Gymnastikos Syllogos Iraklis Basketball Club (Greek: Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Ηρακλής Κ.Α.Ε., Greek pronunciation: [iɾa'klis]) is a Greek professional basketball team that is located in Thessaloniki. It serves as the senior men's basketball section of the multi-sport club of G.S. Iraklis. Iraklis currently plays in the second-tier level Greek A2 Basket League.
The Iraklis parent athletic club was founded in 1908, and initially featured football. The club was named after Heracles (or Hercules), the mythical Greek demigod. The basketball team of Iraklis was established in 1921.[2]
Iraklis won the inaugural Greek League championship in 1928.[3][4] To win the championship, Iraklis had to eliminate AEK Athens and Near East, before beating VAO in the championship game.[5] The team won its second Greek championship in 1935.[3] Also in the team's history, three times Iraklis finished in second place in the Greek Championship (1936, 1962, and 1964), three times Iraklis has been a Greek Cup Finalist (1981, 1994, and 1996), and two times Iraklis made it to the semifinals of the European 2nd-tier level league Cup Winners' Cup.[6]
In 2006, Iraklis was relegated to the Greek A2 Basket League, after finishing 13th in the first-tier Greek League.[9] In 2010, after four seasons in the second-tier level Greek League, the team was promoted back up to the top-tier Greek Basket League.[10] After one season in the Greek top-tier level, Iraklis was again relegated down to the A2, with two matches left in the season.[11] At the end of the season, Iraklis chose to play in the third-tier level of Greek basketball, the Greek B Basket League, in order to clear its debts.[12][13][14] The club was promoted to the Greek A2 Basket League in 2013, after finishing 2nd in its group, and after Peristeri failed to receive financial clearance to participate in the league.[15]
In the 2018–19 season, Iraklis won the promotion playoffs of the Greek A2 League, and was promoted up to the top level Greek Basket League, for the first time in 8 years.[16] During the 2019–20 season, Iraklis is taking part in the Greek Basket League organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation. The season started in October 2019 and was scheduled to end in June 2020. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the championship was terminated earlier. Iraklis took the 7th place with 29 points, having 9 wins and 11 losses in a total of 20 games. In the 2020–21 season, Iraklis returned to European competitions, taking part in the qualifying round of the Basketball Champions League and later on in the 2020–21 FIBA Europe Cup where the club reached the Top16 round having 3 wins and 1 loss. In the 2020–21 season Iraklis took the 10th place with 29 points, having 7 wins and 15 losses in a total of 22 games.
In earlier times, Iraklis played its home games at the Thessaloniki Forum. Iraklis currently plays its home games in the Ivanofeio Sports Arena, an arena with a seating capacity of 2,500.[17] The arena opened in 1987, and it was expanded to its current capacity in 1991. Ivanofeio is situated in the Thessaloniki city center, and it is owned by the GS Iraklis multi-sport club.[18]
Supporters
The most prominent supporters' club of the team is Aftonomi Thira 10 (meaning Autonomous Gate 10), a fan club with a total of 15 branches in Northern Greece.[19] The fan club is known for holding an antiracist stance, as it participates in the Ultras Antiracist Festival.[20] Other activities of the fan club include the publication of a magazine, and the conducting of an annual festival.[21][22] Other minor supporters' clubs are SFISE, Blue Boys, A.P.A.T.S.I., and Iraklis Fan Club of Athens.[23] In a 2013 opinion poll, Iraklis was ranked as the 6th most popular basketball club in Greece, gathering 2.8% of the participating supporters' votes.[24]
^ (in Greek). Αυτόνομη Θύρα 10 Official site. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
^Αντιρατσιστικό οπαδικό μήνυμα (in Greek). gazzetta.gr. 4 July 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
^Το περιοδικό της "Αυτόνομης" (in Greek). Bluearena.gr. 20 September 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
^"SICK 'N' BLUE festival στο Ιβανώφειο" (in Greek). Bluearena.gr. 25 May 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
^ (in Greek). Αυτόνομη Θύρα 10 Official site. 2 January 2011. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
^Τι έλαβαν όλες οι ομάδες στο "οπαδοψήφισμα" (in Greek). gazzetta.gr. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
External links
Official Website (in Greek and English)
Eurobasket.com Team Profile
Press
Blue Arena
January 12, 2023
iraklis, main, article, iraklis, thessaloniki, gymnastikos, syllogos, iraklis, basketball, club, greek, Γυμναστικός, Σύλλογος, Ηρακλής, greek, pronunciation, iɾa, klis, greek, professional, basketball, team, that, located, thessaloniki, serves, senior, basketb. Main article G S Iraklis Thessaloniki Gymnastikos Syllogos Iraklis Basketball Club Greek Gymnastikos Syllogos Hraklhs K A E Greek pronunciation iɾa klis is a Greek professional basketball team that is located in Thessaloniki It serves as the senior men s basketball section of the multi sport club of G S Iraklis Iraklis currently plays in the second tier level Greek A2 Basket League IraklisNicknameThe ElderLeaguesGreek A2 Basket LeagueGreek CupFounded1921 102 years ago 1921 HistoryG S Iraklis B C 1921 Present ArenaIvanofeio Sports ArenaCapacity2 500 1 LocationThessaloniki GreeceTeam colorsWhite and Blue Team managerLefteris KakiousisHead coachGiannis DagiosTeam captainDimitrios CharitopoulosOwnershipTheodoros Rizoulis2021 22 position13thChampionships2 Greek Championships 2 Greek Second DivisionsWebsiteiraklis bc grHomeAwayThe team s colors are blue and white Iraklis won the Greek National Championship in 1928 and 1935 and has also reached the Greek Cup final three times Some of the greatest players in Greek European and worldwide basketball have played for Iraklis over the years including Lefteris Kakiousis Jure Zdovc James Donaldson Walter Berry Xavier McDaniel Roy Tarpley Nikos Chatzivrettas Vasily Karasev Lazaros Papadopoulos Dimitris Diamantidis and Sofoklis Schortsanitis Contents 1 History 1 1 Recent history 2005 present 1 2 In European wide competitions 2 Honours and titles 2 1 European competitions 2 2 Domestic competitions 3 Home arena 4 Supporters 5 Players 5 1 Current roster 5 2 Depth chart 6 Notable players 7 Head coaches 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksHistory EditThe Iraklis parent athletic club was founded in 1908 and initially featured football The club was named after Heracles or Hercules the mythical Greek demigod The basketball team of Iraklis was established in 1921 2 Iraklis won the inaugural Greek League championship in 1928 3 4 To win the championship Iraklis had to eliminate AEK Athens and Near East before beating VAO in the championship game 5 The team won its second Greek championship in 1935 3 Also in the team s history three times Iraklis finished in second place in the Greek Championship 1936 1962 and 1964 three times Iraklis has been a Greek Cup Finalist 1981 1994 and 1996 and two times Iraklis made it to the semifinals of the European 2nd tier level league Cup Winners Cup 6 Iraklis reached the semifinals of the 1994 95 FIBA European Cup where they competed against Taugres 7 Iraklis won the first game 79 78 but lost the next two games to be eliminated 2 1 in a best of three series 7 In 1996 an Iraklis team led by former NBA players Xavier McDaniel and Roy Tarpley reached the Greek Cup Final Four 8 By beating Apollon Patras in the semifinal Iraklis reached the final where it then lost 85 74 to Panathinaikos 8 Iraklis has also twice competed in the top European continental competitions The club played in the European top tier level European Champions Cup in the 1995 96 season and also competed in the FIBA SuproLeague during the 2000 01 season Recent history 2005 present Edit In 2006 Iraklis was relegated to the Greek A2 Basket League after finishing 13th in the first tier Greek League 9 In 2010 after four seasons in the second tier level Greek League the team was promoted back up to the top tier Greek Basket League 10 After one season in the Greek top tier level Iraklis was again relegated down to the A2 with two matches left in the season 11 At the end of the season Iraklis chose to play in the third tier level of Greek basketball the Greek B Basket League in order to clear its debts 12 13 14 The club was promoted to the Greek A2 Basket League in 2013 after finishing 2nd in its group and after Peristeri failed to receive financial clearance to participate in the league 15 In the 2018 19 season Iraklis won the promotion playoffs of the Greek A2 League and was promoted up to the top level Greek Basket League for the first time in 8 years 16 During the 2019 20 season Iraklis is taking part in the Greek Basket League organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation The season started in October 2019 and was scheduled to end in June 2020 However due to the coronavirus pandemic the championship was terminated earlier Iraklis took the 7th place with 29 points having 9 wins and 11 losses in a total of 20 games In the 2020 21 season Iraklis returned to European competitions taking part in the qualifying round of the Basketball Champions League and later on in the 2020 21 FIBA Europe Cup where the club reached the Top16 round having 3 wins and 1 loss In the 2020 21 season Iraklis took the 10th place with 29 points having 7 wins and 15 losses in a total of 22 games In European wide competitions Edit Main article G S Iraklis B C in international competitionsHonours and titles EditEuropean competitions Edit FIBA Saporta CupSemifinalists 2 1994 95 1996 97Domestic competitions Edit Iraklis won the inaugural Greek Championship in 1928 and won it again in 1935 Greek LeagueChampions 2 1927 28 1934 35 Runners up 3 1935 36 1961 62 1963 64Greek CupRunners up 3 1980 81 1993 94 1995 96Greek Second DivisionChampions 2 1974 75 1977 78Home arena EditMain article Ivanofeio Sports Arena Ivanofeio Sports Arena In earlier times Iraklis played its home games at the Thessaloniki Forum Iraklis currently plays its home games in the Ivanofeio Sports Arena an arena with a seating capacity of 2 500 17 The arena opened in 1987 and it was expanded to its current capacity in 1991 Ivanofeio is situated in the Thessaloniki city center and it is owned by the GS Iraklis multi sport club 18 Supporters EditThe most prominent supporters club of the team is Aftonomi Thira 10 meaning Autonomous Gate 10 a fan club with a total of 15 branches in Northern Greece 19 The fan club is known for holding an antiracist stance as it participates in the Ultras Antiracist Festival 20 Other activities of the fan club include the publication of a magazine and the conducting of an annual festival 21 22 Other minor supporters clubs are SFISE Blue Boys A P A T S I and Iraklis Fan Club of Athens 23 In a 2013 opinion poll Iraklis was ranked as the 6th most popular basketball club in Greece gathering 2 8 of the participating supporters votes 24 Players EditCurrent roster Edit Iraklis B C rosterPlayers CoachesPos No Nat Name Ht Wt AgeF 3 Paparegkas Nikos 2 00 m 6 ft 7 in 28 1994 07 31 31 July 1994SG 5 Gathright Tyre 1 94 m 6 ft 4 in 26 1996 12 11 11 December 1996SG 11 Liapis Michail 1 92 m 6 ft 4 in 84 kg 185 lb 27 1995 03 11 11 March 1995PF 12 Makris Vassilis 2 00 m 6 ft 7 in 31 1992 01 01 1 January 1992F C 15 Charitopoulos Dimitrios C 2 07 m 6 ft 9 in 113 kg 249 lb 39 1983 11 14 14 November 1983G 20 Georgakis Fotis 1 91 m 6 ft 3 in 21 2001 04 20 20 April 2001PG 21 Tzakopoulos Triantafyllos 1 87 m 6 ft 2 in 37 1985 01 12 12 January 1985G 22 Papantoniou Nondas 1 91 m 6 ft 3 in 98 kg 216 lb 32 1990 04 28 28 April 1990F 24 Taylor Kevion 1 98 m 6 ft 6 in 100 kg 220 lb 23 1999 01 12 12 January 1999C 32 Voulgaropoulos Stratos TW 2 18 m 7 ft 2 in 102 kg 225 lb 22 2000 10 31 31 October 2000 Head coach Giannis DagiosAssistant coach es Panagiotis Lampropoulos Alexandros AnastasiadisLegend C Team captain Injured Roster Updated 20 December 2022Depth chart Edit Pos Starting 5 BenchC Dimitris Charitopoulos Stratos VoulgaropoulosPF Kevion Taylor Vassilis MakrisSF Tyre Gathright Nikos PaparegkasSG Michalis Liapis Fotis GeorgakisPG Nondas Papantoniou Triantafyllos TzakopoulosNotable players EditNote Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events Players may hold other non FIBA nationality not displayed CriteriaTo appear in this section a player must have either Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time Played at least one official NBA match at any time David Ancrum 1987 92 Vangelis Angelou 1995 96 Walter Berry 1994 95 Roderick Blakney 2001 02 Steve Burtt Sr 1995 Steve Bucknall 1996 98 Nikos Chatzivrettas 1997 02 Dimitris Diamantidis 1999 04 Byron Dinkins 1998 00 James Donaldson 1993 94 Toney Douglas 2021 22 Justin Hamilton 2004 05 Olivier Hanlan 2019 21 Savvas Iliadis 2002 05 2011 Buck Johnson 1998 00 Lefteris Kakiousis 1987 97 2004 05 2009 10 Dimitris Kalaitzidis 2002 05 2016 20 Georgios Karagkoutis 2000 02 Vasily Karasev 2000 01 Takis Karatzoulidis 1971 85 Manthos Katsoulis 1990 93 Vassilis Kavvadas 2019 21 Xavier McDaniel 1995 96 Erik Meek 1996 97 2001 02 Igor Milosevic 2003 05 Aristeidis Moumoglou 1960 67 1970 72 Dimitris Papadopoulos 1985 94 1996 97 Lazaros Papadopoulos 1996 01 2003 04 Michalis Polytarchou 2018 19 Vladimir Petrovic Stergiou 2009 11 Sotiris Sakellariou 1971 84 Sofoklis Schortsanitis 2000 03 Charles Smith 1997 Nikos Stavropoulos 1992 93 Roy Tarpley 1996 Christos Tsekos 1986 92 Jure Zdovc 1993 96 Greek internationals of Iraklis Papadopoulos played a total of six seasons with Iraklis in 1996 2001 and 2003 2004 Schortsanitis played with Iraklis from 2000 to 2003 Dimitris Diamantidis played with Iraklis from 1999 to 2004 Head coaches Edit Jure Zdovc played for Iraklis between 1993 and 1996 and coached the team in the 2005 06 season Head Coach From To Titles amp Honors Makis Piritidis 1979 1980 Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou 1980 1981 1 Greek Cup Finalist 1981 Michalis Giannouzakos 1987 1987 Soulis Markopoulos 1987 1990 Steve Giatzoglou 19901996 19921996 1 Greek Cup Finalist 1996 Theodoros Rodopoulos 1992 1992 Ciko Awerbuck 1992 1992 Johnny Neumann 1992 1993 Dragan Sakota 19931998 19942000 1 Greek Cup Finalist 1994 Slobodan Subotic 19941995 19951995 Tom Newell 1996 1996 Zoran Slavnic 1997 1997 Vangelis Alexandris 19972015 Makis Dendrinos 2000 2000 Lefteris Kakiousis 20042009 20052010 Jure Zdovc 2006 2006 Darko Russo Nov 2010 Jan 2011 Georgios Kalafatakis Jan 2011 Feb 2011 Chris Chougkaz Feb 2011 Sep 2011 Makis Kalantaridis Sep 2011 Oct 2011 Thodoris Albanis Oct 2011 Mar 2012 Antonis Kyritsis Mar 2012 May 2012 Dimitris Vatos May 2012 Jul 2012 Thomas Kostopoulos Jul 2012 Jul 2013 Dimitris Tsolakis Jul 2013 Sep 2013 Stefanos Perkos Sep 2013 Apr 2014 Giorgos Kyroudis Apr 2014 Nov 2014 Giannis Damalis Nov 2014 Mar 2015 Stefanos Perkos Mar 2015 Oct 2015 Vangelis Alexandris Oct 2015 Jan 2018 Lefteris Chatzikyriakidis Jan 2018 Oct 2018 Kostas Mexas Oct 2018 Jul 2019 promoted to Greek Basket League Ioannis Kastritis Jul 2019 Jan 2020 Ilias Kantzouris Jan 2020 Jul 2020 Vangelis Ziagkos Jul 2020 Dec 2020 Stergios Kalyvas Dec 2020 Feb 2021 Thanasis Skourtopoulos Feb 2021 Oct 2021 Stergios Koufos Oct 2021 Nov 2021 Kostas Mexas Nov 2021 presentSee also Edit Sports portal Greece portalBasketball in Greece List of basketball clubs in Greece Greek basketball clubs in European competitions List of basketball clubs in Greece by major honours won Thessaloniki ForumReferences Edit Ghpedo Ibanwfeio Xwrhtikothta 2500 in Greek Tahidromos 11 November 1921 formation of the first team Tahidromos Voriou Ellados in Greek Parliament Library Retrieved 16 June 2020 a b Giannopoulos Nikos 4 June 2014 H xrysh biblos toy ellhnikoy prwta8lhmatos mpasket in Greek contra gr Retrieved 14 August 2015 Mpakolas Giorgos 29 May 2015 8essalonikh Mpasketomana h ftwxomana in Greek EuroHoops net Retrieved 14 August 2015 Istoria in Greek Iraklis BC 27 August 2010 Retrieved 18 August 2015 Iraklis club history Archived from the original on 2011 10 03 Retrieved 2008 02 05 a b Maragousia Antonia 16 April 2010 Ta3idi sto xrono apo to 1968 ews shmera in Greek sport24 gr Retrieved 18 August 2015 a b H istoria twn telikwn Kypelloy Mpasket in Greek pamesports gr 9 February 2014 Archived from the original on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 17 August 2015 Ka8e xronia ki ena ma8hma in Greek Bluearena gr 29 April 2009 Retrieved 16 August 2015 Finale me giorth sto Ibanwfeio in Greek Bluearena gr 29 May 2010 Retrieved 16 August 2015 Maragousia Antonia 13 April 2011 Hraklhs Paniwnios 52 59 in Greek sport24 gr Retrieved 16 August 2015 Dialyetai h KAE Hraklhs in Greek Bluearena gr 29 July 2011 Retrieved 14 August 2015 Arxizei o sxediasmos gia th B E8nikh in Greek Bluearena gr 1 August 2011 Retrieved 14 August 2015 Oristika sth B E8nikh o Hraklhs sport24 gr 29 July 2011 Retrieved 16 August 2015 Loutsi Alexandra July 3 2013 Hraklhs Anebainei A2 onsports gr Retrieved August 16 2015 Ta sygxarhthria toy ESAKE se Iwniko kai Hraklh novasports gr in Greek Retrieved 6 June 2019 Ghpedo Ibanwfeio Xwrhtikothta 2500 in Greek Ivanofio Indoor Hall Syndesmoi A810 in Greek Aytonomh 8yra 10 Official site Archived from the original on 21 July 2011 Retrieved 25 January 2011 Antiratsistiko opadiko mhnyma in Greek gazzetta gr 4 July 2010 Retrieved 25 January 2011 To periodiko ths Aytonomhs in Greek Bluearena gr 20 September 2010 Retrieved 25 January 2011 SICK N BLUE festival sto Ibanwfeio in Greek Bluearena gr 25 May 2010 Retrieved 25 January 2011 Anakoinwsh Syndesmwn GS PAE KAE in Greek Aytonomh 8yra 10 Official site 2 January 2011 Archived from the original on 6 January 2011 Retrieved 25 January 2011 Ti elaban oles oi omades sto opadopshfisma in Greek gazzetta gr 4 July 2013 Retrieved 28 August 2015 External links EditOfficial Website in Greek and English Eurobasket com Team ProfilePressBlue Arena Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title G S Iraklis B C amp oldid 1132939222, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
