Konstantinos "Kostas" Politis (; 21 March 1942 – 18 June 2018) was a Greek 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 ...

player and coach.

Career as a player

Club career

Politis played with Panathinaikos, and they won 3 Greek League championships, in 1967, 1969, and 1971. In the 1968–69 season, he was a

FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the European professional club basketball system, second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winn ...

semifinalist.

National team career

Politis also played with 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 ...

at the EuroBasket 1961, the

EuroBasket 1965 The 1965 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1965, was the fourteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Venues Results First round Group A – Moscow Group B – Tbilisi ...

, the EuroBasket 1967, and at the

1967 Mediterranean Games The 1967 Mediterranean Games, officially known as the V Mediterranean Games, and commonly known as Tunis 1967, were the 5th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Tunis, Tunisia over 9 days, from 8 to 17 September 1967, where 1,249 athletes ...

Career as a coach

Club coaching career

Politis was the

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 Panathinaikos, and they won 3 Greek League championships (1980, 1981, and 1982), and 2 Greek Cups (1979 and 1982). He was also a 2 time

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...

finalist (1989 and 1990) while coaching

PAOK PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...

. Politis was the head coach of the FIBA Balkans Selection in

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

. In the 1993–94 season, when he was coaching Panathinaikos, he was a FIBA European League semifinalist, and his team finished in 3rd place at the 1994 FIBA European League Final Four at Tel Aviv. In 1999, Politis was a

finalist, while coaching

AEK Athens A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Establishe ...

National team coaching career

Politis was the

of the

that won the gold medal at the EuroBasket 1987. He coached the Greece national team at the

EuroBasket 1983 The 1983 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1983, was the 23rd FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It took place from 26 May to 4 June 1983 in France. Italy defeated Spain in the final ...

, and the

1986 FIBA World Championship The 1986 FIBA World Championship was the 10th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. It was hosted by Spain and was held from 5 to 20 July 1986. The final phase of the tournament was hel ...

References

External links

FIBA ProfileHellenic Federation Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Politis, Kostas 1942 births 2018 deaths AEK B.C. coaches FIBA EuroBasket–winning coaches Greece national basketball team coaches Greek basketball coaches Greek Basket League players Greek men's basketball players Near East B.C. players P.A.O.K. BC coaches Panathinaikos B.C. coaches Panathinaikos B.C. players Point guards Basketball players from Athens 20th-century Greek sportsmen