Always competitive, proud and ambitious, PAOK is back to the Eurocup for the first time since 2007 with a talented roster and thousands of wild fans ready to give the team a one-of-a-kind support. Soulis Markopoulos has a nice mix of young and experienced players that may pay off really well in the long run. His floor general will be Justin Gray, a combo guard with court vision, deep range and quickness. He may see minutes as off-guard, especially when Giorgios Apostolidis or recently inked Donnie McGrath steps on court. McGrath offers deep range and clutch performance at both guards. Experienced, ready and always thinking team first, Apostolidis has returned to PAOK after seven years playing elsewhere. Mihalis Giannakidis is expected to see more playing time at both wings due to his athleticism and versatility. Rawle Marshall will one of PAOK's main scoring references. Deadly in transition game, Marshall offers deep range, ballhandling and know-how. Experienced forward Georgios Dedas and young talent Dimitris Kalampakas will offer size and aggressiveness off the bench. PAOK needed a talented power forward and found him in DeShawn Sims, who will make his professional debut in Thessaloniki. A good mid-range shooter that rebounds well at both ends, Sims can finish in transition due to his athleticism or power the offensive board for second-chance points. PAOK's reference down low will be experienced center Lazaros Papadopoulos, a talented big man with a great set of post skills, highlighted by his trademark hook shots. A Eurocup champion in 2006, Papadopoulos returns to the Eurocup ready to show he is still a dominant center. Former All-Eurocup center Todor Gecevski provides deep range, rebounding skills and a high basketball IQ. Adonis Kesisoglou and Nikos Kalles will see limited playing time in PAOK's rotation off the bench.

PAOK needed four years to return to the Eurocup but its tradition, fan base, know-how and trophy case turn him into a dangerous team at any level. Founded in 1926 asa sports club in Thessaloniki, PAOK opened its basketball section in 1928 and became one of the oldest teams in Europe. The basketball team folded soon after that but was opened again, this time for good, after World War II. All PAOK Fans had to wait until 1959 to see their team win its first Greek League title. Once the Greek League became professional in 1963, PAOK was placed in the second division but promoted right away. It has been in the Greek elite since that moment, but PAOK became a big team in the 1980s. PAOK reached the Greek Cup final in 1982 and was second in the 1983 Greek League right behind archrivals Aris. In 1984, PAOK took revenge by downing Aris 74-70 to conquer its first Greek Cup title. Coach Faidonas Mathaiou ordered his players to shave their heads and it worked as an extra motivation to down Aris. Scoring machine Bane Prelevic joined PAOK in 1988 and took PAOK to a new level. In 1991, Prelevic led PAOK to the Saporta Cup title, downing CAI Zaragoza 76-72 in the final played in Geneva, Switzerland. PAOK conquered its second Greek League title in 1992 and went back to the Saporta Cup final, but a buzzer-beating jumper by Ricky Brown allowed Real Madrid to get a 63-65 win and lift the trophy. PAOK earned the right to play in the 1992-93 Euroleague and reached the Final Four in Athens. Benetton stood on the way to the title, downing PAOK 77-79 in the semifinal. Prelevic, Walter Berry and Zoran Savic led PAOK to lift the 1994 Korac Cup trophy, sweeping Stefanel Trieste in the two-way final. That season, PAOK returned to the Greek League finals, losing against Olympiacos amid controversy. PAOK added two more Greek Cup titles in 1995 and 1999 and reached the Greek League finals once again in 1998 and 2000. The club moved to PAOK Sports Arena in 2000 but Prelevic retired soon after that and PAOK has not been able to compete for a title since then. PAOK, led by Matt Nielsen, reached the ULEB Cup quarterfinals in 2004-05, losing against eventual champs Lietuvos Rytas. Last season, PAOK bounced back and was fifth in the Greek League, its best ranking since 2000. PAOK now hopes to live up to the expectations and please its many fans with a good run in the 2010-11 Eurocup.

Lazaros Papadopoulos

PROVISIONAL ROSTER Lazaros Papadopoulos C 213 Mihalis Giannakidis G 192 Giorgios Apostolidis G 197 Georgios Dedas F 198 DeShawn Sims F 203 Justin Gray G 188 Rawle Marshall F 201 Nikos Kalles C 211 Adonis Kesisoglou C 206 Todor Gecevski C 210 Dimitris Kalampakas F 202 Donnie McGrath G 193 Coach: Soulis Markopoulos