Maroussi BC is coming off another strong season in which it proved its value in all competitions. A spot in the Eurocup Last 16 and an impressive win over eventual finalist Khimki were among the highlights of the European season, while a thrilling playoff series win against Aris BSA earned the club a chance to reach the Euroleague for the first time in club history via the qualifying rounds. Maroussi took full advantage of that opportunity and now stands before a new challenge on Europe’s brightest stage. Although it has been among its country's best teams consistently for the last decade, Maroussi only rejoined the top Greek League in 1999 after 18 years in the second division. Founded in 1950, the club spent long years in the Greek minors before it first emerged in the 1970s to qualify for the 1978-79 Korac Cup. Since its return to the Greek first division, however, Maroussi's performance has improved year by year to the point where it is a contender for any trophy it seeks. The club has competed in some sort of continental competition in every season of the new millennium, highlighted by victory in the 2001 Saporta Cup. That year, the inside-outside scoring tandem of Jimmy Oliver and Ashraf Amaya combined with the rebounding dominance of Vassil Evitmov propelled Maroussi to the title. The next season, Pat Burke joined Maroussi for a run to the Korac Cup semifinals. In 2003-04, Maroussi played and lost another European final, in FIBA's Europe League, but the season still proved a special one. With Greek basketball legend Panagiotis Giannakis on the bench and a young Vassilis Spanoulis making plays, Maroussi finished second in the Greek League regular season with a 21-5 record and reached the domestic playoff finals for the first time, falling to perennial champs Panathinaikos. In 2004-05, Maroussi made its ULEB Cup debut an impressive one by winning a regular season group before falling in the quarterfinals by a single basket to eventual finalist Makedonikos. In 2008 Branko Milisavlievic and Kostas Kaimakoglou led Maroussi to its third Greek semifinals appearance in four years, winning its way into the first edition of the Eurocup. A roster overhaul brought in new faces like Loukas Mavrokefalidis and Billy Keys, both instrumental in a five-game winning streak that bridged the Eurocup regular season and Last 16. And even though the run ended there, Maroussi again stormed the Greek League playoffs to reach the semifinals. Despite a sweep at the hands of Olympiacos, Maroussi outlasted Aris thanks to Kaimakoglou’s hot hand to claim third place. Now the club looks to tackle its biggest challenge as it joins neighbors Olympiacos and Panathinaikos in the Euroleague.