BC Mgzavrebi ( ka, საკალათბურთო კლუბი არმია), also known as Mgzavrebi Tbilisi, is a professional
basketball club based in
Tbilisi, that plays in the
Georgian Super Liga. The club was affiliated to the
Georgian Ministry of Defense
The Ministry of Defense of Georgia (, ''sakartvelos tavdatsvis saministro'') is the Georgian government ministry in charge of the Defense Forces of Georgia and regulating activities in defence of the country from external threats, preserving terr ...
.
History
Armia traces its roots to the first army sports club of
Tbilisi, which was formed in 1937 and went on to win the
USSR basketball championship twice, in 1944 and 1946. A reformed Army Sports Club (ASK) then participated in the
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
national championship for three seasons, between 1996 and 1999.
The current club was re-established in 2010, and made its debut in the Superliga on November 6 of that year. Coached by Levan Moseshvili, they established themselves as the strongest team in the country straight away, winning the championship title by defeating
TSU Tbilisi TSU Tbilisi is a Georgian association football club. The club played in Umaglesi Liga from 1996 until 2001, and withdrew from Pirveli Liga in 2004.
The club represent Tbilisi State University
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University ( ka, ...
3-1 in the play-off finals. They also won the Georgian Cup, and the Georgian Super Cup that year.
For the 2011–12 season, the coaching role was taken up by former player and club captain Kote Tugushi. The club signed a number of high-profile foreign players, including some with
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
experience, such as
Sundiata Gaines
Sundiata Kofi Gaines (born April 18, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. He played college basketball at the University of Georgia.
High school career
Gaines attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, ...
,
Jeremy Richardson
Jeremy Terrell Richardson (born March 1, 1984) is an American professional basketball player. He is a 6'7", 210 lb. swingman and he has played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Memph ...
and
Guillermo Diaz Guillermo Diaz may refer to:
* Guillermo Díaz (footballer, born 1926), Chilean footballer
* Guillermo Díaz (footballer, born 1930) (1930–1997), Chilean footballer
* Guillermo Díaz (wrestler) (born 1964), Mexican Olympic wrestler
*Guillermo Dí ...
. Armia competed on international stage in
EuroChallenge competition, where they were narrowly eliminated at the group stage. However, they convincingly retained the Superliga title by finishing the regular season without a loss, and defeating BC Olimpi 3-1 in the play-off finals. They once again completed a clean sweep of trophies by winning the Cup and the Super Cup.
The club went into the 2012-13 season with a strong squad that included experienced international players such as
Curtis Millage,
Marcus Faison
Marcus Vondell Faison (born February 18, 1978) is a Belgian-American former professional basketball player. He played Division I basketball for Siena College prior to his professional career.http://sienasaints.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/01 ...
and
Lamayne Wilson. Nevertheless, Armia were once again eliminated at the group stage of EuroChallenge. A decision by the Ministry of Defence to reduce its funding of the club led to the departure of all foreign players in December. With an all-Georgian squad, Armia still managed to finish in a respectable 3rd position in the Superliga play-offs. However, the club ended the season without a major domestic trophy for the first time since its reformation in 2010.
Season by season
Roster
{{Basketball roster footer
, head_coach =
* {{player, , Georgia ,
Anatoli Berishvili
Anatoli ( el, Ανατολή) is a town and a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southe ...
, asst_coach =
* {{player, , GEO, Nikoloz Tsintsadze
External links
Official websiteTeam Profile
Basketball teams in Georgia (country)
Sport in Tbilisi
Basketball teams in the Soviet Union