May 20, 2012
Team Profile 2010-11: PAOK Thessaloniki
PAOKPAOK Thessaloniki, a true legendary team in European basketball, aims to return to the Eurocup this season by playing its way through the Qualifying Rounds. Founded in 1928 as the basketball section of the black-and-white sports club, PAOK won its first Greek League title in 1959. Once the Greek League became professional in the mid-1960s, PAOK was placed in the second division, but joined the elite level in 1964. PAOK had to wait until the 1980s to make some noise again, reaching the Greek Cup final in 1982 and becoming the Greek League's runner-up in 1983. The next season, PAOK beat Aris in the Greek Cup final. A new era started when scoring machine Bane Prelevic joined the team in 1988. PAOK lifted its first European trophy in 1991, beating CAI Zaragoza 76-72 in the Saporta Cup final behind 31 points from Prelevic. PAOK returned to the Saporta Cup final in 1992, but a buzzer-beating jumper by Ricky Brown gave Real Madrid the trophy. PAOK bounced back that year by winning its second Greek League title. In 1993, Prelevic, Ken Barlow, Panagiotis Fasoulas and Cliff Levingston took PAOK all the way to the Euroleague Final Four, but Benetton knocked the team off in the semifinals. PAOK lifted its last European trophy to date, the Korac Cup, in 1994. With Zoran Savic and Walter Berry as its new additions, PAOK swept Trieste in the two-game finals. The club reached the Greek League finals that season, losing against Olympiacos. PAOK won two more Greek Cup titles in 1995 and 1999, played the Euroleague on regular basis and made it to the Greek League finals in 1998 and 2000. The club also advanced to the 1996 Saporta Cup final, losing against Baskonia despite the presence of signature players like Predrag Stojakovic and Efthimios Rentzias on the team. No more titles came, but PAOK has reached the Greek League playoffs almost every season since and advanced to the ULEB Cup quarterfinals in 2005 with Matt Nielsen as its main player. Last season, PAOK was fifth in the Greek League – its best ranking this decade – which could be a turning point for a team ready to play the Eurocup for the first time since 2007.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Eurocupbasketball.com
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