BC Kalev, known as BC Kalev/Cramo for sponsorship reasons, 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

club based in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

, Estonia. The team plays in the

Korvpalli Meistriliiga The Korvpalli Meistriliiga ( en, Basketball Champions League), known as the OlyBet Korvpalli Meistriliiga for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier level and most important professional basketball league in Estonia. It is controlled by the Es ...

, the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and the

FIBA Europe Cup The FIBA Europe Cup (FEC) is an annual professional club basketball competition organised by FIBA for eligible European clubs. It is FIBA's European-wide second level. Clubs mainly qualify for the competition based on their performance in natio ...

. They play their home games at the Kalev Sports Hall and

Saku Suurhall Unibet Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the Haabersti subdistrict of the Estonian capital, Tallinn. Opened in November 2001, it is the largest multi-purpose hall in the country with around 7,000 seats but can hold up to 10,000 people. It ...

. Kalev/Cramo have won 12 Estonian Championships, 8

Estonian Cup The Estonian Cup ( et, Eesti Karikas) is the national knockout competition in Estonian football. In 2012, the competition was unofficially rebranded as Evald Tipner's Cup. The winner will compete in UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifyi ...

s and 1

Latvian-Estonian Basketball League The Latvian-Estonian Basketball League is the highest professional men's club basketball league in Latvia and Estonia; it has been organised since 2018, run by the Latvian Basketball Association and the Estonian Basketball Association. History ...

title.

History

Early years (1998–2005)

Founded in 1998, the club started out as Canon ENM. Coached by Allan Dorbek the team joined top-tier

(KML) for the 1998–99 season. The club's first season was a disappointment, as the team finished in last place without winning a single game. In 1999, the team was renamed Ehitustööriist. The team's results improved slowly as Ehitustööriist finished the league in 7th place for four consecutive seasons. In 2003, the club merged with Audentes and became Ehitustööriist/Audentes, while the former Estonia national team coach

Maarten van Gent Maarten Herman van Gent (born 22 March 1947 in Rotterdam, Netherlands) is a Dutch basketball coach, manager, scout and businessman. Van Gent started playing basketball at age 17. He also played korfball and soccer in college. After serving in ...

was hired as head coach. The team finished the 2003–04 season in 5th place. After the season, Ehitustööriist/Audentes dissolved and both clubs continued separately. In 2004, Ehitustööriist moved to the new 7,200-seat

. The team finished the 2004–05 regular season with a 12–4 record and dominant in the playoffs. In the finals, they faced

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

. Ehitustööriist won the series and the team's first Estonian Championship 4 games to 3. Howard Frier was named Most Valuable Player of the season. The team also competed in the regional

Baltic Basketball League Baltic Basketball League (BBL) was the Baltic states basketball league founded in 2004. The league mainly focused on teams from the Baltic states, but teams from Sweden, Russia, Kazakhstan, Finland, and Belarus have participated in the Baltic L ...

for the first time, finishing in 7th place with an 8–10 record.

BC Kalev/Cramo (2005–present)

Coming off their first Estonian Championship, Ehitustööriist leased the trademark "Kalev" from AS Kalev and became BC Kalev/Cramo. Allan Dorbek was replaced as head coach by former Estonia national team shooting guard

Aivar Kuusmaa Aivar Kuusmaa (born 12 June 1967) is an Estonian basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played mostly at the shooting guard position. He won the USSR Premier Basketball League in 1991 as a member of the Tallinn Kalev b ...

for the 2005–06 season. On 2 October 2005, the team won their first

, defeating University of Tartu 70–64 in the final. Kalev/Cramo also made their debut in Europe, entering the 2005–06 season of the

FIBA EuroCup FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08) was the 3rd-tier level transnational men's professional continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run ...

but failed to advance past the group stage with just one victory in 6 games. In the KML, Kalev/Cramo finished the regular season in first place with a 21–3 record and reached the finals in the playoffs. The team defended their title, defeating University of Tartu 4 games to 3, winning the deciding seventh game 69–68. James Williams was named Finals MVP and Kuusmaa won the

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

award. Despite that, Kuusmaa was replaced by Veselin Matić for the 2006–07 season. The team won their second Estonian Cup in 2006, but was unable to defend the title. Kalev/Cramo reached the finals but lost the series 2–4 to University of Tartu. Despite losing in the finals,

Valmo Kriisa Valmo Kriisa (born 18 May 1974 in Pärnu, Estonia) is an Estonian former professional basketball player. He played at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Kriisa started his senior club career with "KK Tartu" team (Tartu Ülikool/Rock) in ...

won the Estonian Player of the Year award, while Travis Reed was named KML and BBL MVP and Matić won the Coach of the Year award. Kalev/Cramo saw limited success in Europe, reaching the second round in the

2006–07 FIBA EuroCup The 2006–07 FIBA EuroCup was a professional basketball tournament in Europe. The competition is regarded as the third-strongest pan-European club basketball competition. Akasvayu Girona became the champion, after beating Azovmash Mariupol in th ...

and competing in the European second tier

2007–08 ULEB Cup The 2007–08 ULEB Cup was the sixth season of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, the EuroCup, which is organized by Euroleague Basketball S.L. It was also the last season for the competition under the name ...

, but a record of 3–7 wasn't enough to advance past the group stage. The team won another Estonian Cup in 2007 and reached the finals in the 2007–08 season, but were swept by University of Tartu. In 2008,

Nenad Vučinić Nenad Vučinić ( sr-cyr, Ненад Вучинић; born 7 April 1965) is a Serbian-New Zealand basketball coach and former player. He once served as the interim head coach for Philippines men's national basketball team, with Chot Reyes repla ...

replaced Matić as head coach. Kalev/Cramo won their fourth consecutive Estonian Cup in 2008. The team finished the 2008–09 regular season in second place. In the semi-finals, Kalev/Cramo easily dispatched TTÜ in three games to reach the finals. In the finals, the team defeated University of Tartu 4 games to 2 and captured their third title. Forward Kristjan Kangur was named Finals MVP and the Estonian Player of the Year. In 2009, the team joined the newly established

VTB United League VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it ...

. In December 2009, Vučinić left Kalev/Cramo. The team struggled in the 2009–10 season and finished the regular season in fourth place with a 19–9 record under the former assistant coach Alar Varrak. The team lost in the semi-finals to University of Tartu but won the bronze medals in the third place games, winning the series in two games against TTÜ. Gregor Arbet, Estonia-Latvia, 2006

In July 2010, Aivar Kuusmaa returned to Kalev/Cramo. Led by

Gregor Arbet Gregor Arbet (born 19 June 1983) is a former Estonian professional basketball player and the current assistant coach for TalTech of the Estonian Korvpalli Meistriliiga. He is a 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) tall shooting guard and small forward. He rep ...

and

Armands Šķēle Armands Šķēle (born September 4, 1983) is a former Latvian professional basketball player. He was a member of Latvian National Team. He earned praise from fans for his artistic style of play that thrived on creativity and unorthodox moves. Du ...

, the team finished the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

regular season in first place. In the playoffs, Kalev/Cramo swept Rakvere Tarvas in the semi-finals 3–0 and University of Tartu in the finals 4–0. Šķēle was named Finals MVP and Kuusmaa won his second Coach of the Year award. Kalev/Cramo defended their title in the 2011–12 season, defeating Tartu Ülikool in the finals in a four-game sweep. Tanel Sokk was named Finals MVP and Kuusmaa once again won the Coach of the Year award. Kalev/Cramo struggled early in the 2012–13 season and after a 69–95 defeat to Rakvere Tarvas on 22 November 2012, Kuusmaa was sacked, with assistant coach Alar Varrak taking over the coaching reins. Despite the poor start, Kalev/Cramo finished the regular season in first place and swept the playoffs. Kalev/Cramo won their 6th Estonian Championship as Tanel Sokk claimed his second straight Finals MVP award. Alar Varrak was named Coach of the Year. The team also placed third in the 2012–13 Baltic Basketball League. With star players Gregor Arbet and Frank Elegar and the additions of

Vlad Moldoveanu Vlad-Sorin Moldoveanu (born February 11, 1988) is a Romanian professional basketball player who last played for CSO Voluntari. He also represents the Romanian national basketball team in international competition. Standing at , he plays at the po ...

and Rain Veideman, the team's success continued in the 2013–14 season. Kalev/Cramo once again finished the regular season in first place and was undefeated in the playoffs. Kalev/Cramo won their fourth consecutive Estonian Championship, while Moldoveanu was named Finals MVP and Varrak won his second Coach of the Year award. The team finished the 2014–15 regular season in second place. Kalev/Cramo swept TTÜ in the quarter-finals and Rapla in the semi-finals. In the finals, Kalev/Cramo once again faced University of Tartu, but lost the series 1–4. On 20 December 2015, Kalev/Cramo won their fifth Estonian Cup, defeating University of Tartu 73–55 in the final. Kalev/Cramo finished the 2015–16 season regular season in first place and undefeated. The team extended their winning streak in the quarter- and semi-finals. In the finals, the team faced University of Tartu and won the series 4 games to 1, the single loss being the team's only defeat in the season. Rolands Freimanis was named Finals MVP. Kalev/Cramo defended their title in the 2016–17 season, facing Rapla in the finals and winning the series 4 games to 0.

Branko Mirković Branko Mirković ( sr-cyr, Бранко Мирковић, bg, Бранко Миркович; born October 5, 1982) is a Serbian-Bulgarian professional basketball player who currently plays for Pieno žvaigždės Pasvalys of the Lithuanian Basket ...

was named Finals MVP. In November 2017, Varrak was sacked and replaced by

Donaldas Kairys Donaldas Kairys (born 6 March 1977) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. Coaching career On 4 February 2020, Kairys was signed by Avtodor Saratov as head coach. He left the position after the season ended. On 9 Jun ...

. The team won their third consecutive league title in the 2017–18 season, defeating University of Tartu in the finals 4 games to 0. Kristjan Kangur, who returned to the club for the season, was named Finals MVP. In the 2018–19 season, Kalev/Cramo finished the inaugural Estonian-Latvian Basketball League in third place and won their fourth consecutive KML title. On September 17, 2021, Kalev beat Juventus 77–70 in the final qualifying round of the

Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL) is an annual professional basketball competition for European clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the top-level competition organised by FIBA Europe, therefore the champion participates in the FIBA Intercont ...

and became the first Estonian team to qualify for the competition's regular season. On February 24, 2022 Kalev terminated their membership with

due to Russian war against Ukraine.

Sponsorship naming

The team has had several denominations through the years due to its sponsorship. In 2005, the team leased the trademark "Kalev" from AS Kalev and became BC Kalev/Cramo. *Canon ENM: 1998–1999 *Ehitustööriist: 1999–2001 *Ehitustööriist/Kalev: 2001–2003 *Ehitustööriist/Audentes: 2003–2004 *Ehitustööriist: 2004–2005 *BC Kalev/Cramo: 2005–present

Logos

BC Kalev-Cramo logo.svg, BC Kalev (2005–2016) BC Kalev-Cramo crest.png, BC Kalev/Cramo (2016–2020) BC Kalev Cramo logo.png, BC Kalev/Cramo (2018-2020) BC_KC_logo_Dark_RGB@4x-8.png, BC Kalev/Cramo (2020–present)

Home arenas

* Kalev Sports Hall: (1998–2002, 2017–present) *Valtu Sports Hall: (2002–2003) * Audentes Sports Center: (2003–2004) *

: (2004–present)

Players

Current roster

Depth chart

Squad changes for the 2021–22 season

In

Out

Coaches

* Allan Dorbek: 1998–2003 *

: 2003–2004 * Allan Dorbek: 2004–2005 *

: 2005–2006 * Veselin Matić: 2006–2008 *

: 2008–2009 * Alar Varrak: 2010 *

: 2010–2012 * Alar Varrak: 2012–2017 *

: 2017–2019 * Roberts Štelmahers: 2019–2022 * Heiko Rannula: 2022–

Season by season

Trophies and awards

Trophies

* Estonian Championship: (12) ** 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09,

, 2011–12,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

**Runners-up (3): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2014–15 *

: (8) **2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2022 **Runners-up (4): 2009, 2011, 2013, 2021 * Estonian-Latvian Championship: (1) ** 2020–21

Individual awards

Estonian Player of the Year *

– 2007 * Kristjan Kangur – 2009 KML MVP * Howard Frier – 2005 * Travis Reed – 2007 KML Finals MVP * Tanel Sokk – 2012, 2013 * Kristjan Kangur – 2009, 2018 *

– 2017, 2019 * James Williams – 2006 *

– 2011 *

– 2014 * Rolands Freimanis – 2016 *

Chavaughn Lewis Chavaughn Lewis (born February 1, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Ironi Kiryat Ata of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played high school basketball at St. Mary's High School in Manhasset, New York, reaching the ...

– 2021 KML Best Defender * Bamba Fall – 2012 *

– 2014

KML Coach of the Year The KML Coach of the Year ( et, Korvpalli Meistriliiga aasta treener) is an award for the top-tier professional basketball league in Estonia, the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML). Winners See also * Korvpalli Meistriliiga * KML Most Valuable Playe ...

– 2006, 2011, 2012 * Alar Varrak – 2013, 2014, 2016 *

– 2018, 2019 * Allan Dorbek – 2005 * Veselin Matić – 2007 *

– 2009 * Roberts Štelmahers – 2021

VTB United League Young Player of the Year The VTB United League Young Player of the Year is an annual VTB United League award given since the 2012–13 VTB United League season to the league's best young player. Players who are under age 23 are eligible. Winners : There was no awardin ...

* Isaiah Briscoe – 2018 BBL MVP * Travis Reed – 2007 All-KML Team *

– 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016 * Kristjan Kangur – 2007, 2008 * Tanel Sokk – 2012, 2013 * Frank Elegar – 2013, 2014 * Howard Frier – 2005 * Víctor González – 2005 *

Rait Keerles Rait Keerles (born 22 November 1980) is a retired Estonian professional basketball player. Keerles started his professional career in 1997, when he signed with BC Kalev. He has also played for Canon ENM and BC Tallinna Kalev before signing with B ...

– 2006 *

– 2007 * Travis Reed – 2007 *

Charron Fisher Charron Fisher (born November 15, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. College career After attending Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Fisher played college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier bask ...

– 2010 *

– 2011 * Bamba Fall – 2013 * Rain Veideman – 2014 * Scott Machado – 2015 * Shawn King – 2016 * Sten Sokk – 2016 *

– 2017 * Isaiah Briscoe – 2018 * Bojan Subotić – 2018 *

– 2019 *

Arnett Moultrie Arnett Nathaniel Moultrie (born November 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. He played college basketball with UTEP and Mississippi State. High school In Mou ...

– 2019 * Janari Jõesaar – 2021 *

Marcus Keene Marcus Johnny Rashaan Keene (born May 6, 1995) is an American basketball player for SIG Strasbourg of the French LNB Pro A. He gained national prominence in 2016–17 season as a redshirt junior while at Central Michigan University, having been ...

– 2021 * Devin Thomas – 2021

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:BC Kalev BC Kalev/Cramo Kalev Basketball teams established in 1998 1998 establishments in Estonia Sport in Tallinn