Keravnos
Encyclopedia
Keravnos Strovolos is one of the powerhouses of Cypriot basketball
. Founded in 1926, it is based in the Nicosia
suburb of Strovolos
. In the past, the club also had a football team.
. With several top trophies to be proud of, they have had a considerable presence in European competitions. Several of Keravnos' players have been selected for the men's Cyprus national basketball team
. Their home is Keravnos Indoor Hall with a crowd capacity of 2,000.
The team won the first trophies for the club in 1989 and 1997 by winning the Double in those two seasons and also won the cup for three consecutive times in 1997 until 1999.
. In the Second Round they achieved one of the gloriest victories of Cypriot Basketball, after beating in Nicosia, Zalgiris Kaunas 61-57, which won the trophy at the end of the competition, however they were eliminated after the defeat in the second leg with 40-73. They went until the second round as well the following season
The year 2001, was glorious for Keravnos. They did not only win the Championship
for second consecutive time but they achieved the greatest success that had ever achieved by any Cypriot sports team, until that time, in Pan-European competitions by qualifying to the quarter finals of the European Saporta Cup
, after eliminating the Bosnian Borac Banja Luka, where they were eliminated by Pamesa Valencia.
In 2004, the team competed in the Final Four of South Conference of FIBA Europe Cup Challenge, however the team remained fourth in the competition. They competed in the final four again the following year and gained that time the third position after beating in the Third position final Apollon Limassol
.
In 2007, Keravnos again achieved a new club success. The qualified to the final of the EuroCup Challenge
after beating in the semi finals BC Dnipro twice in Cyprus and Ukraine
. Being the first Cypriot sports team to compete in a Pan-European final (EKA AEL was the first in an FIBA Europe regional final), they beat Samara 85-83 at home in Keravnos Stadium. However, the score was not enough to give the team the trophy after losing in Samara 101-81.
For first time in 1992, the team qualified to the Cyprus Cup Final but because of two points, the team was beaten by Olympiada. Winning their first Championship in 1994, they went on to win it for three consecutive years. Since the season 1998/99 and until 2005, they dominate the Cypriot basketball winning every year the double and the Super Cup, except the Championship in 2003 which was won by AEL.
in 1979 and remained there until 1982. During those years, in 1980-81, Keravnos achieved a historical victory against AC Omonia
with a score 3-2. They were promoted again and competed in the first division for the 1988-89 season.
However due to lack of funds, in the 1991 annual meeting, the club decided to suspend the football division indefinitely and to focus efforts on developing the basketball team.
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...
. Founded in 1926, it is based in the Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
suburb of Strovolos
Strovolos
Strovolos is a municipality of Nicosia. With a population of near 70,000, it is the second biggest municipality of Cyprus, after Limassol, and the biggest municipality of Nicosia...
. In the past, the club also had a football team.
History
The Men's basketball division was established in 1964 . The club was one of the founding members of the Cyprus Basketball FederationCyprus Basketball Federation
The Cyprus Basketball Federation is the governing body for basketball on the island of Cyprus and is a division of the Cyprus Sport Organisation...
. With several top trophies to be proud of, they have had a considerable presence in European competitions. Several of Keravnos' players have been selected for the men's Cyprus national basketball team
Cyprus national basketball team
The Cypriot national basketball team is the national team of Cyprus. It is run by the Cyprus Basketball Federation. It is affiliated to FIBA, in the FIBA Europe zone.- History :The team participates at international and European tournaments...
. Their home is Keravnos Indoor Hall with a crowd capacity of 2,000.
The team won the first trophies for the club in 1989 and 1997 by winning the Double in those two seasons and also won the cup for three consecutive times in 1997 until 1999.
European Campaigns
For first time, they competed in European competitions in 1982, however they did not wait until 1997/98 to reach the Second Round of a European Cup, passing the groups as second, eliminating teams like the French Champions, Paris Basket RacingParis Basket Racing
Paris Basket Racing, or PBR, is a now-defunct French professional basketball club from Paris. It was founded in the year 1922 as the basketball section of the sports club Racing Club de Paris. The team took the name "Paris Basket Racing" in 2000....
. In the Second Round they achieved one of the gloriest victories of Cypriot Basketball, after beating in Nicosia, Zalgiris Kaunas 61-57, which won the trophy at the end of the competition, however they were eliminated after the defeat in the second leg with 40-73. They went until the second round as well the following season
The year 2001, was glorious for Keravnos. They did not only win the Championship
Cyprus Basketball Division 1
The Cypriot First Division A of the Men’s Basketball League is currently the top competition on the Cyprus Basketball calendar. It is run and governed by the Cyprus Basketball Federation...
for second consecutive time but they achieved the greatest success that had ever achieved by any Cypriot sports team, until that time, in Pan-European competitions by qualifying to the quarter finals of the European Saporta Cup
Saporta Cup
Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, where the National Cup winners from all over Europe played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA Europe...
, after eliminating the Bosnian Borac Banja Luka, where they were eliminated by Pamesa Valencia.
In 2004, the team competed in the Final Four of South Conference of FIBA Europe Cup Challenge, however the team remained fourth in the competition. They competed in the final four again the following year and gained that time the third position after beating in the Third position final Apollon Limassol
Apollon Limassol
Apollon Limassol is a Greek Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon F.C...
.
In 2007, Keravnos again achieved a new club success. The qualified to the final of the EuroCup Challenge
EuroCup Challenge
The EuroCup Challenge was the 4th tier level transnational professional club basketball competition in Europe. It was run and organized by FIBA Europe.-Promotion to FIBA EuroCup:...
after beating in the semi finals BC Dnipro twice in Cyprus and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Being the first Cypriot sports team to compete in a Pan-European final (EKA AEL was the first in an FIBA Europe regional final), they beat Samara 85-83 at home in Keravnos Stadium. However, the score was not enough to give the team the trophy after losing in Samara 101-81.
Notable former players
Alexandros Hadjichristodoulou  Ninoslav Marjanović Aleksandar RadojevićAleksandar Radojevic Aleksandar Radojević is a professional basketball player who plays for APOEL in Cyprus.-Early life:Radojević was born in either Herceg Novi, or Bijela,Montenegro, or Trebinje, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, all in the now former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia... Bariša Krasić Alexandr Koul Cyrille Makanda Cyrille Makanda Cirill Makanda-Etogo is a Cameroonian-Russian professional basketball shooting guard currently with APOEL B.C. of Cyprus Basketball Division 1. Throughout his ten year professional career, he has played for four teams in Russia, plus teams in Germany and France before joining APOEL B.C... Alex Bougaieff Mladen Erjavec Guy Pnini Guy Pnini Guy Pnini is an Israeli small forward playing for European powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv.Pnini played in the Maccabi Tel-Aviv youth division with which he won the Israeli league double in 2001.-Bnei Hasharon:... Aivaras Kiausas Dušan Bocevski Dozie Mbonu Goran Boskovic Predrag Kosanović Vladimir Lukić Djordje Micić Sasa Mijajlović Mladen Pantić  Velibor RadovićVelibor Radovic Velibor "Borko" Radović is a Montenegrin-Israeli professional basketball player. He is tall, and played as a forward. He is currently a coach at Red Star Belgrade.-Playing history:His former clubs include:* 1989/90 Jugoplastika Split... Sladjan Stojković Dragan Vukčević |
Levan Alston Jamie Arnold George Banks Charles Bennett Anthony Blakely Jerel Blassingame Jerel Blassingame Jerel Blassingame is an American professional basketball player. He is 1.77m in height and plays at point guard.-Amateur career:... Brad Buckman Robert Burries David Butler David Butler (basketball) David Butler is a retired American basketball player. He won an NCAA championship as a senior at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and played professionally in several countries, including a stint with Liga ACB in Spain.... Carter Carlton Eddie Collins Lonnie Cooper Dan Cross Lucious Davies Jason Dixon Terry Dozier Kevin Florent Darrin Fowlkes Gee Gervin Charles Gosa LaMarr Greer |
Eric Harris Dave Harrison Cedric Henderson Cedric Henderson Cedric Earl Henderson is an American basketball player who played 5 seasons in the NBA.A 6'7" small forward, Henderson starred at the University of Memphis, and was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 1997 NBA Draft... Sam Jones Sam Jones (basketball) Samuel Jones is a retired American professional basketball player at shooting guard and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was known for his quickness and game-winning shots, especially during the NBA Playoffs... Bernard King Bernard King Bernard King is a retired American professional basketball player at the small forward position in the NBA... Patrick Lee  Lewis Lofton Gabe Martin J.J. Montgomery  Inus Norville Rasul Salahuddin Ed Scott Ed Scott Fred Shepard Kenny Taylor Peter Vignier Melvin Watson Andre Woolridge Mark Young |
Honours
- FIBA EuroCup ChallengeEuroCup ChallengeThe EuroCup Challenge was the 4th tier level transnational professional club basketball competition in Europe. It was run and organized by FIBA Europe.-Promotion to FIBA EuroCup:...
- Finalist (1): 2007
- Cyprus Basketball Division 1Cyprus Basketball Division 1The Cypriot First Division A of the Men’s Basketball League is currently the top competition on the Cyprus Basketball calendar. It is run and governed by the Cyprus Basketball Federation...
- Winner (5): 1988-89, 1996-97, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2007-08
- Runner Up (5): 1997-98, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05
- Cyprus Men's Basketball CupCypriot Basketball CupThe Cypriot Basketball Cup is an annual cup competition, organized by the Cyprus Basketball Federation since 1969. From 2007 the cup competition format changed, and in the cup participate only the teams of the Cypriot 1st Division. The cup employs a knock-out format...
:- Winner: (5) 1988-89, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2009-10
- Runner-up: ?
- Cyprus Men's Basketball Supercup
- Winner (2): 1999, 2000.
Women's team
The Women's basketball division competes in the Cyprus Women's Basketball League - First division, where it has also enjoyed considerable success and has also represented Cyprus in European competitions. They compete in Cyprus Basketball Federation competitions since 1987.For first time in 1992, the team qualified to the Cyprus Cup Final but because of two points, the team was beaten by Olympiada. Winning their first Championship in 1994, they went on to win it for three consecutive years. Since the season 1998/99 and until 2005, they dominate the Cypriot basketball winning every year the double and the Super Cup, except the Championship in 2003 which was won by AEL.
Honours
- Cyprus Basketball Women's League – Division 1
- Winner (9): 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2001-01, 2001-02.
- Cyprus Women's Basketball Cup:
- Winner: (7) 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2001-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05
- Cyprus Women's Basketball Supercup
- Winner (7): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Football
The football division was originally formed in 1926. The team has had its ups and downs over the years, where it mostly featured in the second and third divisions. However it achieved promotion to the first divisionCypriot First Division
The Cypriot Championship First Division is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus. As of 2007 it is sponsored by Marfin Popular Bank and is hence officially known as Marfin Laiki League .-Format:...
in 1979 and remained there until 1982. During those years, in 1980-81, Keravnos achieved a historical victory against AC Omonia
AC Omonia
Athletic Club Omonoia Nicosia is a professional football club that plays in the Cyprus capital city Nicosia. The club was established in 1948 and became a member of the Cyprus Football Association in 1953...
with a score 3-2. They were promoted again and competed in the first division for the 1988-89 season.
However due to lack of funds, in the 1991 annual meeting, the club decided to suspend the football division indefinitely and to focus efforts on developing the basketball team.