Konstantinos "Kostas" Petropoulos (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Πετρόπουλος) is a Greek former professional basketball coach, and a retired professional basketball player. During his playing career, he was nicknamed "Nureyev".[1][2][3] His number 7 jersey was retired by Apollon Patras, in 2016.[4] On 1 February 2020, the Kostas Petropoulos Indoor Hall basketball arena, was named after him, in his honor.[5][6]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | January 7, 1956 Patras, Greece | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Greek | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5.75 in (1.97 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1971–1987 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Shooting guard / Small forward | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1988–2005 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||
| 1971–1987 | Apollon Patras | ||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||
| 1988–1993 | Greece Under-16 | ||||||||||||||
| 1988 | Greece Under-17 | ||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Greece Women's | ||||||||||||||
| 1989–1993 | Greece (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1991–1993 | Peristeri | ||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Apollon Patras | ||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Sporting | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Maroussi | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Greece | ||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Maroussi | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Panellinios | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
As a player:
| |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Professional career
editDuring his pro club career, Petropoulos played basketball with the Greek club Apollon Patras, from 1971 to 1987. On 4 April 1976, in a Greek Second Division game between Apollon Patras and Agrinio, Petropoulos scored 93 points.[7] On 11 January 1986, in a Greek First Division game between Apollon Patras and Ionikos Nikaias, Petropoulos scored 51 points.
After having six surgeries due to injuries, Petropoulos retired from playing pro club basketball in 1987, at the age of 31. Over his pro club career, Petropoulos scored a total of 4,255 points in Greece's top-tier level Basket League.
National team career
editWith Greece's junior national teams, Petropoulos played at the 1973 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship,[8] and at the 1974 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.[9]
Petropoulos was also a member of the senior men's Greek national team. He played in 77 games with Greece's senior national team.[10] With Greece, he won the gold medal at the 1979 Mediterranean Games. He also played with Greece at the 1980 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and at the 1981 FIBA EuroBasket.[11]
Coaching career
editClubs
editAfter he finished his playing career, Petropoulos became a basketball coach. He acted as the head coach of the Greek clubs Apollon Patras, Sporting Athens, Maroussi Athens, and Panellinios Athens. He was a Greek Cup finalist with Maroussi in 2002.
Greek national team
editPetropoulos was the head coach of the senior men's Greek national team, from 1999 to 2001. He was Greece's head coach at the 1999 FIBA EuroBasket and the 2001 FIBA EuroBasket.
References
edit- ^ Κώστας Πετρόπουλος – Ο Νουρέγιεφ του ελληνικού μπάσκετ (in Greek).
- ^ «Υποκλίνομαι Νουρέγιεφ»: Κώστας Πετρόπουλος…ο Μοναδικός! (in Greek).
- ^ Κώστας Πετρόπουλος: Μετονομάστηκε το ιστορικό κλειστό της Πάτρας, μεγάλη τιμή για τον Νουρέγιεφ (in Greek).
- ^ Οι θρυλικές φανέλες που έγιναν σημαίες και ανέβηκαν στον ιστό τους Οι σύλλογοι προέβησαν σε συμβολικές κινήσεις τιμώντας αθλητές που τους δόξασαν ή έφυγαν πρόωρα από τη ζωή.
- ^ Όλοι στάθηκαν στην προσωπικότητα του "Νουρέγιεφ".
- ^ "Κώστας Πετρόπουλος" μετονομάστηκε το κλειστό γυμναστήριο στο Κουκούλι
- ^ Ο "Νουρέγιεφ" της Πάτρας (in Greek).
- ^ 1973 European Championship for Cadets Greece 7 - Constantin Petropoulos.
- ^ 1974 European Championship for Junior Men 7 - Kostas Petropoulos.
- ^ ΠΕΤΡΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ ΚΩΣΤΑΣ ΑΝΔΡΩΝ 77 (in Greek).
- ^ 1981 European Championship for Men 7 - Kostos Petropoulos.