By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The “Princes” are of course coach Zvezdan Mitrovic and his players, representing in Athens the Principality of Monaco.
However, AEK is also a “Queen”. That’s how the Greek fans call their club and basketball was the reason behind this nickname. Back in 1968, AEK became the first Greek club to win a European trophy in any sport. It was the Cup winner’s club and after 50 years, AEK has a golden chance to repeat history.
If this happens, then the Basketball Champions League will be the third European trophy of the club, which has won also the Saporta cup under coach Dusan Ivkovic in 2000. However, this time around the trophy will have a special meaning, since AEK was relegated in 2011 and ended up playing due to financial issues in the third division before returning to the first division at the summer of 2014.
In this aspect, there are similarities with Monaco, a club with 90 years of history, founded in 1928, four years after AEK. Monaco, however, spend many years bouncing between the first and the second French division, being the runner-up for the French title in 1950.
The club didn’t have any major success especially in the last two decades and ended up playing in the French third-tier league, the NM1. In the 2014–15 season, Monaco became the French second division LNB Pro B champions, and they were finally promoted back to the top-tier league in France, the LNB Pro A in 2015, almost the same time that AEK returned to the big stage. Since then Monaco has won three French Leaders Cups, they were part of last season’s Basketball Champions League Final Four and they can be considered the favorites to win the title.
Ιn order to do that, they will have to beat AEK in Athens, in front of 20.000 roaring fans. And no matter what happens, it will be a night to remember.