Iraklio OAA B.C. (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece 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 ...

: Ηράκλειο OAA KAE), also known simply as Iraklio, or Heraklion, is a

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 (appr ...

club that is based in the city of

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban A ...

, on the island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

, in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. It is a department of the ''Heraklion Tennis and Team Sports Club'' (

: Όμιλος Αντισφαιρίσεως και Αθλοπαιδιών - OAA - «Ηράκλειο»), a multi-sport club established in

in 1928. The club's basketball department was founded in 1968, and currently competes in the Cretan Basket League, hosting its home games at the

Heraklion Indoor Sports Arena Heraklion Indoor Sports Arena, or simply, Heraklion Arena, is a multi-purpose indoor arena that is located in the city of Heraklion, on the island of Crete, in Greece. It is located in a district called Dyo Aorakia (English: Two Aorakia). The a ...

, a multi-purpose

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

with a capacity of 5,500 spectators. Irakleio is considered the most successful basketball club in

, being the sole club to have represented the city in the top-tier

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

, as well as the most successful club on the

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

, at least until the rise of the Rethymno Cretan Kings in the early 2010s. Iraklio OAA further administers competitive departments for

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

and

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

History

Creation

Iraklio OAA was established in 1928, primarily operating as a

club. In 1968, under president Giorgos Deligiannakis, the club decided to expand its activities thus founding

team sports A team sport includes any sport where individuals are organized into opposing teams which compete to win or cooperate to entertain their audience. Team members act together towards a shared objective. This can be done in a number of ways s ...

departments for

and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

, reinstating its defunct

department, as well as establishing competitive

and

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

departments. The first coach of the basketball department was Michalis Dardantakis, who was replaced by Kostas Rigas shortly thereafter. In 1973, Iraklio was promoted to the

Greek B Basket League The Greek B Basket League, or Greek B Basketball League (Greek: Ελληνική Β Μπασκετ Λιγκ), is a national basketball league in Greece. It is also known as the Second National Championship, B National Championship, Second National ...

, where it kept playing for 5 straight seasons, until 1978, when it was relegated to the local Cretan Championship. After a dormant period spanning almost nine years, in which the club played in local competitions, an organized effort was made by newly appointed General Manager Manolis Papakaliatis to return to national competitions. Within just seven years, Iraklio achieved multiple promotions. In the 1993–94 season, the club competed in the

Greek A2 Basketball League The Greek A2 Basket League ( el, Ελληνική Α2 Μπάσκετ Λιγκ, link=no), is a professional basketball league in Greece. It is the 2nd-tier level of pro competition, among clubs in the country. It is organized by the Hellenic Baske ...

for the first time in its history. The very next season, Iraklio finished 2nd in the league, thus managing promotion to the A1 Greek Basket League, the top tier of the

Greek basketball league system The Greek basketball league system is a number of interconnected competitions for professional basketball clubs in Greece. The system has a hierarchical format with a promotion and relegation system between competitions at different levels. There ...

, becoming the first

Cretan Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

club to achieve this feat.

1995–2003: Domestic success and European outings

Iraklio lived its glory days during the mid 90s, when the club was promoted to the A1 Greek Basket League. Despite being relegated in its inaugural season in the league, the club instantly returned to top-flight after winning the 1996–97 A2 Championship. The next season saw the club finishing in 8th place during regular season, thus clinging to a spot in the Greek basketball playoffs. They beat traditional

powerhouse

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...

in both games of their first round playoff series, thus finishing seventh overall in the league, which to this day still remains the best season performance in the history of the club. To accomplish this feat, Iraklio had one of the most impressive home records (13–2) at the end of the 1997–98 season, which propelled them towards their first ever

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

competition appearance. Iraklio consequently played in the

1998–99 FIBA Korać Cup The Korać Cup European basketball competition for 1998–99 was won by FC Barcelona Bàsquet FC Barcelona Bàsquet (English: FC Barcelona Basketball), commonly referred to as FC Barcelona () and colloquially known as Barça (), is a profess ...

, where they managed to reach the Round of 32. The club upheld a competitive profile throughout its next seasons in the

by managing to sign former

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 ...

veterans into its rosters, most notably

Oliver Miller Oliver J. Miller (born April 6, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. He was nicknamed "The Big O" because of his large size ( and well over throughout his pro career). Miller played college basketball at the University of ...

(22nd overall pick in the

1992 NBA draft The 1992 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1992, at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. The draft is considered to be one of the deepest in NBA history. The top three picks (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner) were considere ...

) for the 1998–99 season and

Willie Burton Willie Ricardo Burton (born May 26, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (9th overall pick) in the 1990 NBA draft from the University of Minnesota. Burton played for nume ...

(9th overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft) in 1999–2000. Iraklio peaked its domestic performance during the 2002–03 season, notably managing to reach the

Greek Basketball Cup The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup (Greek language, Greek: Κύπελλο Ελλάδος καλαθοσφαίρισης ανδρών) is the top-tier level annual pro basketball national cup competition in Greece. It is organiz ...

Final Four (eventually placing in 4th place in the competition). At the end of the 2003–04 season, Iraklio lost its place in the

finishing in 13th place, thus being relegated to the A2 Championship after seven consecutive seasons in top-flight.«HEBA Championship 2003-04 Division A1»
, πληροφορίες στον ιστότοπο GalanisSportsData.com. Throughout the season, Iraklio won only 7 games, six of which during the First Round, while going on a 13-game losing streak which spanned from 13 December 2003 to 2 May 2004.«Ανασκόπηση 2003-2004 : Διπρόσωπο το “Ηράκλειο” στην 7η και μοιραία παρουσία του στην Α1 - Στατιστική Εικόνα της Ομάδας»
patris.gr, 11 May 2004 (in Greek). At the end of the season, the club tied in 12th place with

Ionikos Nea Filadelfeia Ionikos Nea Filadelfeia (also Ionikos Nea Philadelphia) is a sport club that is based in Nea Filadelfeia, an Athenian suburb. The full name of club is A.S. Ionikos Nea Filadelfeia (Greek: Α. Σ. Ιωνικός Νέας Φιλαδέλφειας). ...

, both having 33 points on the Table, yet Iraklio was eventually relegated in head-to-head ranking (having lost to Ionikos 94−87 in

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...

Arenas

Irakleio previously used the 1,500 seat Lido Indoor Hall as its home arena. It currently uses the 5,500 seat

as its home arena. The 2,400 seat TEI Indoor Sports Hall is also available for the club to use, if needed.

Titles and honors

* Greek 2nd Division Champion (1): **1997

Roster

Notable players

Greece: *

Marios Batis Marios Batis (alternate spelling: Mpatis) ( el, Μάριος Μπατής, link=no; born 20 June 1980) is a Greek former professional basketball player and current assistant coach. During his club playing career, at a height of is a 1.91 m (6'3") ...

* Christos Charissis *

Georgios Gasparis Giorgos Gasparis (alternative spellings: Georgios, Giorgios) ( el, Γιώργος Γάσπαρης; born January 31, 1965, in Greece) is a retired Greek professional basketball player. At a height of , he played at the point guard and shooting ...

Fotis Katsikaris Fotios Katsikaris (alternate spelling: Fotis) (Greek: Φώτιος Κατσικάρης, born 16 May 1967) is a Greek professional basketball coach and a former professional basketball player, he was most recently head coach for the Unicaja Málag ...

John Korfas John Anthony Korfas ( el, Τζον Κόρφας; born August 21, 1962) is a Greek-American professional basketball coach and former player. A EuroLeague All-Final Four Team member in 1993 (PAOK), he won all three FIBA Europe continental trophies a ...

Nikos Liakopoulos Nikolaos "Nikos" Liakopoulos ( el, Νικόλαος "Νίκος" Λιακόπουλος; born March 16, 1983 in Greece) is a Greek professional basketball player for KAO Korinthou of the Greek 3rd division. He is a 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) tall p ...

Dimitris Lolas Dimitrios Lolas (alternate spelling: Dimitris) (Greek: Δημήτριος Λόλας; born January 31, 1986) is a Greek professional basketball player for Niki Volou of the Greek 3rd division. At a height of 6'8" (2.03 m), he can play at both th ...

Christos Myriounis Christos Myriounis ( el, Χρήστος Μυριούνης) (born June 15, 1971 in Athens) is a retired Greek professional basketball player. At a height of 2.05 m (6'8 "), he played as a small forward-power forward. Professional career Myriouni ...

Alfa Ntiallo Alfa Agkimpou Ntiallo Fasengas (alternate spellings: Alpha, Diallo, Dialo, Ntialo) ( el, Άλφα Αγκιμπού Ντιάλο Φασένγας; born 13 October 1992), is a Guinean professional basketball player for Pagrati and . Early life Nt ...

* Pete Papachronis *

Argiris Papapetrou Argiris Papapetrou (alternate spellings: Argirios, Argyris, Argyrios) ( el, Αργύρης Παπαπέτρου; born February 21, 1965) is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach. At 6'9" (2.06 m) in height, he played at the pow ...

Ioannis Sioutis Ioannis Sioutis (alternate spelling: Giannis) ( el, Γιάννης Σιούτης; born July 27, 1973) is a Greek retired professional basketball player and current assistant coach for AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Έν ...

Vangelis Sklavos Evangelos "Vangelis" Sklavos (alternate spelling: Vaggelis) (Greek: Ευάγγελος "Βαγγέλης" Σκλάβος; born 1 December 1977) is a Greek former professional basketball player. He was born in Athens, Greece. At a height of 2.02 m ...

Europe: * Frederick Forte Africa: * Samir Gouda USA: *

* James Forrest *

Derrick Hamilton Derrick T. Hamilton (born November 30, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Clemson. Hamilton was also a member of ...

Antonio Harvey Antonio Harvey (born July 6, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Harvey attended Southern Illinois University (1988–89), Connors State College (1989–90), the University of Georgia (19 ...

* Jimmy Oliver *

Richard Rellford Richard Allen Rellford (born February 16, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player. Born in Riviera Beach, Florida, he was a 6' 6" (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) power forward. He played four games in the NBA, and three seaso ...

* Carl Thomas Rest of Americas: *

Andrés Guibert Andrés Guibert (born October 28, 1968) is a Cuban former professional basketball player. In 1993, he defected from the Cuban delegation at the 1993 Centrobasket tournament held in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Professional career Guibert played in the Na ...

* José Piculín Ortiz

Head coaches

Vangelis Alexandris Evangelos "Vangelis" Alexandris ( el, Ευάγγελος "Βαγγέλης" Αλεξανδρής; born February 2, 1951) is a Greek professional basketball coach and a retired professional player. During his playing career, his nickname was "The Ti ...

References

External links

Official website

Eurobasket.com Team Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irakleio B.C. Basketball teams in Crete Basketball teams in Heraklion