PATRAS (Greece) - The senior team of Promitheas Patras returned to the Basketball Champions League this season, after a four-year hiatus.

The basketball club dates back to 1986 but in terms of playing at the elite levels of European basketball, only joined the Greek first division (A1) in 2016, after a meteoric rise from the fourth division.

Since the club first chartered its course in the professional leagues in 2013 and subsequently started a youth development program in the summer of 2014, the club's academy, Promitheas Patras Academy, has been inextricably linked with the senior team.

The academy is based in the Kastellokampos Training Center, which is considered to be one of the most modern and complete basketball training centers in Europe and is also one of the top-level basketball academies in Europe.

The academy takes a holistic approach to the person as well as the player, prioritizing everything from academics to nutrition and tuition fees alongside athletic development on the court.

Thanasis Souflias is the club's sports director and formerly the youth program manager, and for him, the Youth BCL represents an invaluable opportunity to further the development of their student-athletes. 

"The Youth BCL is a very important tournament for our U18 youth team because the competition level is high, Souflias said.

"Our young athletes will benefit from playing against other top talents and teams. They will be able to test their abilities physically and mentally and at the end of the tournament they will come back home with great memories and friendships."

Promitheas will be bringing a strong, competitive team to the tournament, as you would expect from one of Greece's top basketball academies, but for Souflias the priority is always to maintain the club's philosophies first.

"Our primary goal is to be competitive, play within our basketball philosophy, and win as many games as possible," he stated.

"You can expect a team that will play with a lot of energy, be very competitive, and be ready to challenge every opponent."

Youth BCL Players to Watch

Grigoris Prekas | Date of Birth: April 3,  2006 | F 

2.01m (6ft7in) forward Grigoris Prekas will come into the tournament as one of Promitheas's senior squad members and has the experience and skills to make a big impact. 

Nikos Soilemetzidis and Vasilis Vlasis, both born in 2006, and the 2008-born Antonis Manolitsakis are also expected to be key players for Promitheas Patras Academy in Debrecen.

Program Alumni

 Nikolaos Plotas playing for Promitheas Patras in the BCL

Eleftherios Mantzoukas |Athanasios Bazinas | Nikolaos Plotas | Angelos Lagios | Nikolaos Vasileiou.

Despite the NOUS Academy Program at Promitheas being so young, they have already generated elite-level talents who have progressed to the first team and even beyond. 

Eleftherios Mantzoukas became the youngest-ever scorer in the BCL at the time during the 2018-19 season and now plays for Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos. 

Athanasios Bazinas, Nikolaos Plotas, Angelos Lagios and Nikolaos Vasileiou all play for the senior Promitheas team.