Rīgas ASK

Rīgas ASK
Leagues USSR Premier League
(1953–1991)
LBL
(1991–1997)
Founded 1931
Folded 1997
History Rīgas ASK
(1931–1997)
Location Riga, Latvian SSR & Latvia
Team colors Yellow and Blue
         
Uniforms

Rīgas ASK (Rīgas Atlētika Sporta Klubs) was a professional basketball club that was based in Riga, Latvian SSR.

History

Rīgas ASK was founded in 1931, and started playing in the Latvian Basketball Championship. In the Soviet years the club became a member of the USSR Premier League, which lasted until 1991 (and to 1992 as the CIS Unified League). In 1953, head coach Alexander Gomelsky came to the club, and he remained with it until 1966.[1]

Almost immediately, Gomelsky led ASK to the top of the USSR League, winning league championships in 1955, 1957, and 1958,[2] and then to the top of the European-wide top-tier level, by winning the FIBA European Champions Cup (now called EuroLeague)) three times in a row.[3][4][5].

In 1997, Rīgas ASK merged with BK Brocēni, and BK ASK Brocēni was thus created.[6]. In 2004, a new club under the name of BK Rīga was founded, and in 2006, it was renamed to ASK Rīga, after gaining the support of the Riga City Council, the National Latvian Army Forces, and some powerful sponsors.

Honours

Total titles: 6

Domestic competitions

Winners (3): 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58
Runners-up (2): 1961–62, 1963–64

European competitions

Winners (3): 1958, 1958–59, 1959–60
Runners-up (1): 1960–61 [7]

Notable players

Rīgas ASK coaches

  • Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Gunārs Baldzēns (1953)
  • Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Alexander Gomelsky (1953–1966)
  • Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Maigonis Valdmanis (1966–1969)
  • Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Gunārs Baldzēns (1969–1970)
  • Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Juris Kalniņš (1970–1971)
  • Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Jānis Zeltiņš (1971–1974 & 1987–1988)
  • Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Valentīns Meļņičuks (1974–1981)
  • Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Nikolajs Bolvačovs (1981–1986 & 1988)
  • Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Aleksandrs Gostevs (1988)
  • Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Armands Krauliņš (1989–1990)
  • Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Pēteris Višņēvics (1990–1991)

References

  1. ↑ Aleksandr "Sascha" Gomelsky. Jewishsports.net. Retrieved on 31 October 2016.
  2. ↑ ASK|Basket.lv
  3. ↑ FIBA European Champions Cup 58.
  4. ↑ FIBA European Champions Cup 1958/59.
  5. ↑ FIBA European Champions Cup 1959/60.
  6. ↑ Countries in Eurocups: USSR / Latvia.
  7. ↑ FIBA European Champions Cup 1960/61


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