsos, Giannis Milonas, Giorgos Gasparis, Georgios Papadakos, Dimitris Papadopoulos (Coach: Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou)
1990 FIBA World Championship: finished 6th among 16 teams
Panagiotis Giannakis, Panagiotis Fassoulas, Fanis Christodoulou, Nasos Galakteros, Kostas Patavoukas, Vasilis Lipiridis, Memos Ioannou, Liveris Andritsos, Argiris Kambouris, David Stergakos, Dimitris Papadopoulos, Giorgos Gasparis (Coach: Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou)
Eurobasket 1989: finished 2nd among 8 teams
Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis, Panagiotis Fassoulas, Fanis Christodoulou, Nikos Filippou, Dinos Angelidis, Argiris Kambouris, Kostas Patavoukas, David Stergakos, Liveris Andritsos, Dimitris Papadopoulos, John Korfas (Coach: Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou)
Eurobasket 1987: finished 1st among 12 teams
Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis, Panagiotis Fassoulas, Fanis Christodoulou, Michalis Romanidis, Nikos Filippou, Nikos Stavropoulos, Argiris Kambouris, Memos Ioannou, Liveris Andritsos, Panagiotis Karatzas, Nikos Linardos (Coach: Kostas Politis)
1986 FIBA World Championship: finished 10th among 24 teams
Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis, Fanis Christodoulou, Michalis Romanidis, Nikos Filippou, Liveris Andritsos, Nikos Stavropoulos, Argiris Kambouris, Argiris Pedoulakis, Panagiotis Karatzas, Dimitris Dimakopoulos, Christos Christodoulou (Coach: Kostas Politis)
Eurobasket 1983: finished 11th among 12 teams
Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis, Panagiotis Fassoulas, Michalis Romanidis, Minas Gekos, Vangelis Alexandris, Nikos Stavropoulos, Liveris Andritsos, Giannis Paragios, Albert Mallach, Manthos Katsoulis, Dimitris Kokolakis (Coach: Kostas Politis)
Eurobasket 1981: finished 9th among 12 teams
Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis, Liveris Andritsos, Kostas Petropoulos, Manthos Katsoulis, Kyriakos Vidas, Takis Koroneos, Asteris Zois, Vasilis Paramanidis, Giorgos Kastrinakis, Dimitris Karatzoulidis, Dimitris Kokolakis (Coach: Giannis Ioannidis)
Eurobasket 1979: finished 9th among 12 teams
Panagiotis Giannakis, Minas Gekos, Michalis Giannouzakos, Vasilis Paramanidis, Manthos Katsoulis, Sotiris Sakellariou, Takis Koroneos, Steve Giatzoglou, Charis Papageorgiou, Giorgos Kastrinakis, Dimitris Karatzoulidis, Dimitris Kokolakis (Coach: Dick Dukeshire)
Eurobasket 1975: finished 12th among 12 teams
Vasilis Goumas, Apostolos Kontos, Dimitris Kokolakis, Michalis Giannouzakos, Aris Raftopoulos, Sotiris Sakellariou, Takis Koroneos, Steve Giatzoglou, Charis Papageorgiou, Giorgos Kastrinakis, Pavlos Diakoulas, Dimitris Fosses (Coach: Vangelis Nikitopoulos)
Eurobasket 1973: finished 11th among 12 teams
Vasilis Goumas, Georgios Trontzos, Michalis Giannouzakos, Apostolos Kontos, Steve Giatzoglou, Aris Raftopoulos, Pavlos Stamelos, Christos Kefalos, Nikos Sismanidis, Giorgos Kastrinakis, Christos Iordanidis, Charis Papageorgiou (Coach: Kostas Mourouzis)
Eurobasket 1969: finished 10th among 12 teams
Georgios Kolokithas, Christos Zoupas, Vasilis Goumas, Georgios Trontzos, Apostolos Spanos, Georgios Barlas, Thanassis Christoforou, Makis Katsafados, Thanassis Peppas, Nikos Sismanidis, Andreas Chaikalis, Kostas Diamantopoulos (Coach: Fedon Mattheou)
Eurobasket 1967: finished 12th among 16 teams
Georgios Kolokithas, Georgios Trontzos, Christos Zoupas, Vasilis Goumas, Kostas Politis, Lakis Tsavas, Georgios Barlas, Takis Maglos, Stratos Bazios, Eas Larentzakis, Kostas Diamantopoulos, Andreas Chaikalis (Coach: Missas Pantazopoulos)
Eurobasket 1965: finished 8th among 16 teams
Georgios Kolokithas, Georgios Amerikanos, Georgios Trontzos, Kostas Politis, Eas Larentzakis, Andreas Chaikalis, Georgios Barlas, Petros Panagiotarakos, Dimitris Lekkas, Takis Maglos, Alekos Kontovounisios, Nikos Sismanidis (Coach: Fedon Mattheou)
Eurobasket 1961: finished 17th among 19 teams
Georgios Amerikanos, Kostas Politis, Antonis Christeas, Kostas Mourouzis, Nikitas Aliprantis, Stelios Gousios, Giannis Tsikas, Georgios Ekonomou, Giannis Bousios, Alekos Kontovounisios, Nikos Chalas, Dimitris Lekkas (Coach: Fedon Mattheou)
1952 Olympic Games: finished 19th among 23 teams
Fedon Mattheou, Nikos Milas, Giannis Lambrou, Panagiotis Manias, Aristidis Roubanis, Giannis Spanoudakis, Themis Cholevas, Alekos Spanoudakis, Kostas Papadimas, Dimitris Stefanidis, Goulielmos Arvanitis, Dimitris Taliadoros
Eurobasket 1951: finished 8th among 17 teams
Fedon Mattheou, Nikos Milas, Alekos Apostolidis, Stelios Arvanitis, Giannis Lambrou, Panagiotis Manias, Aristidis Roubanis, Giannis Spanoudakis, Alekos Spanoudakis, Mimis Stefanidis, Takis Taliadoros, Themis Cholevas (Coach: Vladimiros Vallas)
Eurobasket 1949: finished 3rd among 7 teams
Sokratis Apostolidis, Fedon Mattheou, Alekos Apostolidis, Stelios Arvanitis, Thanasis Kostopoulos, Giannis Lambrou, Nikos Nomikos, Missas Pantazopoulos, Nikos Skylakakis, Alekos Spanoudakis, Takis Taliadoros, Nikos Bournelos (Coach: Georgios Karatzopoulos)
[edit] External links
- Hellenic Basketball Clubs Ascociation
- Hellenic Basketball Federation
- Hellenic Fan Club Pelargoi
- Eurobasket history at FIBA Europe
- FIBA.com - International Basketball Federation
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