Fragiskos Alvertis
Encyclopedia
Fragiskos Alvertis (born June 11, 1974 in Athens
) is a retired Greek professional basketball
player. He was the captain
of the Panathinaikos basketball team. On February 3, 2008, Alvertis was chosen as one of the 50 most influential personalities in European Club Basketball
over the last half-century by the Euroleague
Basketball Experts Committee, in recognition of his major contribution to Panathinaikos' rise on the continental scene.
Alvertis is commonly referred as one of the best pure shooters of the 1990s and the beginning of the new millennium, winning the Greek League 3-Point Shootout Contest three years in a row (1996–1998) and averaging 41 per cent in three point field goals throughout his Euroleague career. Alvertis made his eighth Euroleague Final Four
appearance in 2007.
He began his career in 1986 with Glyfada BC and joined Panathinaikos in 1990. He won 11 Greek Championships
, 5 Euroleague Championships, 8 Greek Cups
, and one Intercontinental Cup
. His jersey number (4) was the first and only Panathinaikos shirt number ever to be retired. It was hung at the beginning of the 2009-10 season along with the trophy banners above the court of OAKA Indoor Hall, after his retirement following the 2008–09
season.
Alvertis also was a regular member of the Greek national team
until 2004, reaching once the FIBA World Championship
semifinal in 1998
and twice the EuroBasket
semifinal (1995
, 1997
).
, the Greek team to the silver medal. At the same time, Panathinaikos was going through a transition period during which the average team of the late 1980s strove to become a European powerhouse. Consequently, young Alvertis had to wait until the 1993-94 season to get significant playing time on a team that reached the Euroleague Final Four
that year. The star of the twenty year old player shone right away, particularly in the playoff series against Limoges CSP. Alvertis averaged 13 points, forcing Coach Božidar Maljković
to declare that he already was to be counted as one of the very best players in Europe.
Panathinaikos had a status to confirm in the 1994-95 season and Alvertis helped them to do so by elevating his play to another even higher level. Using his strong shooting with a rare maturity for a player his age, he was a major contributor to his team's march towards another Euroleague Final Four
. Alvertis finished his Euroleague year averaging 12 points per game, and although the semifinal against Olympiacos
was a failure, he scored a season high of 29 points in the third place game against Limoges CSP.
In the 1995-96 season Alvertis saw NBA
legend Dominique Wilkins
join the team and the Euroleague title seemed closer than ever. The Greek star averaged 10.8 points per game that season in the competition and he led Panathinaikos in scoring during the winning final game against FC Barcelona with 17 points. He was only 22 years old.
Over the next few years, Alvertis’ performance with Panathinaikos still remained at a very high level and in spite of the fact that the team experienced some disappointments in the European competitions, it won in the 1997-98 season its first national championship since 1984. A dynasty was born in Greek basketball and Alvertis would soon become its captain.
After an unexpected disqualification from the Euroleague Top 8 in the 1998-99 season, Alvertis lifted one more Greek Championship by beating rival Olympiacos in the final after breaking the home court advantage and wining the fifth decisive game at Peace and Friendship Stadium
. The best was yet to come, however.
In the 1999–2000 season, having missed an important part of the season due to an injury, Alvertis still came back in time. Performing great basketball, he helped Panathinaikos win its second Euroleague title in Thessaloníki as well as its third straight Greek Championship, downing PAOK Thessaloníki
in the final.
The next season, Alvertis co-led Panathinaikos with Dejan Bodiroga
to the Euroleague Final Four
in which they lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv
. As for the Greek Championship, the final was a challenge as Olympiakos had once again a very impressive team that year. After the series was tied at 2-2, Alvertis scored 23 points in the fifth and final game, including seven straight ones in the clutch to give Panathinaikos one more Greek Championship crown. His legend, especially among the team's fans, was still growing.
After winning everything on the club level, Alvertis was still thirsty for titles nonetheless. In the 2001-02 season he led the Panathinaikos offense along with the great Dejan Bodiroga
, Damir Mulaomerović
and İbrahim Kutluay, averaging 10.2 points per game; in the final against Kinder Bologna
he scored 11 points, showing great leadership throughout the game. By lifting his third Euroleague title, Alvertis proved that the sky was the limit concerning the number of his titles.
The 2002-03 season started as a very ambitious one for Alvertis and Panathinaikos. The team led its regular season Euroleague group with an 11-3 record. After averaging 12.7 points per game in the first three Top 16 Games, Alvertis’ season was cut short by an injury which caused him to miss the remaining three games. As a result, Panathinaikos did not manage to make it to the Final Four without its natural leader. In the Greek Championship, Alvertis was there to assure PAO's dominance, winning its fifth title in six seasons. He averaged 12 points in the finals against AEK and was voted the league's MVP
. Prior to that, he had led the Greens to their first Greek Cup
since 1996, scoring 22 points in the final against Aris
and being named the tournament's MVP.
Due to the renovation of the OAKA Indoor Hall in the 2003-04 season for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Panathinaikos had to move to a small capacity arena. The budget of the club consequently decreased and suddenly the team became relatively less competitive than the previous year, especially after the departure of Antonis Fotsis
. Despite Alvertis averaging 11.2 points per game and leading the team in the locker room, Panathinaikos made the Top 16 but was not able to reach further to the Final Four. Alvertis’ sixth Greek Championship title was a bitter consolation for a player whose titles were already uncountable.
The 2004-05 season was an adjustment for the captain of Panathinaikos. Unable to contribute to Coach Obradović's demanding systems as efficiently as before, he was not starting any of the games anymore. Nevertheless, he came off the bench as a spot shooter who gave the team valuable three pointers and experience. Along with the new stars Dimitris Diamantidis
, Jaka Lakovič
and Mike Batiste
, PAO made it to the Euroleague Final Four
in Moscow, losing to Šarūnas Jasikevičius
' and Anthony Parker
's Maccabi Tel Aviv. Alvertis finished the Euroleague season with an average of 8.4 points per game, the lowest since his first Euroleague season in 1994. Finally, he lifted another Greek Championship cup, beating AEK Athens
in the final series, in which he averaged 11 points per game.
During his sixteenth season with Panathinaikos, Alvertis had the same role as the previous year. Coming off the bench he helped his team make the Euroleague Top 8 where they were upset, however, by TAU Ceramica in Athens, during the decisive third game, missing the Final Four. This disappointment was relieved slightly by the sweep against Olympiacos in the Greek Championship Finals.
The 2006-07 season was a great one for Panathinaikos, in which they won the 2007 Euroleague Final Four
in Athens, Greece, as well as the Greek Championship and Cup. Alvertis’ contribution had not been anything special on the court, but the captain of the Greens was ready to serve his team whenever they needed him. The 2007-08 season confirmed that, with Alvertis being the soul of the Greens, who won both the Greek Championship and the Greek Cup, even though his contribution on the court was again limited.
. The first great tournament in which he participated was the EuroBasket 1995
, where Greece made the semifinals, finishing fourth. Alvertis did not start any of the games, nor get very significant playing time, but he helped the team with his shooting coming off the bench. He finished the tournament averaging 4.9 points per game.
The following year, Alvertis was already a permanent member of the Greek team and he participated in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games
in Atlanta, Georgia. Even though he still was not starting the games, his contribution rose to 8.6 points per game, as Greece finished fifth.
It was obvious, however, that the departure from the team of legendary play-maker Panagiotis Giannakis
, and the imminent one of Fanis Christodoulou
, would increase Alvertis’ responsibilities.
At the EuroBasket 1997
, Greece started the tournament once again with very high ambitions and a victory against title contender Russia in the qualifying group raised their hopes even higher. Alvertis’ role in the team was as important as the previous year, and he remained a secondary, but significant option on offense, averaging 6.9 points. Greece fell to the future champion SFR Yugoslavia in the semifinal, losing 80-88. The disappointment in the Greek team was huge, and they once again finished in fourth place, after being beaten in the bronze medal game by Russia by a score of 98-78.
it hosted in 1998. Coach Panagiotis Giannakis
was confident that the Greek team would fulfill its mission and he put Alvertis, alongside his Panathinaikos teammate Nikos Ekonomou
, in charge of the team's offense. Alvertis averaged 13.2 points and a surprisingly high 6.2 rebounds per game, being a major contributor in Greece's fourth place finishing team. His leading role was now indisputable, especially since the great Panagiotis Fassoulas decided to retire from the national team after the end of the tournament.
At the EuroBasket 1999
, Alvertis seemed ready to lead Greece to its first medal since 1989. After leading the team in offense, with 18.1 points per game in the qualifying round, everything seemed to indicate a great EuroBasket for the Greek star. Nevertheless, misfortune is part of the game of basketball. A few days before the tournament, Alvertis suffered a severe injury during practice. This injury made him not only miss the EuroBasket, but also the major part of the Panathinaikos 1999–2000 season. Without its offensive leader, and also without Nikos Ekonomou
and Efthimios Rentzias
, who were also injured, Greece finished in an embarrassing sixteenth and last position. Greece failed to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics
of course, and was doomed to two years of exclusion from every major tournament.
Greece had to wait for the EuroBasket 2001
in order to make its comeback to the international scene. The team obviously was in the middle of a transition period, during which young stars Theodoros Papaloukas
, Antonis Fotsis
, and Lazaros Papadopoulos
were unable to build a highly competitive team right away. Alvertis, coming off a great year with Panathinaikos, and Giorgos Sigalas
, had to show to the young generation the road to success. The first game against Italy, the reigning champion, proved that Alvertis was ready to fulfill his role. A buzzer-beating three pointer gave Greece a very impressive 83-82 win. The team, however, had not reached the level of a medal contender yet. The 105-82 loss against Russia
in the next game confirmed that. Consequently, in order to reach the quarter finals, Greece's game against rising power Germany
appeared to be a difficult task. After leading the game by 22, the Greek team actually collapsed against superstar Dirk Nowitzki
and his teammates, giving Germany an 80-75 win. Alvertis averaged 16 points in the tournament, but Greece ended up in ninth place. It was his last opportunity to reach success with the national team as its leader, especially since Greece had not qualified for the 2002 FIBA World Championship
. The transition period for the young generation was soon going to be over.
, Alvertis was a player whose leadership and experience with Panathinaikos and the Greek national team were priceless. Consequently, although his role within the Greek national team had become secondary on the court, it was still a leading one off the court. He was in charge of transmitting values such as commitment, partnership, and ambition to the new generation of Greek stars. After Greece finished in fifth place at both the EuroBasket 2003
and the 2004 Summer Olympics
, the veteran star announced his retirement from the Greek National Team. Alvertis kept his word, even though Coach Giannakis
thought about including him on the Greek team that would eventually win the gold medal at the EuroBasket 2005
. Alvertis had already known that the future of the Greek national team was in good hands.
Alvertis was regarded for a long time as one of the best perimeter shooters in Europe. His shooting style, combined with his height, made him very hard to defend. His lack of athleticism did not allow him to show great regularity; nevertheless, he was never afraid to take clutch shots, and he was very often successful. He was also an above-average defender. He sometimes played at the power forward
position in Panathinaikos, over the last 5 years of his career, due to his height and size, although his all-around skills were quite average.
Finally and above all, Alvertis was for Panathinaikos, a real team leader, both on and especially off the court, keeping his teammates focused on the team's success. Coach Želimir Obradović himself once said, "Alvertis is the best captain I ever had", paying tribute to the leadership skills of his star.
"I just love playing basketball, every single moment of it: a shot, a rebound, fighting for good position", Alvertis says. "And I really feel rich in emotions. I am happy to be part of Panathinaikos. I have spent half of my life here."
He came of the bench for 1 game the following season (2008–09)
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...
) is a retired Greek 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...
player. He was the captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
of the Panathinaikos basketball team. On February 3, 2008, Alvertis was chosen as one of the 50 most influential personalities in European Club Basketball
50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors
The 50 Greatest Contributors in Euroleague History were chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the FIBA European Champions Cup, officially recognized as the predecessor to today's Euroleague.The list was made up of the...
over the last half-century by the Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
Basketball Experts Committee, in recognition of his major contribution to Panathinaikos' rise on the continental scene.
Alvertis is commonly referred as one of the best pure shooters of the 1990s and the beginning of the new millennium, winning the Greek League 3-Point Shootout Contest three years in a row (1996–1998) and averaging 41 per cent in three point field goals throughout his Euroleague career. Alvertis made his eighth Euroleague Final Four
Euroleague Final Four
The Euroleague Final Four is the final four format championship of the Euroleague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague used the final four format for the first time during the 1987-88 season. It is known as the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four for sponsorship reasons...
appearance in 2007.
He began his career in 1986 with Glyfada BC and joined Panathinaikos in 1990. He won 11 Greek Championships
A1 Ethniki
The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...
, 5 Euroleague Championships, 8 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:...
, and one Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (basketball)
The World Cup for Champion Clubs, commonly referred to as the Intercontinental Cup, was a basketball competition endorsed by FIBA to gather the best clubs from the federations affiliated to FIBA and to officially decide the best club of the world, contended mainly by the continents of higher...
. His jersey number (4) was the first and only Panathinaikos shirt number ever to be retired. It was hung at the beginning of the 2009-10 season along with the trophy banners above the court of OAKA Indoor Hall, after his retirement following the 2008–09
A1 Ethniki 2008-09
The Greek Basket League 2008–09 season was the 69th season of the Greek Basket League, the highest professional basketball league in Greece. The 182-game regular season began on Saturday, October 4, 2008, and will end on Sunday, May 10, 2009.-Standings:Pts=Points, Pld=Matches played, W=Matches...
season.
Alvertis also was a regular member of the Greek 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...
until 2004, reaching once the FIBA World Championship
FIBA World Championship
The FIBA World Championship is an international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation , the sport's global governing body...
semifinal in 1998
1998 FIBA World Championship
The 1998 FIBA World Championship was the 13th FIBA World Championship, an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation and hosted in Athens, Greece from July 29 to August 9, 1998...
and twice the EuroBasket
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...
semifinal (1995
EuroBasket 1995
EuroBasket 1995 final tournament stage was XXIX European basketball championship and was held in Athens, Greece from 21 June to 2 July, 1995. This European championship was the first one that saw the successful return of Lithuania national basketball team to the tournament, since its last triumph...
, 1997
EuroBasket 1997
-Venues:The tournament was played at three venues in Spain. Girona and Badalona hosted the first and the second round, while the entire knockout stage was played at Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona.-First round:-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:...
).
1991–1996: A star is born
A great deal had been actually accomplished for Panathinaikos (PAO) and the years to come would prove it. Alvertis was actually an amazing prospect at the time, almost 10 cm (4 inches) taller than the conventional shooting guard. His potential was proven to be great in the 1991 Cadet's Eurobasket where Alvertis led, alongside with Panagiotis LiadelisPanagiotis Liadelis
Panagiotis Liadelis is a retired Greek professional basketball player. He is a 1.94 m tall point guard-shooting guard.-Pro career:...
, the Greek team to the silver medal. At the same time, Panathinaikos was going through a transition period during which the average team of the late 1980s strove to become a European powerhouse. Consequently, young Alvertis had to wait until the 1993-94 season to get significant playing time on a team that reached the Euroleague Final Four
Euroleague Final Four
The Euroleague Final Four is the final four format championship of the Euroleague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague used the final four format for the first time during the 1987-88 season. It is known as the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four for sponsorship reasons...
that year. The star of the twenty year old player shone right away, particularly in the playoff series against Limoges CSP. Alvertis averaged 13 points, forcing Coach Božidar Maljković
Božidar Maljkovic
Božidar "Boža" Maljković is a Serbian basketball coach, one of the most successful in Europe, having won a title with practically all clubs he trained, including four Euroleague titles with three different clubs...
to declare that he already was to be counted as one of the very best players in Europe.
Panathinaikos had a status to confirm in the 1994-95 season and Alvertis helped them to do so by elevating his play to another even higher level. Using his strong shooting with a rare maturity for a player his age, he was a major contributor to his team's march towards another Euroleague Final Four
Euroleague Final Four
The Euroleague Final Four is the final four format championship of the Euroleague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague used the final four format for the first time during the 1987-88 season. It is known as the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four for sponsorship reasons...
. Alvertis finished his Euroleague year averaging 12 points per game, and although the semifinal against Olympiacos
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...
was a failure, he scored a season high of 29 points in the third place game against Limoges CSP.
In the 1995-96 season Alvertis saw NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
legend Dominique Wilkins
Dominique Wilkins
Jacques Dominique Wilkins is a retired American professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA...
join the team and the Euroleague title seemed closer than ever. The Greek star averaged 10.8 points per game that season in the competition and he led Panathinaikos in scoring during the winning final game against FC Barcelona with 17 points. He was only 22 years old.
1996–2004: A great shooter
After an unexpected disqualification from the Euroleague Top 8 in the 1998-99 season, Alvertis lifted one more Greek Championship by beating rival Olympiacos in the final after breaking the home court advantage and wining the fifth decisive game at Peace and Friendship Stadium
Peace and Friendship Stadium
The Stadio Eirinis kai Filias , known as S.E.F., is a multi-use indoor sports arena that is located in Faliro, Piraeus, Athens, Greece. It is the central venue of the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex and is mostly known for being the long-time home court of the famous Euroleague basketball club...
. The best was yet to come, however.
In the 1999–2000 season, having missed an important part of the season due to an injury, Alvertis still came back in time. Performing great basketball, he helped Panathinaikos win its second Euroleague title in Thessaloníki as well as its third straight Greek Championship, downing PAOK Thessaloníki
PAOK BC
P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki B.C. is the professional basketball department of the Greek multi-sports club P.A.O.K., originally founded in 1926 and is based in Thessaloniki, Greece. The club has established a firm reputation in Greek sports, especially for its success in European leagues...
in the final.
The next season, Alvertis co-led Panathinaikos with Dejan Bodiroga
Dejan Bodiroga
Dejan Bodiroga is a retired Serbian professional basketball player.He is offten considered as one of the best players who did not play in the NBA....
to the Euroleague Final Four
Euroleague Final Four
The Euroleague Final Four is the final four format championship of the Euroleague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague used the final four format for the first time during the 1987-88 season. It is known as the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four for sponsorship reasons...
in which they lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv (basketball)
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv B.C. is a professional Israeli basketball club based in Tel Aviv. The team plays in three leagues: the Euroleague, the Israeli Basketball Super League, and the Adriatic League....
. As for the Greek Championship, the final was a challenge as Olympiakos had once again a very impressive team that year. After the series was tied at 2-2, Alvertis scored 23 points in the fifth and final game, including seven straight ones in the clutch to give Panathinaikos one more Greek Championship crown. His legend, especially among the team's fans, was still growing.
After winning everything on the club level, Alvertis was still thirsty for titles nonetheless. In the 2001-02 season he led the Panathinaikos offense along with the great Dejan Bodiroga
Dejan Bodiroga
Dejan Bodiroga is a retired Serbian professional basketball player.He is offten considered as one of the best players who did not play in the NBA....
, Damir Mulaomerović
Damir Mulaomerovic
Damir Mulaomerovic is a Bosnian-born Croatian professional basketball player who currently plays for KK Zagreb....
and İbrahim Kutluay, averaging 10.2 points per game; in the final against Kinder Bologna
Virtus Bologna
-Notable players: Marco Bonamico 9 seasons: '75-'76, '77-'78, '80-'86, '88-'89 Carlo Caglieris 6 seasons: '75-'81 Pietro Generali 6 seasons: '75-'76, '78-'83 Gianni Bertolotti 5 seasons: '75-'80 Terry Driscoll 3 seasons: '75-'78 Eric Luc Leclerc 1 season: '75-'76 Luigi Serafini 2 seasons: '75-'77...
he scored 11 points, showing great leadership throughout the game. By lifting his third Euroleague title, Alvertis proved that the sky was the limit concerning the number of his titles.
The 2002-03 season started as a very ambitious one for Alvertis and Panathinaikos. The team led its regular season Euroleague group with an 11-3 record. After averaging 12.7 points per game in the first three Top 16 Games, Alvertis’ season was cut short by an injury which caused him to miss the remaining three games. As a result, Panathinaikos did not manage to make it to the Final Four without its natural leader. In the Greek Championship, Alvertis was there to assure PAO's dominance, winning its fifth title in six seasons. He averaged 12 points in the finals against AEK and was voted the league's MVP
A1 Ethniki
The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...
. Prior to that, he had led the Greens to their first Greek Cup
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:...
since 1996, scoring 22 points in the final against Aris
Aris BC
Aris Basketball Club is the professional basketball team of the Thessaloniki-based Greek sport club Aris Thessaloniki. Aris BC was founded in 1922, eight years after the founding of Aris Thessaloniki....
and being named the tournament's MVP.
Due to the renovation of the OAKA Indoor Hall in the 2003-04 season for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Panathinaikos had to move to a small capacity arena. The budget of the club consequently decreased and suddenly the team became relatively less competitive than the previous year, especially after the departure of Antonis Fotsis
Antonis Fotsis
Antonis Fotsis is a Greek professional basketball player. He is a 2.09 m power forward...
. Despite Alvertis averaging 11.2 points per game and leading the team in the locker room, Panathinaikos made the Top 16 but was not able to reach further to the Final Four. Alvertis’ sixth Greek Championship title was a bitter consolation for a player whose titles were already uncountable.
2004–2009: A new role for a leader
Dimitris Diamantidis
Dimitris Diamantidis is a Greek professional basketball player. Standing at 1.98 m , Diamantidis mainly plays at the point guard position, but he also has the ability to play as a shooting guard, as well as to assume the small forward position, being utilized as a point forward...
, Jaka Lakovič
Jaka Lakovic
Jaka Lakovič is a Slovenian professional basketball player of Serbian descent. A dynamic 186 cm tall point guard...
and Mike Batiste
Michael Batiste
Michael James "Mike" Batiste is an American professional basketball player. He is 6 ft 8½ tall and is regarded as one of the best centers currently playing in the Euroleague.- College :...
, PAO made it to the Euroleague Final Four
Euroleague Final Four
The Euroleague Final Four is the final four format championship of the Euroleague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague used the final four format for the first time during the 1987-88 season. It is known as the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four for sponsorship reasons...
in Moscow, losing to Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarunas Jasikevicius
Šarūnas Jasikevičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for Panathinaikos BC. He is a member of the Lithuanian national team, and plays the point guard position.-Early years:...
' and Anthony Parker
Anthony Parker
Anthony Michael Parker is an American professional basketball player who last played with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association . After graduating from Bradley University with a major in liberal arts, he entered the 1997 NBA Draft and played briefly in the NBA before...
's Maccabi Tel Aviv. Alvertis finished the Euroleague season with an average of 8.4 points per game, the lowest since his first Euroleague season in 1994. Finally, he lifted another Greek Championship cup, beating AEK Athens
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 ....
in the final series, in which he averaged 11 points per game.
During his sixteenth season with Panathinaikos, Alvertis had the same role as the previous year. Coming off the bench he helped his team make the Euroleague Top 8 where they were upset, however, by TAU Ceramica in Athens, during the decisive third game, missing the Final Four. This disappointment was relieved slightly by the sweep against Olympiacos in the Greek Championship Finals.
The 2006-07 season was a great one for Panathinaikos, in which they won the 2007 Euroleague Final Four
Euroleague Final Four
The Euroleague Final Four is the final four format championship of the Euroleague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague used the final four format for the first time during the 1987-88 season. It is known as the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four for sponsorship reasons...
in Athens, Greece, as well as the Greek Championship and Cup. Alvertis’ contribution had not been anything special on the court, but the captain of the Greens was ready to serve his team whenever they needed him. The 2007-08 season confirmed that, with Alvertis being the soul of the Greens, who won both the Greek Championship and the Greek Cup, even though his contribution on the court was again limited.
1995–1998: The first steps
As one of the best European prospects from the age of 17, Alvertis was selected very early for the Greek men's national teamGreece 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...
. The first great tournament in which he participated was the EuroBasket 1995
EuroBasket 1995
EuroBasket 1995 final tournament stage was XXIX European basketball championship and was held in Athens, Greece from 21 June to 2 July, 1995. This European championship was the first one that saw the successful return of Lithuania national basketball team to the tournament, since its last triumph...
, where Greece made the semifinals, finishing fourth. Alvertis did not start any of the games, nor get very significant playing time, but he helped the team with his shooting coming off the bench. He finished the tournament averaging 4.9 points per game.
The following year, Alvertis was already a permanent member of the Greek team and he participated in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games
Basketball at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Basketball contests at the 1996 Olympic Games were held from July 20, 1996 to August 4, 1996. Games took place at the Morehouse College Gymnasium and the Georgia Dome. For the second straight Olympic games, the American men's team composed almost entirely of NBA players won the gold medal...
in Atlanta, Georgia. Even though he still was not starting the games, his contribution rose to 8.6 points per game, as Greece finished fifth.
It was obvious, however, that the departure from the team of legendary play-maker 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...
, and the imminent one of Fanis Christodoulou
Fanis Christodoulou
Theofanis Christodoulou, or Fanis Christodoulou , is a retired Greek professional basketball player...
, would increase Alvertis’ responsibilities.
At the EuroBasket 1997
EuroBasket 1997
-Venues:The tournament was played at three venues in Spain. Girona and Badalona hosted the first and the second round, while the entire knockout stage was played at Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona.-First round:-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:...
, Greece started the tournament once again with very high ambitions and a victory against title contender Russia in the qualifying group raised their hopes even higher. Alvertis’ role in the team was as important as the previous year, and he remained a secondary, but significant option on offense, averaging 6.9 points. Greece fell to the future champion SFR Yugoslavia in the semifinal, losing 80-88. The disappointment in the Greek team was huge, and they once again finished in fourth place, after being beaten in the bronze medal game by Russia by a score of 98-78.
1998–2001: Leader of the national team
In order to confirm that it was among the four or five best teams in the world, Greece had to reach at least the semifinals in the FIBA World Championship1998 FIBA World Championship
The 1998 FIBA World Championship was the 13th FIBA World Championship, an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation and hosted in Athens, Greece from July 29 to August 9, 1998...
it hosted in 1998. Coach 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...
was confident that the Greek team would fulfill its mission and he put Alvertis, alongside his Panathinaikos teammate Nikos Ekonomou
Nikos Ekonomou
Nikos Ekonomou is a retired Greek professional basketball player. He was a power forward, who played for many teams in his career. He also runs Basket4All, a basketball camp for young children.- Basketball career :...
, in charge of the team's offense. Alvertis averaged 13.2 points and a surprisingly high 6.2 rebounds per game, being a major contributor in Greece's fourth place finishing team. His leading role was now indisputable, especially since the great Panagiotis Fassoulas decided to retire from the national team after the end of the tournament.
At the EuroBasket 1999
EuroBasket 1999
-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:-Second round:- Group E :- Group F :-Championship bracket:-5th place bracket:- Quarterfinals :-Classification rounds:- Semifinals :- Third place game:- Final :...
, Alvertis seemed ready to lead Greece to its first medal since 1989. After leading the team in offense, with 18.1 points per game in the qualifying round, everything seemed to indicate a great EuroBasket for the Greek star. Nevertheless, misfortune is part of the game of basketball. A few days before the tournament, Alvertis suffered a severe injury during practice. This injury made him not only miss the EuroBasket, but also the major part of the Panathinaikos 1999–2000 season. Without its offensive leader, and also without Nikos Ekonomou
Nikos Ekonomou
Nikos Ekonomou is a retired Greek professional basketball player. He was a power forward, who played for many teams in his career. He also runs Basket4All, a basketball camp for young children.- Basketball career :...
and Efthimios Rentzias
Efthimios Rentzias
Efthimios Rentzias is a retired Greek professional basketball player. He was most notably a member of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers...
, who were also injured, Greece finished in an embarrassing sixteenth and last position. Greece failed to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics
-Group B:-Championship bracket:-Classification matches:-Preliminary round:The four best teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinal round.-Group A:-Group B:-Championship bracket:...
of course, and was doomed to two years of exclusion from every major tournament.
Greece had to wait for the EuroBasket 2001
EuroBasket 2001
The EuroBasket 2001 was the 32nd EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Turkey, began on 31 August 2001 and concluded with the final on 9 September 2001. Yugoslavia won the gold medal,...
in order to make its comeback to the international scene. The team obviously was in the middle of a transition period, during which young stars Theodoros Papaloukas
Theodoros Papaloukas
Theódoros "Teó" Papaloukás is a Greek professional basketball player. He currently plays as a point guard for the Israeli League, Adriatic League and Euroleague club Maccabi Tel Aviv....
, Antonis Fotsis
Antonis Fotsis
Antonis Fotsis is a Greek professional basketball player. He is a 2.09 m power forward...
, and Lazaros Papadopoulos
Lazaros Papadopoulos
Lazaros Papadopoulos , is a Greek professional basketball player. He is 7 ft 280 lbs. and he plays at the center position.-Personal:...
were unable to build a highly competitive team right away. Alvertis, coming off a great year with Panathinaikos, and Giorgos Sigalas
Giorgos Sigalas
Giorgos Sigalas , is a retired Greek professional basketball player. During the 1990s, the 6'7" swingman was the regular captain of the senior men's Greek national team, as well as of the Athens-based Olympiacos in the Greek League and the Euroleague...
, had to show to the young generation the road to success. The first game against Italy, the reigning champion, proved that Alvertis was ready to fulfill his role. A buzzer-beating three pointer gave Greece a very impressive 83-82 win. The team, however, had not reached the level of a medal contender yet. The 105-82 loss against Russia
Russia national basketball team
The Russian national basketball team represents Russia in international basketball matches. The team came into existence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and its powerful basketball team. It has won 2 silver medals in the FIBA World Championships...
in the next game confirmed that. Consequently, in order to reach the quarter finals, Greece's game against rising power Germany
Germany national basketball team
The German national basketball team for men is the basketball side that represents Germany in international competitions. Their biggest successes are the victory in the European Championship of 1993 at home in Germany, the silver medal in the 2005 European Championships and the bronze medal in the...
appeared to be a difficult task. After leading the game by 22, the Greek team actually collapsed against superstar Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Werner Nowitzki is a German professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association...
and his teammates, giving Germany an 80-75 win. Alvertis averaged 16 points in the tournament, but Greece ended up in ninth place. It was his last opportunity to reach success with the national team as its leader, especially since Greece had not qualified for the 2002 FIBA World Championship
2002 FIBA World Championship
The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA from August 29 to September 8, 2002.-Venues:-Squads:...
. The transition period for the young generation was soon going to be over.
2001–2004: The last years
Prior to the EuroBasket 2003Eurobasket 2003
-5th to 8th place:-Awards:-All-Tournament Team : Tony Parker Šarūnas Jasikevičius Saulius Štombergas Andrei Kirilenko Pau Gasol-Top scorers :# Pau Gasol 25.8# Andrei Kirilenko 23.1# Dirk Nowitzki 22.5# Mehmet Okur 18.7...
, Alvertis was a player whose leadership and experience with Panathinaikos and the Greek national team were priceless. Consequently, although his role within the Greek national team had become secondary on the court, it was still a leading one off the court. He was in charge of transmitting values such as commitment, partnership, and ambition to the new generation of Greek stars. After Greece finished in fifth place at both the EuroBasket 2003
Eurobasket 2003
-5th to 8th place:-Awards:-All-Tournament Team : Tony Parker Šarūnas Jasikevičius Saulius Štombergas Andrei Kirilenko Pau Gasol-Top scorers :# Pau Gasol 25.8# Andrei Kirilenko 23.1# Dirk Nowitzki 22.5# Mehmet Okur 18.7...
and the 2004 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena in Athens, Greece for the preliminary rounds, with the latter stages being held in the Olympic Indoor Hall at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex....
, the veteran star announced his retirement from the Greek National Team. Alvertis kept his word, even though Coach 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...
thought about including him on the Greek team that would eventually win the gold medal at the EuroBasket 2005
Eurobasket 2005
The EuroBasket 2005 was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Greece won the gold medal by defeating Germany, while France won the bronze medal over Spain...
. Alvertis had already known that the future of the Greek national team was in good hands.
Player profile
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
position in Panathinaikos, over the last 5 years of his career, due to his height and size, although his all-around skills were quite average.
Finally and above all, Alvertis was for Panathinaikos, a real team leader, both on and especially off the court, keeping his teammates focused on the team's success. Coach Želimir Obradović himself once said, "Alvertis is the best captain I ever had", paying tribute to the leadership skills of his star.
Personal life
As well as being the most-crowned player of his generation in Europe, Alvertis is a family man, a father of one son, Carolos, and husband to Anta, a former water polo player whom he sat next to in high school. Off the court, Frankie loves hunting and fishing, likes to play with his dogs and birds, and enjoys a night out with good food at a traditional Greek tavern. He drinks a glass of red wine before performing his favorite zeibekiko. To relax, he prefers a good book, such as "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway, one of his favorites."I just love playing basketball, every single moment of it: a shot, a rebound, fighting for good position", Alvertis says. "And I really feel rich in emotions. I am happy to be part of Panathinaikos. I have spent half of my life here."
Awards and accomplishments
- 1998 FIBA World Championship1998 FIBA World ChampionshipThe 1998 FIBA World Championship was the 13th FIBA World Championship, an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation and hosted in Athens, Greece from July 29 to August 9, 1998...
All-Tournament Third Team. - 3 consecutive times winner of the Greek All Star Game 3 Point Shootout Contest (1996, 1997, 1998)
- 9x Greek All Star GameHEBA Greek All Star GameThe Greek HEBA All-Star Game, also known as the Greek ΕΣΑΚΕ All Star Game is the All Star Game of the HEBA Greek basketball association for men, was founded and organized by GUS SARIANIDES which features players from the top Greek pro basketball league the HEBA A1 Division. The game is played in a...
(1997, 1999, 2001–07) - Acropolis TournamentAcropolis TournamentThe Acropolis International Basketball Tournament is an international basketball competition between national teams, which has been held annually since the year 1986 and takes place in Athens, Greece each summer...
MVP 2000 - Greek CupGreek basketball CupThe 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:...
MVP 2003 - Greek LeagueA1 EthnikiThe Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...
MVP 2003 - 155 appearances with the Greek National Basketball TeamGreece national basketball teamThe 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...
, averaging 10.32 points per game. - In his pro club career with Panathinaikos, he won a total of 25 titles.
- Selected to the Euroleague's 50th anniversary Euroleague's 35 Greatest All-Time Players50 Greatest Euroleague ContributorsThe 50 Greatest Contributors in Euroleague History were chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the FIBA European Champions Cup, officially recognized as the predecessor to today's Euroleague.The list was made up of the...
list in 2008.
Euroleague statistics
Euroleague official website, Fragiskos Alvertis' page. FIBA Europe official website, Fragiskos Alvertis' history.| SEASON | TEAM | GP | MPG | SPG | BPG | APG | RPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | Panathinaikos | 21 | 23.0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 8.0 |
| 1994-95 | Panathinaikos | 21 | 28.0 | 0.9 | 0 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 12.0 |
| 1995-96 | Panathinaikos | 21 | 29.4 | 0.8 | 0 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 10.8 |
| 1996-97 | Panathinaikos | 20 | 28.5 | 0.8 | 0 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 12.7 |
| 1998-99 | Panathinaikos | 17 | 29.3 | 0.9 | 0 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 11.7 |
| 1999-00 | Panathinaikos | 10 | 22.5 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 7.9 |
| 2000-01 | Panathinaikos | 24 | 26.5 | 1.0 | 0 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 13.4 |
| 2001-02 | Panathinaikos | 22 | 25.9 | 0.9 | 0 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 10.2 |
| 2002-03 | Panathinaikos | 17 | 23.7 | 0.8 | 0 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 10.0 |
| 2003-04 | Panathinaikos | 16 | 23.7 | 0.3 | 0 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 11.2 |
| 2004-05 | Panathinaikos | 20 | 18.6 | 0.7 | 0 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 8.4 |
| 2005-06 | Panathinaikos | 16 | 16.9 | 0.8 | 0 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 8.0 |
| 2006-07 | Panathinaikos | 11 | 9.2 | 0.1 | 0. | 0.5 | 0.5 | 3.3 |
| 2007-08 | Panathinaikos | 12 | 8.3 | 0.3 | 0. | 0.3 | 0.8 | 3.0 |
He came of the bench for 1 game the following season (2008–09)