Near East B.C.
Near East B.C. | |||
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Leagues |
Greek A2 League Greek Cup | ||
Founded | 1927 | ||
History | 1927 – Present | ||
Arena |
Near East Indoor Arena (capacity: 1,300) | ||
Location | Kaisariani, Athens, Greece | ||
Team colors |
Red and White | ||
Head coach | Tolis Karnesis | ||
Championships |
1 Greek Championship (1936) 1 Greek 2nd Division (1998) | ||
Website | Eurobasket.com | ||
Uniforms | |||
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A.O. Near East B.C. is one of the oldest professional basketball clubs in Greece. The basketball club was founded in 1927. The team is located in Kaisariani, Greece, which is a suburb of the city of Athens, Greece. Near East's home arena, Near East Indoor Arena, is located only about 2 miles from the downtown center of Athens. It takes its name from the Near East Foundation.
History
Early history
Near East B.C. was one of the teams that participated in the first Pan-Hellenic Basketball tournament, which took place in Thessaloniki, Greece. In 1936, Near East B.C. won its first official Greek League championship, by defeating The University of Athens basketball team in Thessaloniki. To this day, this is still the only Greek National Championship the club has won. In 1937, Near East B.C. finished second in the Greek League championship, as The University of Athens basketball club defeated them in the championship's final.
Recent history
In more recent times, the Near East basketball team struggled to hold on to its position in the top-tier level league in Greece, the first division Greek Basket League. In 1998, the team won the top Greek pro league's second division championship, the Greek A2 League. The team participated in the European-wide 3rd-tier level FIBA Korać Cup, in the years 2000 and 2001. In 2002, the team competed in the Greek first division, for the last time in recent years.
Championships
- Total Titles: 2
- National: 1
- Greek League:
- 1936
- Greek League:
- Divisional: 1
- Greek 2nd Division:
- 1998
- Greek 2nd Division:
In European competitions
Notable players
Kostas Tsartsaris Christos Tapoutos Giorgos Karagkoutis Vassilis Xanthopoulos Kostas Politis Kostas Kaimakoglou Marios Batis Nikos Papanikolopoulos Antonios Asimakopoulos Nikos Vetoulas Vangelis Vourtzoumis Dimitris Fosses - Anatoly Zourpenko - Franko Nakić Anthony Bowie Shawn Respert Randy White David Vaughn III Lynn Greer Andrés Guibert Shane Heal