Maroussi B.C.
| Maroussi B.C. K.A.E. Μαρούσι | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Leagues |
C National Greek Cup | ||
| Founded | 1950 | ||
| History | 1950–present | ||
| Arena |
Maroussi Indoor Hall (capacity 2,500) | ||
| Location | Marousi, Athens, Greece | ||
| Team colors |
Yellow and Black | ||
| President | Konstantinos Koutsoukos | ||
| Head coach | Kostas Keramidas | ||
| Championships |
Saporta Cup (1): 2001 | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
Maroussi B.C. (Greek: K.A.E. Μαρούσι) sometimes translated as GS Amaroussi, is a basketball club based in Marousi, a northern suburb of Athens in Greece.
The club played for many years in the top-tier Greek Basket League but was demoted to the third tier semi-professional B Basketball League following severe financial difficulties and relegated to the fourth-tier C league for the 2016 season.
History
1950-1998
Gymnastikos Syllogos Amarousiou (Amarousi Sports Club) was founded in 1896, the same year as Maroussi native Spyridon Louis won the marathon at the Summer Olympics. The club's basketball section started in 1950.
The basketball section played in minor leagues for the first two decades of its existence. It reached the top division in 1969, where it played for one season before relegation.
In the 1970s Nikos Darivas played as point guard and Dimitris Fosses as center,[1] and from the 1971-1972 season the club played in the top division for all but one year of the following decade. It qualified for the 1978–79 FIBA Korać Cup.
The club was relegated after the 1980-81 season and alternated between the second tier A2 League and the third tier B League for 18 years.
1998-2010
Maroussi was promoted to the first division for the 1998-1999 season, and moved from the Spiros Louis Gym to the newly constructed Maroussi Indoor Hall.
Maroussi won the European second tier Saporta Cup in 2001 with a team coached by Vangelis Alexandris that featured the inside-outside scoring tandem of Jimmy Oliver and Ashraf Amaya and the rebounding skills of Vassil Evtimov.[2] It was the sixth greek team to win a continental title.
The club received financial backing from businessman Aris Vovos.[3]
The club played in the Saporta Cup and its successor Eurocup Basketball, the third tier FIBA Korać Cup and the fourth tier FIBA Europe Champions Cup. It reached the final of the third tier 2003-04 Europe League but lost to UNICS Kazan. In the Greek Cup it reached the Final Four in 1999-2000 and the final in 2001-02.
Under coach Panagiotis Giannakis and with playmaker Vassilis Spanoulis recipient of the Best Young Player award, the club finished second in the 2003-04 regular season with a 21-5 record. It beat A.E.K. Athens B.C., runner-up the preceding year and champions the year before, in the playoffs before losing in the final to Panathinaikos.[2]
In 2005 the club was second in the regular season, finishing fourth in the postseason after losses to A.E.K. in the semifinals and Panionios in the 3rd place playoff.
Spanoulis moved to Panathinaikos in 2005. In the 2005-06 season Maroussi finished second to Olympiacos,and was defeated by the same team in the semifinals. Maroussi lost the 3rd place playoff against Aris. In the Greek Cup they were beaten in the final.
Coach Giannakis left Maroussi in 2006 to concentrate on managing the national team. The following season the side finished the season in 8th place and reached the first round of the playoffs.
In the 2007-08 season Soulis Markopoulos joined the team and it finished 6th in the regular season. In the playoffs Maroussi beat Aris in the first round then took Olympiacos to a 5th game in the semi-finals, losing by one point. The team lost the 3rd place playoff.
Under Coach of the Year Markopoulos they finished 4th in 2009 season, lost to Olympiacos in the playoff semi-finals, but won the 3rd place playoff against Aris, qualifying for the Euroleague for the first time.[4]
In 2010 Markopoulos left for P.A.O.K and was replaced by Georgios Bartzokas, a former Maroussi player.
Maroussi beat Aris and Alba Berlin in the 2009-2010 Euroleague Qualifiers to reach the group stage. In group C they beat Maccabi Tel Aviv at home and reached the Top 16, beating Panathinaikos and Partizan Belgrade in the Olympic Indoor Hall.
In the Greek League they finished third, but were beaten in the semi-final by Olympiacos. In the 3rd place playoff they beat Panellinios, to again qualify for the Euroleague. Kaimakoglou was elected to the Greak League Best Five and Bartzokas became the third Maroussi coach in five years to receive the Greek league's Best Coach award.
Since 2010
Club president Aris Vovos left the club during the 2010 off-season, leaving a gap in the club's finances.[5] After a consortium led by Giorgos Gamaris and Thanasis Maris failed to gain control of the club its ownership reverted to the amateur section in October.[6]
The team was only allowed to be registered to the Greek League on appeal. Players unions criticized late salary payments. The Euroleague revoked its licence to play in the Qualifying Rounds.[7] Former Panathinaikos football player Vasilis Konstantinou, a Marousi native who had played youth basketball with the team, was named president in October. Coach Vangelis Alexandris returned to replace the departing Bartzokas whilst experienced players such as Nestoras Kommatos, Ioannis Gagaloudis and Dimitrios Charitopoulos were brought in to form a squad following a player exodus.[8] They finished the 2010-11 season in 5th place,but lost in the first round of the playoffs. They qualified for the EuroCup but were not permitted to participate.
In May 2011 Maroussi was ordered by FIBA's Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (BAT) to pay thousands of euros to former player Jared Homan in unpaid salaries and bonuses.[9] Maroussi was unable to pay Homan or Georgios Diamantopoulos who won a similar ruling in August. The club was banned from registration of new players in November 2011. A temporary agreement with Homan led to the suspension of the ban for one day, during which Frank Elegar was recruited.
Nikos Linardos became coach for the 2011-12 season, which began with a long losing streak, despite Kommatos and Gagaloudis being top scorer and assist leader in the league.
The team's financial crisis deepened. Gagaloudis, Kommatos, Charitopoulos and Elegar left the club due to unpaid salaries. Teenagers from the youth team such as Dimitrios Agravanis and Lampros Tsontzos were moved to the starting five. It was prohibited from selling tickets to home games due to unpaid taxes and ceased paying its players and staff.[10] Maroussi finished the season with a 1-23 record, winning only against Peristeri, another team with financial problems.[11] Due to bankruptcy the club was demoted to the third tier semi-professional B Basketball League.
Arenas
The team plays in the 2,500 capacity Maroussi Indoor Hall, leased to the club by the municipality of Marousi.
Euroleague games were played at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Marousi.
Titles and achievements
- Saporta Cup
- Winner: 2001
- EuroChallenge
- Runners-Up: 2004
- Greek Basket League
- Runners-Up: 2004
- Greek basketball Cup
- Runners-Up: 2002, 2006
Seasons
Notable players
Maroussi players who have played in the NBA
Notable coaches
Sponsorship Names
- Telestet (2001–03)
- TIM (2003–04)
- Honda (2004–07)
- Costa Coffee (2007–09)
Notes
- ↑ "Maroussi"Euroleague, 28 March 2007. Retrieved on 27 April 2015.
- 1 2 "2008-09 Club Profile: Maroussi Costa Coffee."Eurocup, 1 September 2008. Retrieved on 27 April 2015.
- ↑ Georgakopoulos, George."Small club’s meteoric rise to glory."Athens Plus, 12 February 2010. Retrieved on 27 April 2015.
- ↑ "Euroleague 2009-10 Club Profile – Maroussi BC."Euroleague. Retrieved on 27 April 2015.
- ↑ Georgakopoulos, George."Empty pockets, empty stands."Athens Plus, 24 September 2010. Retrieved on 27 April 2015.
- ↑ Georgakopoulos, George."Maroussi in danger of missing out on A1 league."Athens Plus, 8 October 2010. Retrieved on 27 April 2015.
- ↑ "Maroussi's licence to play Qualifying Rounds revoked."Euroleague, 16 September 2010. Retrieved on 27 April 2015.
- ↑ Mammides, Chris. "Eurobasket News Report – Greece – Transfer News."Eurobasket.com, 13 October 2010. Retrieved on 27 April 2015.
- ↑ "Arbitral award (BAT 0134/10) - Mr. Jared Homan vs. Maroussi B.C."Basketball Arbitral Tribunal, Geneva, 9 May 2011. Retrieved on 27 April 2015.
- ↑ "Greek basketball league crumbling amid country's financial crisis."Sports Illustrated, Athens, 12 April 2012. Retrieved on 27 April 2015.
- ↑ Maguire, Ken. "Victory at last: Maroussi wins 58-52."KingsofMaroussi.com, Marousi, 3 March 2012. Retrieved on 27 April 2015.
External links
- "Maroussi BC at.", RealGM. Retrieved on 28 April 2015.
- "Maroussi BC at", Eurobasket.com. Retrieved on 28 April 2015.
- "Maroussi (Team History - EuroCup 2008) at.", FIBA Europe. Retrieved on 14 April 2015.
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||