Ioannis Spanoudakis (alternate spellings: Giannis, Yiannis, Yannis) ( el, Ιωάννης "Γιάννης" Σπανουδάκης) (1930 – 10 June 2010), was a Greek

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 ...

player and coach. He represented the Greece men's national basketball team. Along with his brother,

Alekos Alekos ( el, Αλέκος) is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Alexander, which may refer to: *Alekos Alavanos (born 1950), Greek politician, member of the Hellenic Parliament *Alekos Alekou (born 1983), Cypriot football striker who played ...

, he is considered to be one of the early leading pioneers of the sport of modern basketball in the country of Greece. He was the long-time player /

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other Coach (sport), coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manage ...

of the

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 ...

club

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

, acting simultaneously in both roles, while with the club.

Club career

Spanoudakis played basketball at the

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album '' kelsea'' Brands and enterprise ...

level with the

team

. While with Olympiacos in the 1950s, Spanoudakis trained with

Bob Cousy Robert Joseph Cousy (, born August 9, 1928) is an American former professional basketball player. Cousy played point guard for the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963, and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals during the 1969–70 season. A 13-time N ...

and

Greek-American Greek Americans ( el, Ελληνοαμερικανοί ''Ellinoamerikanoí'' ''Ellinoamerikánoi'' ) are Americans of full or partial Greeks, Greek ancestry. The lowest estimate is that 1.2 million Americans are of Greek descent while the hi ...

Lou Tsioropoulos, of the

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 ...

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

, in Greece. Spanoudakis, and his brother,

, learned the American style of basketball from the two Celtics players, and they were the first two athletes to bring American basketball techniques to Greece. He also played in the Italian LBA League, with

Virtus Bologna Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...

and Motomorini Bologna.

National team career

Spanoudakis was a member of the Greek men's national basketball team. With Greece, he played at the

1951 EuroBasket The 1951 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1951, was the seventh FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA. Eighteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) en ...

, and at the

1952 Summer Olympic Games The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

.Giannis SPANOUDAKIS (GRE).
/ref> He also played at the 1960 Pre-Olympic Tournament.

Coaching career

Spanoudakis was the

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may no ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

of the

club

References

External links

Ioannis Spanoudakis
at fiba.com (EuroBasket Profile)

at fiba.com (Olympics Profile)

at Sports-reference.com
Ioannis Spanoudakis
at basket.gr {{DEFAULTSORT:Spanoudakis, Ioannis 1930 births 2010 deaths Basketball players at the 1952 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1955 Mediterranean Games Greek basketball coaches Greek Basket League players Greek men's basketball players Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for Greece Olympiacos B.C. coaches Olympiacos B.C. players Olympic basketball players of Greece Virtus Bologna players Mediterranean Games medalists in basketball Basketball players from Chania