On the heels of one of the best seasons in the club’s recent history, Panellinios BC looks to capitalize and take another step forward to solidify itself as a top team in Greece and Europe. Panellinios is one of the oldest basketball clubs in Europe, having opened its basketball section in 1929 and winning the Athens regional title that same year. Coach Nikos Nisiotis played an important role in the development of the sport in the 1930s and '40s. Panellinios won two more championships in 1939 and 1940, just before World War II. The team returned known as "the Golden Pentada" after the war, winning three more national championships between 1946 and 1960, led by super scorer Antonis Christeas. The Golden Pentada was the base for the 1952 Greek basketball Olympic team in Helsinki. Once the Greek League was created in 1963, Panellinios had the initiative to set the basis for the Greek Basketball Federation. Panellinios stayed in the top division for 23 straight years, finishing third in 1970 and 1978. Tough times came throughout the 1990s, however, as the team battled in the second and third divisions until it returned to the first division in 2004. Soon Panellinios made the first of four consecutive trips to the Greek League playoffs, though it always lost in the quarterfinals. Panellinios qualified for the ULEB Cup in the 2007-08 season and the Eurocup the following year, but never advanced past the regular season. Last year however, it crashed through all barriers. Starting in the Eurocup Qualifying Rounds, Panellinios took no prisoners, knocking off eventual German champ Brose Baskets and Italian power Benetton Treviso en route to a ticket to the Eurocup Finals. At home, Panellinios downed PAOK in the playoffs to advance to the semifinals for the first time as well. Despite its success, Panellinios is eager to taste more and will be challenging hard to match and improve on its results again this year.