AKK Branik Maribor

Akademski košarkarski klub Branik Maribor (English: Academic Basketball Club Branik Maribor), commonly referred to as AKK Branik Maribor or simply Branik, is a basketball team based in Maribor, Slovenia. The club was originally formed in 1948 as a basketball section of SŠD Polet. It was also named Satex (1992–1997), Pošta Maribor (1998–1999) and ZM Maribor (1999–2001) due to sponsorship reasons. Branik folded in 2005 because of financial difficulties. A new club called ŠD Primorac was founded in 2001 and joined the Branik Sports Association in 2008. The club regard themselves as the spiritual continuation of the 2005 dissolved team. AKK Branik is currently playing in the Slovenian Second League, the second-tier league of Slovenian basketball.

Branik Maribor
LeaguesSlovenian Second League
Founded1948 (1948)
(as KK Polet)
2001 (2001)
(as ŠD Primorac)
ArenaLjudski vrt Sports Hall
(Capacity: 2,100)
LocationMaribor, Slovenia
Team colorsWhite, Black
         
PresidentAlojz Križman[1]
Head coachAleksandar Čikić
WebsiteOfficial website

History

1948–2005

The club was formed in 1948 as a basketball section of SŠD Polet.[2] It was renamed to Branik Maribor in 1950[1] and won its first Slovenian title in the next year. The club left the Branik Sports Association in 1966, renamed to KK Maribor 66 and changed colours to purple and white. Under that name they played in the Yugoslav First Federal Basketball League in the 1969–70 season.[3] The club then renamed to KK Marles, while Branik Sports association formed its own team to compete in lower ranks. After Marles' three relegations, both teams merged back in 1975 under the name Branik. In 1987, the club merged with fierce city rival ŽKK Maribor to form KK Maribor 87 as a new city team.[3] The latter played in the Yugoslav 1. B League, but after the independence of Slovenia it disintegrated back to ŽKK and Branik. Branik took Maribor 87's place in Premier A Slovenian Basketball League and played there until 2000. All Maribor-based clubs, including Branik, folded in 2005.[3]

2008–present

ŠD Primorac Basketball School, formed in 2001, joined the Branik Sports Association in 2008 and renamed to AKK Branik in 2011.[1][2] The team has qualified for the Slovenian Second League in the 2007–08 season. The team was relegated back to the third division after finishing in the last, 13th position in the 2012–13 season. After KK Maribor went bankrupt in 2015 and Branik became the only remaining basketball team in the city, the Basketball Federation of Slovenia gave them a wild card to compete in the Slovenian Second League for the 2015–16 season.[4]

Arena

The team's home arena is Ljudski vrt Sports Hall in Maribor with a capacity of 2,100.[5]

Season-by-season records
Season League Position Season League Position
1949Slovenian League5th1969*Yugoslav Second League West1st
1950Slovenian League2nd1970*Yugoslav First Federal League12th
1951Slovenian League2nd1970*Yugoslav Second League West6th
1952Slovenian League1st1971*Yugoslav Second League West12th
1953Slovenian League?1972Slovenian League12th
1954Slovenian League2nd1973Slovenian League8th
1955Slovenian League1st1974Slovenian League8th
1956Slovenian League2nd1975Slovenian League4th
1957Slovenian League5th1976Slovenian League7th
1958Slovenian League6th1977Slovenian League6th
1959Slovenian League5th1978Slovenian League1st
1960Slovenian League6th1979Slovenian League2nd
1961Slovenian League4th1980Slovenian League1st
1962Slovenian League3rd1981Yugoslav Second League West12th
1963Slovenian League5th1982Slovenian League3rd
1964Slovenian League5th1983Slovenian League7th
1965Slovenian League1st1984Slovenian League3rd
1966*Slovenian League3rd1985Slovenian League6th
1967*Slovenian League5th1986Slovenian League7th
1968*Yugoslav Second League West1st1987Slovenian League2nd
  • As Maribor 66

References
  1. "Akademski košarkarski klub Branik" [Academic Basketball Club Branik]. www.maribor.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  2. AKK Branik. "Zgodovina" [History] (in Slovenian). AKK Branik. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  3. Jaka Lopatič (14 December 2013). ""Maribor bi lahko bil najboljše košarkarsko mesto, če ne bi skozi tekla Drava"". siol.net (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  4. STA (18 September 2015). "Mariborska košarka pred novimi izzivi" [Maribor basketball faces new challenges] (in Slovenian). Ekipa24. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  5. "Športna dvorana Lukna" [Lukna Sports Hall] (in Slovenian). City of Maribor. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
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