Peristeri B.C.
Peristeri B.C. (Greek: Περιστερίου K.A.E.) is a Greek professional basketball club that was founded on October 22, 1971. The club is located in Peristeri, Greece, which is a suburban municipality in west Athens. It is a part of the G.S. Peristeri (Γ.Σ. Περιστερίου) multi-sports club. The club's full name is Gymnastikos Syllogos Peristeriou K.A.E. (Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Περιστερίου K.A.E.). The club's emblem is the dove symbol, and the club's colors are yellow and blue. For the 2021-22 season, the team will compete in the Greek Basket League, the first tier league in Greece as  well as the FIBA Europe Cup. History. Early years and rise. The club began play in the 1971–72 season. In the 1982–83 season, Peristeri Athens won the second level of Greek pro basketball, which was at that time, the Greek B League. In the 1988–89 season, Peristeri won the new Greek 2nd Division championship. In the following season, of 1989–90, Peristeri played games for the first time, in the top-tier level Greek League. In the subsequent years in that era, the team was very successful, and many well-known basketball players played for the club. During this era, Peristeri  competed in the European 3rd-tier level FIBA Korać Cup 7 times (in the seasons 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, and 1999–00). Well-known players such as Marko Jarić, Milan Gurović, Angelos Koronios, Michalis Pelekanos, Kostas Tsartsaris, and Alphonso Ford played for the club in that era. In the 2000–01 season, led by the great scorer Ford, Peristeri finished in second place in the Greek League, in the regular season. The club also competed in the European 1st-tier level EuroLeague competition, during the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons. In the 2002–03 season, Peristeri competed in the European 4th-tier  level FIBA EuroCup Challenge. In the 2003–04 season, the club played in the European 3rd-tier level FIBA EuroChallenge. Decline. Following the 2003–04 season, Peristeri was downgraded to the Greek B League, due to great financial troubles within the Peristeri Sports Club. For the 2007–08 season, Peristeri Athens returned to the A2 Division, after finishing in second place in the Greek B League, in the 2006–07 season. Cezary Trybański signed with the team for the 2007–08 season. After the 2012–13 Greek Basket League season, Peristeri was again relegated to the Greek A2 League. Due to economic issues, the club did  not take part in the A2 League in the following season, and instead competed in the Greek B League (the 3rd division of the Greek basketball league system). In the 2014–15 season, Peristeri finished in 4th place, in the 1st group of the Greek B League. Nevertheless, due to the withdrawal of Panionios from the Greek A2 League, Peristeri was promoted back to the A2 League, as they replaced Panionios in the competition. On the rise again. In the 2017–18 season, Peristeri won its third A2 League championship. The team broke the league's win–loss record during the season , and finished with a record of 29 wins and just 1 loss. Thus, the club was promoted to the Greek Basket League for the 2018–19 season. The arrival of coach Argiris Pedoulakis proved to be a key factor for the team. With Pedoulakis coaching and a core of quality players, Peristeri finished second in the regular season and fourth overall, securing its return to European competitions. The club joined one of the two European-wide secondary leagues, the FIBA Champions League, for the 2019–20 season. The team had a successful season, managing to progress in the round of 16 of  Basketball Champions League, where the team was eliminated by powerhouse Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. Peristeri finished in third position of the 2019–20 Greek Basket League, although the season ended prematurely in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Peristeri didn't have a successful 2020–21 Greek Basket League, finishing in sixth position. The team changed 3 coaches during the season, plus it struggled with player chemistry throughout the duration of the season. In the end, Peristeri could not match the highs of the previous 2 years. In international competitions. Peristeri has an overall record, from 1991 to 1992 (first participation) to  2003–04 (last participation) of: 67 wins and 58 losses, plus 1 tie in, 126 games played in all the European-wide professional club basketball competitions. Arenas. Peristeri plays its home games at the Peristeri Arena, which has a seating capacity of 4,000 people. The club has also played home games at the Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall. Notable players. Greece: Europe: USA: Africa: