After a fantastic 7DAYS EuroCup debut two years ago, Promitheas Patras embarks on a third straight season in the competition as it solidifies itself as a force in Greek basketball.
Club profile: Promitheas Patras
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After a fantastic 7DAYS EuroCup debut two years ago, Promitheas Patras embarks on a third straight season in the competition as it solidifies itself as a force in Greek basketball. ASP Promitheas was founded in 1985 in Patras, with the club name coming from the titan in Greek mythology, Prometheus, and it started competing in the lowest division of Greek regional basketball a year later.
Its rise to prominence began when the club started to focus more on its organization in the fall of 2006. In each of the next three seasons, Promitheas earned a promotion to a higher level. Guided by Coach Giannis Kotsonis, the team reached the top regional division for the first time in 2009 and competed there for four seasons. With Coach Kostas Douvas at the helm, Promitheas reached the playoff finals in the 2012-13 campaign and earned promotion to the national fourth division. That proved to be only one stop on this journey to prominence.
With Makis Giatras taking over on the bench the following season, the team used a 21-3 record to win its group and earn another promotion. A 24-2 record a year later got Promitheas to Greek’s second division. In 2015-16, Promitheas finished fourth in the second division regular season and came up just short of earning promotion after losing to Faros Keratsini. However, when Keratsini decided not to use its right to advance, Promitheas was next in line to move up and history was made; Promitheas joined the Greek elite.
After earning seven promotions to move up eight ranks in only 10 seasons, Promitheas fared well in its first season in Greek’s top flight with a 10-16 record - one win shy of a playoff spot. In the 2017-18 season, Coach Giatras returned to the bench after a year away and with Mouhammad Faye, Milan Milosevic and Nikos Gikas leading the way, Promitheas finished third in the regular season behind only Greek giants Panathinaikos Athens and Olympiacos Piraeus. After getting past Lavrio in the quarterfinals for its first-ever playoff win, Promitheas was swept by Olympiacos in the semis and lost to PAOK Thessaloniki in the third-place series. However, the strong foundation was already in place, allowing Promitheas to keep making history.
The club didn’t disappoint in 2019-20 as it made its EuroCup debut and reached the quarterfinals with home-court advantage against Tofas Bursa before the rest of the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Domestically, Promitheas advanced to the Greek Cup final for the first time and ranked fourth in the Greek League when the season was prematurely ended. Last season, it won the Greek SuperCup, was the Greek Cup runner-up and again reached the Greek semifinals. The stage is set for another big season for Promitheas.