Fotis Katsikaris
Encyclopedia
Fotis Katsikaris is a Greek
professional basketball coach, currently the head coach
of the Liga ACB and Euroleague club Bilbao Berri.
He started coaching at the age of 31, following a career as player, and he has worked in Greece
, Russia
and Spain
. He has also co-operated with the scouting team
of the Boston Celtics
.
in the youth system
of Ionikos Nikaias
and was promoted to the men's team at the age of 15, setting a record for the youngest player ever in the Greek top division. After some years with Ionikos and Sporting
, he made the big step to AEK Athens in 1990. A sophisticated pass-first point guard
, Katsikaris played for AEK for six seasons, but he didn't manage to win any trophies. In 1996 he joined Iraklio
, where he stayed for two years before retiring. Throughout his career he made a total of 197 appearances (3.6 ppg) in the Greek League.
Recollecting his playing years, he 's mentioned Panagiotis Giannakis
as his role model
, Rolando Blackman
as his best ever teammate, and Nick Galis
as the most difficult player for him to mark. He 's also said that his former coach Kresimir Cosic
was the man who changed his life; when Cosic signed him for AEK, Katsikaris had actually been about to quit basketball (at the age of 23) and go to the United States for studies.
of his favorite AEK. Between 1999 and 2003 he worked as assistant coach to Dusan Ivkovic
and Dragan Sakota
, that period being the most successful for AEK in the recent decades (1 Greek Championship, 2 Greek Cups
, 1 Saporta Cup
).
In 2003 he was named head coach as part of a board
's project to rebuild the squad with young players, after the glorious -and expensive- 1999-2003 period. Despite his (and his players') lack of experience, he did quite well, reaching the Greek playoffs' final and the Euroleague Last 16 during the 2004-05 season. Youngsters who evolved into protagonist
s during his tenure, included future European champions
and Euroleague stars such as Nikos Zisis
and Giannis Bourousis.
In 2005 he moved to Dynamo Saint Petersburg, achieving the 2nd place of the Russian Superliga
regular season and finally finishing 3rd after the playoffs. Although the club was then described as the rising power in Russian basketball, they went bankrupt at the start of the following season and Katsikaris left Russia.
Right afterwards, in October
2006, he was hired by the Spanish club Valencia to replace Ricard Casas
. The plan was to build a team who could gradually move from mid-table obscurity to a higher level, but the goal wasn't achieved. Two seasons saw Valencia (then called Pamesa after their main sponsor
) not proceeding further than the quarterfinals of the national league, and Katsikaris was fired after a poor start in the 2008–09 season
.
After leaving Valencia, Katsikaris was rumored by the Greek media
as a major candidate for the vacant head coaching job with the Greece national team
; a job eventually given to Jonas Kazlauskas
.
In October 2009 he overtook Aris Thessaloniki replacing Andrea Mazzon. The momentum was very difficult for both the club and the coach: Aris had just failed to qualify for the Euroleague through the preliminary round, and Katsikaris had only a few days' time until the start of the Greek League to re-organize the team. His tenure lasted exactly 100 days. As the team were obviously underachieving during the first round of the season, including a nightmare defeat at the hands of "eternal enemy
" PAOK, he decided to resign in January 2010, saying that he had joined Aris in the wrong time and couldn't find a way to inspire the players.
A few days later, Katsikaris returned to Spain for Bilbao Berri (or Bizkaia for sponsorship reasons), at that time the second worst team of the 2009–10 ACB season
with a record of 4 wins in 17 matches. Katsikaris made an instant impact; not only did they avoid relegation, but they missed the playoffs for just one win and also reached the Eurocup final four. The next season
was to be even more successful: Bilbao made it to the league playoffs
and reached the finals, defeating Valencia and Real Madrid
in the early rounds. Although they finally lost the title series to Barcelona
, 2nd place in the post-season is the best position ever for Bilbao Berri, plus it gave them an automatic 2011–12 Euroleague ticket. In the meantime, Katsikaris signed an extension to his contract until 2014.
QF; quarter-finals
DNQ; did not qualify
DNP; did not participate - system of European eligibility based on previous season's league position
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
professional basketball coach, currently the head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Liga ACB and Euroleague club Bilbao Berri.
He started coaching at the age of 31, following a career as player, and he has worked in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He has also co-operated with the scouting team
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
of the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
.
Playing career
Katsikaris began basketballBasketball
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 the youth system
Youth system
Youth system is a sporting terminology used to refer to a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show enough promise, and to fill up squads numbers in some teams...
of Ionikos Nikaias
Ionikos Nikaias BC
Ionikos Nikaias BC Ionikos Nikaias BC Ionikos Nikaias BC (in Greek: KAE Iωνικός Νικαίας is a Greek professional basketball club that was founded in Nikaia, Piraeus in 1965.-Arena:...
and was promoted to the men's team at the age of 15, setting a record for the youngest player ever in the Greek top division. After some years with Ionikos and Sporting
Sporting BC
A.O. Sporting Athens BC is a Greek professional basketball team that was founded in the year 1936. The team is located at Ano Patissia, Athens, Greece, at the area of Elia Zervou 81 and Sarantaporoy.-History:...
, he made the big step to AEK Athens in 1990. A sophisticated pass-first point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
, Katsikaris played for AEK for six seasons, but he didn't manage to win any trophies. In 1996 he joined Iraklio
Iraklio BC
Irakleio BC, also spelled Iraklio BC, or Heraklion BC, is a Greek professional basketball club that is based in the city of Irakleio, on the island of Crete, in Greece.-History:...
, where he stayed for two years before retiring. Throughout his career he made a total of 197 appearances (3.6 ppg) in the Greek League.
Recollecting his playing years, he 's mentioned Panagiotis Giannakis
Panagiotis Giannakis
Panagiotis Giannakis , nicknamed "The Dragon", is a retired Greek professional basketball player and coach. He is the former head coach of the pro club Olympiacos, and the Greek National Basketball Team. Under Giannakis' guidance, the Greek National team won the gold medal at the 2005 EuroBasket...
as his role model
Role model
The term role model generally means any "person who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by others".The term first appeared in Robert K. Merton's socialization research of medical students...
, Rolando Blackman
Rolando Blackman
Rolando Antonio Blackman is a retired professional basketball player. He was an All-Star who spent most of his career with the Dallas Mavericks...
as his best ever teammate, and Nick Galis
Nick Galis
Nikolaos Georgalis , commonly known as either Nikos Galis , or Nick Galis , is a retired Greek professional basketball player...
as the most difficult player for him to mark. He 's also said that his former coach Kresimir Cosic
Krešimir Cosic
Krešimir Ćosić was a Croatian professional basketball player who represented Yugoslavia internationally, a member of FIBA Hall of Fame and Basketball Hall of Fame...
was the man who changed his life; when Cosic signed him for AEK, Katsikaris had actually been about to quit basketball (at the age of 23) and go to the United States for studies.
Coaching career
In 1998 Katsikaris joined the coaching staffCoaching staff
The coaching staff is a group of non-athletes tied to a sports team. It is led by a head coach , and consists of one or more assistant coaches, together with other members such as doctors, massage therapists, trainers, and equipment managers....
of his favorite AEK. Between 1999 and 2003 he worked as assistant coach to Dusan Ivkovic
Dušan Ivkovic
Dušan "Duda" Ivković is a Serbian former professional basketball player and current coach. In 2008, he was named one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in Euroleague history....
and Dragan Sakota
Dragan Šakota
Dragan Šakota ; born June 16, 1952 in Belgrade) is a Serbian former professional basketball player and current coach...
, that period being the most successful for AEK in the recent decades (1 Greek Championship, 2 Greek Cups
Greek basketball Cup
The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup is an annual pro basketball national cup competition. It is organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation .-History and format:...
, 1 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...
).
In 2003 he was named head coach as part of a board
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
's project to rebuild the squad with young players, after the glorious -and expensive- 1999-2003 period. Despite his (and his players') lack of experience, he did quite well, reaching the Greek playoffs' final and the Euroleague Last 16 during the 2004-05 season. Youngsters who evolved into protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
s during his tenure, included future European champions
Eurobasket
The EuroBasket, also referred to as the FIBA European Basketball Championship, is the main basketball competition contested biennially by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation. The championship was first held in 1935 and...
and Euroleague stars such as Nikos Zisis
Nikos Zisis
Nikolaos "Nikos" Zisis is a Greek professional basketball player. He is currently with the pro club Montepaschi Siena.-Player profile:...
and Giannis Bourousis.
In 2005 he moved to Dynamo Saint Petersburg, achieving the 2nd place of the Russian Superliga
Russian Basketball Super League
The Russian Basketball SuperLeague is a men's professional basketball league that was the pre-eminent league of Russian professional basketball until 2010...
regular season and finally finishing 3rd after the playoffs. Although the club was then described as the rising power in Russian basketball, they went bankrupt at the start of the following season and Katsikaris left Russia.
Right afterwards, in October
October
October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old Roman calendar, October retained its name after January and February were inserted into the calendar that had originally been created by the...
2006, he was hired by the Spanish club Valencia to replace Ricard Casas
Ricard Casas
Ricard Casas Gurt is Spanish basketball coach.- Clubs :* Allianz Ras Manresa : 1993-1996* C.B. Manresa : 1996-1996* C.B. Montcada : 1998-2000...
. The plan was to build a team who could gradually move from mid-table obscurity to a higher level, but the goal wasn't achieved. Two seasons saw Valencia (then called Pamesa after their main sponsor
Sponsor
To sponsor something is to support an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. A sponsor is the individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor.-Definition:...
) not proceeding further than the quarterfinals of the national league, and Katsikaris was fired after a poor start in the 2008–09 season
2008–09 ACB season
The 2008–09 ACB season is the 26th season of the Liga ACB. The 272-game regular season began on Saturday, October 4, 2008, and ended on Sunday, May 10, 2009...
.
After leaving Valencia, Katsikaris was rumored by the Greek media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
as a major candidate for the vacant head coaching job with the Greece national team
Greece national basketball team
The Greece national basketball team is the representative for Greece in international men's basketball competitions, organized and run by the Hellenic Basketball Federation. Traditionally, Greece is considered among the world's top basketball powers; they were runners-up in the 2006 FIBA World...
; a job eventually given to Jonas Kazlauskas
Jonas Kazlauskas
Jonas Kazlauskas is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former Soviet professional basketball player. He is not to be confused with the late Lithuanian linguist, also named Jonas Kazlauskas...
.
In October 2009 he overtook Aris Thessaloniki replacing Andrea Mazzon. The momentum was very difficult for both the club and the coach: Aris had just failed to qualify for the Euroleague through the preliminary round, and Katsikaris had only a few days' time until the start of the Greek League to re-organize the team. His tenure lasted exactly 100 days. As the team were obviously underachieving during the first round of the season, including a nightmare defeat at the hands of "eternal enemy
Aris and PAOK rivalry
The Derby of Nothern Greece, is a football and basketball rivalry played between Aris and P.A.O.K., clubs which are both located in Thessaloniki...
" PAOK, he decided to resign in January 2010, saying that he had joined Aris in the wrong time and couldn't find a way to inspire the players.
A few days later, Katsikaris returned to Spain for Bilbao Berri (or Bizkaia for sponsorship reasons), at that time the second worst team of the 2009–10 ACB season
2009–10 ACB season
The 2009–10 ACB season was the 27th season of the Liga ACB. The regular season began on Saturday, October 10, 2009, and ended on Sunday, May 16, 2010.-Team Standings:...
with a record of 4 wins in 17 matches. Katsikaris made an instant impact; not only did they avoid relegation, but they missed the playoffs for just one win and also reached the Eurocup final four. The next season
2009–10 ACB season
The 2009–10 ACB season was the 27th season of the Liga ACB. The regular season began on Saturday, October 10, 2009, and ended on Sunday, May 16, 2010.-Team Standings:...
was to be even more successful: Bilbao made it to the league playoffs
2011 ACB Playoffs
The 2011 ACB Playoffs will be the final phase of the 2010–11 ACB season. It started on May 19, 2011 and will end on June 2011. Caja Laboral were the current title holders, but were eliminated by Regal FC Barcelona in semifinals. Regal FC Barcelona won their 16th title.-Bracket:-Regal FC Barcelona...
and reached the finals, defeating Valencia and Real Madrid
Real Madrid Baloncesto
Real Madrid Baloncesto is a Spanish professional basketball team founded in 1932 as a division of the Real Madrid club. They play in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto ....
in the early rounds. Although they finally lost the title series to Barcelona
FC Barcelona Bàsquet
FC Barcelona Bàsquet, known as FC Barcelona Regal for sponsorship reasons, is a Spanish professional basketball club. It is part of the FC Barcelona sports club and was founded on August 24, 1926 which makes it the oldest club in Liga ACB. The club competes in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto...
, 2nd place in the post-season is the best position ever for Bilbao Berri, plus it gave them an automatic 2011–12 Euroleague ticket. In the meantime, Katsikaris signed an extension to his contract until 2014.
Season by season as head coach
Abbreviations:QF; quarter-finals
DNQ; did not qualify
DNP; did not participate - system of European eligibility based on previous season's league position
| Club | League | Season | Domestic Competitions | European Competitions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | Cup | Competition | Pos | |||
| AEK Athens |  HEBA A1 |
2003-04 | 4th | QF | Euroleague | Last 24 |
| 2004-05 | 2nd | QF | Euroleague | Top 16 | ||
| Dynamo SPb |  SuperligaRussian Basketball Super League The Russian Basketball SuperLeague is a men's professional basketball league that was the pre-eminent league of Russian professional basketball until 2010... |
2005-06 | 3rd | Eurocup | 4th EuroCup 2005–06 The EuroCup is an international professional club competition organized by FIBA Europe. 32 Teams from 20 countries participated in the 2005-06 EuroCup season. The competition is regarded as the third-strongest pan-European club basketball competition, behind the Euroleague and the ULEB Cup. This... |
|
| 2006-07 | released due to club's bankruptcy | |||||
| Valencia |  Liga ACB |
QF | dnq | dnp | ||
| 2007-08 | QF | QF | ULEB Cup | QF | ||
| 2008-09 | fired after the first matches | |||||
| Aris Thessaloniki | HEBA A1 |
2009-10 | resigned in January | |||
| Bilbao Basket | Liga ACB |
9th 2009–10 ACB season The 2009–10 ACB season was the 27th season of the Liga ACB. The regular season began on Saturday, October 10, 2009, and ended on Sunday, May 16, 2010.-Team Standings:... |
QF | Eurocup | 3rd | |
| 2010-11 | 2nd 2010–11 ACB season -Head coaches:1Coach Manuel Hussein was sacked after the day 6. Chechu Mulero was the coach in the game 7.2Óscar Quintana was sacked after the day 8.3Aíto Gª Reneses and Trifón Poch, sacked after the day 17.4He took the team after Ettore Messina renouncing.... |
QF Copa del Rey de Baloncesto 2010–11 The Copa del Rey 2010-11 was the 75th edition of the Spanish basketball Cup. It was managed by the ACB and was played in Madrid, in the Palacio de los Deportes on February 10–13.-Brackett:... |
dnp | |||
| 2011-12 | in progress 2011–12 ACB season The 2011–12 ACB season is the 29th season of the Liga ACB, called also Liga Endesa due to sponsorship reasons.The regular season started on October 8, 2011 and will end on May 6, 2012... |
Euroleague | in progress | |||