Chris Roupas - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Chris Roupas is a former 6 ft 5 in, 220 pound starting guard for the Greek professional basketball team Aiolos in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

, Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

during the 1982-83 season.

Biography and career

Born in York

York, Pennsylvania

York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, Roupas lettered his freshman and sophomore seasons for Head Coach Ron Trimmer in the Penn State Commonwealth Campus League in 1975 through 1977. At University Park

University Park, Pennsylvania

University Park, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the location of the flagship campus of the Pennsylvania State University....

, injuries at the start of his junior and senior years limited his playing. Upon graduation in 1981, Roupas made a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

All-Star team composed of Greek-Americans

Greek American

Greek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...

sponsored by AHEPA. That team toured Greece in June 1982 where Roupas was spotted by Greek basketball coaches and asked to come back the following season and play professionally. Roupas is the first Penn State Nittany Lions Basketball Player to play professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

in Greece.

Penn State University

In the 1975-76 Commonwealth Campus League Season, Roupas played in 12 games, averaging 3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2 assists at the small forward

Small forward

The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...

position while averaging ten minutes of action in each game as a freshman. In the 1976-77 season, Roupas played in all 18 games, averaging 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. His most memorable three games first came on December 18, 1976, in his sophomore season, when Roupas came off the bench in the second half to hit 7 of 9 from the field and score fourteen points in just twelve minutes against Schuylkill to help preserve a 98-84 victory for the Nittany Lions. His next memorable game came on January 22, 1977, where in his first start against Allentown, Roupas scored 12 points in a 96-64 win for the Lions. Roupas continued his fine play the following week on January 29,1977, when he scored 8 points coming off the bench at Delaware to help the Lions come from being down 9 points at the half to win 90-82 in front of a tough Delaware crowd.Despite limited action, Roupas had outstanding offensive statistics in his sophomore season with 108 points, making 45 out of 78 attempts from the field for 57.7%, and 18 out of 25 attempts from the free throw line for 72%. Roupas also was fourth on the team in rebounding with 72 rebounds. Coach Trimmer called Roupas his most improved player from the year before with Roupas having the ability to provide instant offense when inserted into a game.

United States AHEPA All-Star Basketball Team

Touring Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

in June 1982 with the United States AHEPA All-Star team, Roupas started in 4 out of 10 games the USA-AHEPA All-Stars played in averaging 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. Playing against the best teams Greece put together, the all-stars beat Panathinaikos BC , Panionios BC, Panellinios BC, Kolossos Rodou BC

Kolossos Rodou BC

Kolossos Rodou B.C., or, Colossus Rhodes B.C., is a Greek professional basketball team located in Rhodes, Greece. Kolossos currently plays in the first Greek league of professional basketball the Greek Championship. The club was founded in 1963 and also initially featured sports like volleyball and...

, The former Rethmynon and Iraklion, Crete

Crete

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...

teams now Rethymno BC

Rethymno BC

A.G.O.R. Aegean B.C. or A.G.O. Rethymno Aegean B.C., is a Greek professional basketball club that was founded in Rethymno, Crete in 1986. The club is also commonly known as Rethymno B.C. or Rethymno Aegean B.C...

, Apollon Patras BC

Apollon Patras BC

Apollon Patras BC, named after the Greek God Apollo, is a Greek professional basketball club that is located in Patras, Greece. The club was founded in the year 1926. Apollon Patras BC is the basketball club of the Greek sports athletic union AS Apollon Patras...

, and Olympiacos BC

Olympiacos BC

Olympiacos B.C. , also known simply as Olympiacos and Olympiacos Piraeus, is a Greek professional basketball club, part of Olympiacos CFP, based in Piraeus. The basketball club, founded in 1931, is one of the most successful in Greece and a traditional powerhouse in European competitions...

. They lost to AEK Athens BC

AEK Athens BC

AEK BC , the Athletic Union of Constantinople, is a Greek professional sports basketball club based in Athens, Greece. The club was established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War ....

,and PAOK

PAOK

The Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , abbreviated P.A.O.K. , is a Macedonian sports club in Thessaloniki, Greece. The club is home to several teams, including football, basketball, volleyball, handball, water polo, swimming, wrestling, hockey and weightlifting. P.A.O.K. was...

.Rounding out the 1982 USA-AHEPA All-Star team with Roupas was Chris Nikitas-Depaul University

DePaul University

DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...

, Tim Birtsas

Tim Birtsas

Timothy Dean Birtsas , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1985–1986 and from 1988–1990...

-Michigan State ( Birtsas went on to win a World Series

World Series

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

Championship in professional baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

pitching for the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

in 1990 ), Terry Benka-Drake University

Drake University

Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....

, Dean Tsipis-Case Western, Tony Kazanas-Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...

, John Koutsoflakis-Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Chris Tsiotis-Suffolk University

Suffolk University

Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...

, Peter Koclanes-Colorado School of Mines

Colorado School of Mines

The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...

, Tom Papathakis-Chico State, Dan Nikitas-Saint Michael's College

Saint Michael's College

Saint Michael's College is a private, residential liberal arts Catholic college. The campus is located in Colchester, Vermont. It was founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund, a French order of Catholic priests.-History:...

(Vermont), and Larry Kopczyk-Transylvania University

Transylvania University

Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...

. The All-Stars were coached by Dr. Monthe Kofos of Boston, Massachusetts, Spiros Siaggas of Reno, Nevada

Reno, Nevada

Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

, and Judge Tom Yeotis of Flint, Michigan

Flint, Michigan

Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...

, with Clinician Dean Bouzeos of Chicago, Illinois, and Trainer George Petroleas of Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

Aiolos Greek Professional Basketball Team

Starting at the shooting guard

Shooting guard

The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...

position for Aiolos in Athens, Greece, during the 1982-83 season, Roupas played in all 26 regular season games averaging 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 shots blocked . Roupas scored a career high 27 points in a come from behind win against the Apollon Patras BC

Apollon Patras BC

team. Roupas scored his teams final 7 points in the last two minutes to seal a 87-83 come from behind win before a standing room only crowd at Patras

Patras

Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...

. Aiolos finished the 1982-83 regular season in eighth place out of fourteen teams in their division,which was later re-aligned in the 1986-87 season by the Hellenic Basketball Federation

Hellenic Basketball Federation

The Hellenic Basketball Federation , is a governing body for basketball in Greece. It directs and oversees all of the national basketball teams of Greece. From 1969 to 1992, the E.O.K. oversaw the Greek National Basketball League, before it was taken over by HEBA, starting with the 1992-93...

. Another re-alignment of the league and teams happened again in the 1992-93 season by the newly formed Hellenic Basketball Association which saw several teams combine into one with Aiolos now becoming Aiolos Trikallon.

External links

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