Tartu Ülikooli korvpallimeeskond ( English: University of Tartu men's basketball team), also known as Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team based in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

, Estonia. They are a part of the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.

Academic Sports Club. The team plays in the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and the

Korvpalli Meistriliiga The Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML) is the top-tier men's basketball league in Estonia. The league is organized by the Estonian Basketball Association and played under rules of basketball#International Rules of Basketball, FIBA rules. The competitio ...

(KML). Their home arena is the University of Tartu Sports Hall. University of Tartu teams have won a record 26 Estonian League championships, a record 17 Estonian Cup titles and one Soviet Union League championship.

History

Founded in 1937 as Tartu Eesti Akadeemiline Spordiklubi (Tartu Estonian Academic Sports Club), the team won the regional tournament and were promoted to the Estonian Championship. Coached by player-coach Aleksander Illi and led by Ralf Viksten, the team won the championship in 1938. Tartu EASK won two more titles in 1939 and 1940, led by player-coach Oskar Erikson and top scorer Heino Veskila. The team's success was cut short by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the Soviet occupation. The university team returned to the Estonian Championship in 1948. On 28 August 1948, they beat Tartu Dünamo by a record score of 132–6, with Ilmar Kullam scoring 40 points. Led by player-coach

Edgar Naarits Edgar Naarits (22 July 1920 – 4 May 2004) is an Estonian basketball coach and sport pedagogue. He was born in Tartu. 1943–1944 he graduated from a sport school in Moscow. In 1937 he founded Tartu Kalev basketball team. During World War II, h ...

, the team won five consecutive Estonian League titles from 1948 to 1952. They also won the Soviet Union League in 1949. Ernst Ehaveer took over as the head coach ahead of the 1956 season, and guided the team to another Estonian championship that same year. Jaak Lipso joined the team prior to the 1957 season and led them to two more championships in 1958 and 1959. The team began to struggle after Lipso left in 1960. They returned to dominance in the late 1960s, this time led by Aleksei Tammiste. The team won eight Estonian championships between 1969 and 1978. Soon after, the team entered into a period of decline. The team continued to struggle after the restoration of Estonia's independence. In the 1990s, Tartu was represented in the league by Korvpalliklubi Tartu (Basketball Club Tartu). They reached the finals in 1996 but were swept in three games by BC Kalev. The team made their debut in a European competition by competing in the 1999–2000 season of the

Saporta Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against eac ...

, but failed to advance past the preliminary round. In March 2000, they were taken over by the University of Tartu Sports Club, ushering in a new era for the team. The team now known as Tartu Ülikool-Delta won the Estonian Cup in 2000, beating Nybit in the finals. In the 2000 league playoffs, they defeated BC Jüri Basket and Nybit en route to facing Tallinna Kalev in the finals. Tartu Ülikool-Delta won the series 3–0, ending a 22-year championship drought for the city. In July 2000, Jüri Neissaar was hired as head coach, replacing Teet Laur. Tartu Ülikool-Delta successfully defended both titles in 2001. The team swept Tallinna Ülikoolid-A. Le Coq in three games in the league finals. Point guard and team leader

Tanel Tein Tanel Tein (born 10 January 1978) is an Estonian former professional basketball player. He was named Estonian Player of the Year in 2008. Tein played one season of college basketball for the St. Francis Terriers. Professional career Tein starte ...

won his first Most Valuable Player Award at the end of the season. From 2001 to 2016, Tartu Ülikool was sponsored by Saku's Rock beer brand and Rock was frequently used to refer to the team. They were unable to defend their league title, losing to Tallinna Kalev in the finals in 2002. Despite that, Tein was named the league's Most Valuable Player for the second season in a row. In the 2002–03 season, TÜ/Rock won the Estonian Cup but finished third in the league. After the season, Neissaar was replaced by assistant Tõnu Lust. Led by

Augenijus Vaškys Augenijus Vaškys is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player. He has played professionally in Lithuania, Israel, Poland, Estonia and Finland. Vaskys' most successful seasons include playing in Poland in Czarni Slupsk as well in Eston ...

, the team won the KML championship in the 2003–04 season by defeating EBS/Nybit, four games to two in the finals. Vaškys was named the KML Most Valuable Player. TÜ/Rock won another Estonian Cup in the 2004–05 season. They also made their debut in the

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 Belarus, officially the Rep ...

(BBL). After the 2005–06 season, Tein was named the league MVP for the third time. In July 2006, TÜ/Rock hired Algirdas Brazys as head coach, with predecessors Paavo Russak and Tõnu Lust continuing as assistant coaches. In the 2007 KML Finals, TÜ/Rock, led by Tein, Martin Müürsepp and Gert Kullamäe, faced off against

BC Kalev/Cramo BC Kalev, also known as BC Kalev/Cramo for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Tallinn, Estonia. The team plays in the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML), the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and the FIBA Europe Cup. Their ...

, to whom they had lost in the two previous finals. TÜ/Rock went on to win the series 4–2. Tein was named the KML Finals MVP. In June 2007, Üllar Kerde was hired as the new head coach. Under Kerde, the team reached the Final Four of the EuroCup in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

. However, they lost to eventual champions Barons LMT 88–82 in the semifinal and to Proteas EKA AEL 79–70 in the third place game. TÜ/Rock successfully defended their KML title by defeating BC Kalev/Cramo in a four-game sweep in the finals. Brian Cusworth was named both the Finals MVP and the league MVP. After a poor start in both the Baltic Basketball League and the EuroChallenge, Kerde was relieved of his duties on 19 December 2008 and replaced by assistant Indrek Visnapuu. Under Visnapuu's leadership, TÜ/Rock reached the Baltic Basketball League Final Four for the first time in team history, beating rivals BC Kalev/Cramo 71–68 in overtime and winning the series 2–1. They lost to Žalgiris 83–74 in the semifinal, but beat ASK Riga 77–68 in the third place game. TÜ/Rock were unable to defend their KML title in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, losing to BC Kalev/Cramo in the finals. The team, however, won both the Estonian Cup and the KML championship in the 2009–10 season. They won their 25th Estonian championship by beating BC Rakvere Tarvas 4–2 in the KML Finals. Janar Talts was named the Finals MVP. The team added two more Estonian Cups in 2010 and 2011. On 24 January 2012, Visnapuu resigned and was replaced by his assistant and former Tartu Ülikool guard Gert Kullamäe. The team won two more Estonian Cups in 2013 and 2014. In

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, TÜ/Rock once again faced BC Kalev/Cramo in the KML Finals, winning the series 4–1. Tanel Kurbas won the Finals MVP award. They finished runner-up to

Šiauliai Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...

in the Baltic Basketball League in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

. In 2018, the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League was formed. Tartu Ülikool reached the playoffs in the league's inaugural season, where they lost to BC Kalev/Cramo in the quarterfinals. On 19 December 2021, Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits defeated BC Kalev/Cramo 82–73 in the Estonian Cup final to win their first trophy in seven years. The team finished the 2022–23 Estonian-Latvian Basketball League season in third place. They lost to

BC Prometey BC Prometey (), also known as Prometey Slobozhanske, was a Ukrainian basketball club based in Slobozhanske and Kamianske. It played in the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague, the highest tier of basketball in Ukraine, from 2019 to 2022. From 202 ...

89–67 in the semifinal but beat BC Kalev/Cramo 63–60 in the third place game.

Sponsorship naming

*Raidor: 1992–1994 *Tartu Gaas: 1994–1995 *SK Polaris: 1997–1999 *Tartu Ülikool-

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

: 1999–2001 *Tartu Ülikool/

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

: 2001–2011, 2012–2016 *Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits: 2020–present

Logos

Tartu Rock crest.png, Rock sponsorship logo
(until 2016) Tartu Logo 2016.png, Non-commercial logo
(2016–2018) Tartu_basketball_logo.png, Maks & Moorits sponsorship logo
(2020–present)

Home arenas

*Estonian University of Life Sciences Sports Hall (1960–1981) * University of Tartu Sports Hall (1982–present)

Players

Current roster

Depth chart

Head coaches

* Aleksander Illi 1937 *

Oskar Erikson Oskar may refer to: People * Oskar (given name), a masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Jón Óskar (1921–1998), Icelandic poet * Lee Oskar (born 1948), Danish harmonica player, a founding memb ...

1938–1940 *

1948–1955 * Ernst Ehaveer 1956–1983 * Arne Laos 1983–1992 * Jüri Neissaar 1992–1997, 2000–2003 * Teet Laur 1997–2000 * Tõnu Lust 2003–2005 * Paavo Russak 2005–2006 * Algirdas Brazys 2006–2007 * Üllar Kerde 2007–2008 * Indrek Visnapuu 2008–2012 * Gert Kullamäe 2012–2017 * Priit Vene 2017–2020, 2024 * Toomas Kandimaa 2020–2021 * Nikolajs Mazurs 2021–2023 * Gundars Vētra 2023–2024 * Aivar Kuusmaa 2024–present

Season by season

Trophies and awards

Trophies

* Estonian League : Winners (26): 1937–38, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2014–15 * Estonian Cup : Winners (17): 1950, 1952, 1956, 1958, 1974, 1976, 1979, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2021 * Soviet Union League : Winners (1): 1948–49 * BBL Cup : Winners (1):

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Individual awards

KML Most Valuable Player *

– 2001, 2002, 2006 *

– 2004 * Brian Cusworth – 2008 KML Finals MVP *

– 2007 * Brian Cusworth – 2008 * Janar Talts – 2010 * Tanel Kurbas – 2015 KML Best Defender * Janar Talts – 2015, 2016 KML Best Young Player * Veljo Vares – 2001 * Rain Veideman – 2011 * Arnas Velička – 2019 KML Coach of the Year * Jüri Neissaar – 2001 * Tõnu Lust – 2004 * Üllar Kerde – 2008 * Gert Kullamäe – 2015 KML All-Star Five *

Tarmo Kikerpill Tarmo Kikerpill (born June 13, 1977) is a retired Estonian professional basketball player. He is 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) in height and he played at the small forward or Power forward (basketball), power forward position. Pro career Kikerpill sta ...

– 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 * Toomas Liivak – 2001 *

– 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008 * Toomas Kandimaa – 2002 *

– 2004 * Vallo Allingu – 2004, 2006 * Marek Doronin – 2005 * Gert Kullamäe – 2007 * Brian Cusworth – 2008 * Janar Talts – 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2018 * George Tsintsadze – 2008, 2009 *

Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (born 13 May 1968) is an Australian former politician who served as the 30th prime minister of Australia from 2018 to 2022. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party and was ...

– 2010 * Sten Sokk – 2011 * Bill Amis – 2012 * Tanel Kurbas – 2014 * Augustas Pečiukevičius – 2014 * Janari Jõesaar – 2017 * Tanel Sokk – 2018 * Märt Rosenthal – 2022, 2024 * Emmanuel Wembi – 2022 * Ty Gordon – 2023 * Karl Johan Lips – 2025 * Omar El-Sheikh – 2025 Estonian Cup MVP * Vallo Allingu – 2011 * Augustas Pečiukevičius – 2013 * Janar Talts – 2014 * Märt Rosenthal – 2021 Estonian-Latvian League All-Star Five * Ty Gordon – 2023

Notable players

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control University of Tartu basketball team Basketball teams in Estonia Basketball teams in the Soviet Union Basketball teams established in 1937 Basketball teams established in 2000 1937 establishments in Estonia 2000 establishments in Estonia