Ioannis Spanoudakis (alternate spellings: Giannis, Yiannis, Yannis) () (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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and coach. He represented the

Greece men's national basketball team The Greece men's national basketball team () represents Greece in international basketball. They are controlled by the Hellenic Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Greece. Greece is currently ranked 13th in the FIBA Worl ...

. Along with his brother, Alekos, 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 responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

club

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

, 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 enterprises * ...

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. He 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 NBA ...

and

Greek-American Greek Americans ( ''Ellinoamerikanoí'' ''Ellinoamerikánoi'' ) are Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. There is an estimate of 1.2 million Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. According to the US census, 264,066 people o ...

Lou Tsioropoulos, of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, in Greece. Spanoudakis, and his brother, Alekos, learned the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 The Greece men's national basketball team () represents Greece in international basketball. They are controlled by the Hellenic Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Greece. Greece is currently ranked 13th in the FIBA World ...

. 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 the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Eighteen national teams affiliated with FIBA ...

, and at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games.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 ani ...

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 * Coac ...

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 women's basketball coaches Olympiacos B.C. players Olympic basketball players for Greece Virtus Bologna players Mediterranean Games medalists in basketball Basketball players from Chania 20th-century Greek sportsmen