Ilias Zouros (alternate spelling: Elias) (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: Ηλίας Ζούρος; born March 11, 1966) is a Greek professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

Club coaching career

Some of the teams Zouros has been a head coach of include: Olympiacos Piraeus,

Sagesse Beirut Sagesse Sports Club (), known as Hekmeh () in Arabic, is a multi-sports club supported primarily by the Maronite Christian community. History Hekmeh, or Club Sportif La Sagesse was founded in 1943, under the patronage of the Maronite father Bo ...

, Peristeri Athens,

Aris Thessaloniki Athlitikos Syllogos Aris Thessalonikis, means Athletic Club Aris Thessaloniki (), is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club founded on 25 March 1914 in Thessaloniki. Nicknamed ''God of War'', Aris was one of the strongest Greek clubs during t ...

Paris Basket Racing Paris Basket Racing, or PBR, was a French professional basketball club from Paris. It was founded in 1922, as the basketball section of the sports club, multi-sports club Racing Club de Paris. The team took the name "Paris Basket Racing" in 2000. ...

Panellinios Athens Panellinios G.S. (Greek: Πανελλήνιος Γ.Σ.), full name, Panellinios Gymnastikos Syllogos (Greek: Πανελλήνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος), is a Greek multi-sport club that is located in Athens and was founded i ...

, Žalgiris Kaunas, and Efes Istanbul. He was named the 2010 EuroCup Coach of the Year. He returned to coach Žalgiris Kaunas in 2013. He was fired after a poor start in the season. On 25 June 2019, he signed with

Peristeri Peristeri (Greek language, Greek: Περιστέρι, meaning "pigeon/dove" in Greek) is a city and a suburban municipality in the western part of the Athens#Athens Urban Area, Athens agglomeration, Greece. With 133,630 inhabitants (2021 census), ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

. On 29 November 2019, his contract has been terminated by Peristeri. On 26 January 2024, Zouros signed as head coach of

AEK Athens A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Establishe ...

of the

for the rest of the season. On June 6 2024, Ilias Zouros resigned as head coach

Sagesse SC Sagesse Sports Club (), known as Hekmeh () in Arabic, is a multi-sports club supported primarily by the Maronite Christian community. History Hekmeh, or Club Sportif La Sagesse was founded in 1943, under the patronage of the Maronite father Bo ...

Of the

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is recognized as the top-tier professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketb ...

for the 2024-2025 season. On October 27, following

Maroussi Marousi or Maroussi (), also known as Amarousio (), is a city and a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens urban area, Greece. Marousi dates back to the era of the ancient Athenian Republic; its ancient name was '' Athmonon'' () and it r ...

's defeat by

Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan-Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis''), ...

, and Nikos Vetoulas resigning, Maroussi has appointed Zouros as the team's new head coach. His partnership with Maroussi lasted less than two months, with Zouros being replaced by

Fotis Takianos Fotios "Fotis" Takianos (Greek: Φώτης Τακιανός; born April 14, 1969) is a Greek former professional basketball player and current basketball coach who most recently served as the head coach for Maroussi of the Greek Basketball Leagu ...

on December 9.

National team coaching career

Greece (2011–2012)

Zouros was announced as the new head coach of the senior men's

Greek national basketball team The Greece men's national basketball team () represents Greece in international basketball. They are controlled by the Hellenic Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Greece. Greece is currently ranked 13th in the FIBA Wo ...

in March 2011. He coached Greece at the

EuroBasket 2011 EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted the 1939 champions ...

. After the failure of Greece to qualify for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

at the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Zouros' contract to coach the Greek national team was not renewed.

Georgia (2016–2023)

On 18 February 2016, Zouros was appointed as head coach of the senior men's Georgian national team. He coached Georgia at the

EuroBasket 2017 EuroBasket 2017 was the 40th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe and held between 31 August and 17 September 2017. Beginning from 2017, the continental championships take place every four years with a similar ...

and the

EuroBasket 2022 The EuroBasket 2022 was the 41st edition of the EuroBasket championship organized by FIBA Europe. It was the first since it was agreed it would take place every four years, with a similar system of qualification as for the FIBA Basketball World C ...

. Under Zouros, Georgia made its World Cup debut at the

2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 19th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 25 August to 10 September 2023. The tournament was the second to feature 32 teams and was hosted by multipl ...

. In September 2023, Zouros' contract was not renewed, ending his tenure as head coach after nearly eight years.

Coaching titles

Sagesse ''Sagesse'' () is a volume of French poetry by Paul Verlaine. First published in 1881 (see 1880), it was important in the symbolist and modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emph ...

(2003–04): **

Champion: (2004) **

FIBA Asia Champions Cup The Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia), formerly the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, is an annual continental club men's basketball competition organised by FIBA Asia. It is the highest level club competition for basketball in Asia. Introduce ...

Champion: (

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

) * Žalgiris (2011): **

Baltic League The Baltic League (officially known as the Triobet Baltic League) was a Baltic men's football club tournament held four times between the top club sides from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Launched in 2007 inspired by the now defunct Scandinavi ...

Champion: (

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

) ** Lithuanian League Champion: (2011) **

Lithuanian Cup The Lithuanian Football Federation Cup (), also known as Hegelmann LFF Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a Lithuanian football cup competition contested in a knockout tournament format. The winner of the cup gains entitlement to participate in the ...

Winner: (2011)

Coaching awards

* EuroCup Coach of the Year: (2010)

References

External links

Official Blog

Euroleague.net Coaching ProfileEurobasket.com Coaching ProfilePanellinios B.C. Head Coach: Ilias Zouros
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zouros, Ilias 1966 births Living people Anadolu Efes S.K. coaches AEK B.C. coaches Aris B.C. coaches Basketbol Süper Ligi head coaches BC Žalgiris coaches Greek basketball coaches Greek expatriate basketball people in France Greek expatriate basketball people in Lithuania Greek expatriate basketball people in Turkey Greece national basketball team coaches KK Budućnost coaches Levallois Metropolitans coaches Olympiacos B.C. coaches Panellinios B.C. coaches Paris Racing Basket coaches Peristeri B.C. coaches Promitheas Patras B.C. coaches Sagesse SC (basketball) coaches