Michailis "Missas" Pantazopoulos (alternate spelling: Misas) (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: Μιχάλης "Μίσσας" Πανταζόπουλος; 1924 – 25 April 2006) 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 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 ...

Playing career

Club career

During his

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 * ...

career, Pantazopoulos played with the Greek teams Panellionios and

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club based in the City of Athens. Panathinaikos is one of the mos ...

. With Panellinios, he won 2 Greek League championships, in 1939 and 1940. He also won 3 Greek League championships with Panathinaikos, in 1946, 1947, and 1950.

National team career

Pantazopoulos was a member of the senior

Greek 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 Wo ...

. With Greece, he won the bronze medal at the

1949 EuroBasket The 1949 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1949, was the sixth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA. Seven national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) took par ...

Coaching career

Clubs

During his playing career, Papazoglou was also a

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

. He continued to work as a

basketball coach Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behavior of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as wel ...

, after he retired from playing. He 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 the Greek clubs

and

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 ...

. As a head coach, he won a total of 8 Greek League championships. He won the Greek League championship with Panathinaikos, in 1946, 1947, 1950, and 1951. He also won the Greek League championship with AEK Athens, in 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1966. He also led AEK Athens to the

1966 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four The 1966 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four was the concluding tournament of the 1965–66 FIBA European Champions Cup The 1965–66 FIBA European Champions Cup was the ninth season of the European top-tier level professional basketball clu ...

(1966 EuroLeague Final Four).

National team

Pantazopoulos was also the head coach of the senior

.Σελίδα Προπονητή ΠΑΝΤΑΖΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ ΜΙΣΣΑΣ .
/ref> He was Greece's head coach 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 ...

, and the 1967 EuroBasket. He also coached Greece at the 1968 and 1969 Balkan Championships.

References

External links

FIBA ProfileHellenic Basketball Federation Player Profile

Hellenic Basketball Federation Coach Profile
1924 births 2006 deaths AEK B.C. coaches Greek basketball coaches Greek men's basketball players Greece national basketball team coaches Panathinaikos B.C. coaches Panathinaikos B.C. players Panellinios B.C. players 20th-century Greek sportsmen {{Greece-basketball-bio-stub