Soulis Markopoulos

Anastasios "Soulis" Markopoulos (Greek: Ἀναστάσιος "Σούλης" Μαρκόπουλος; born March 1, 1949) is a Greek former professional basketball player and a professional basketball coach. He last coached Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek Basket League. He holds the all-time record for the most total games as a head coach, in the history of the Greek Championship. He was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame in 2023.^[1]

Soulis Markopoulos
Σούλης Μαρκόπουλος

Personal information
Born	(1949-03-01) March 1, 1949 (age 75) Thessaloniki, Greece
Nationality	Greek
Career information
Playing career	1967–1978
Position	Head Coach
Coaching career	1978–present
Career history
As player:
1967–1972	Olympos Saranta Ekklision
1972–1978	Dimokritos Thessaloniki
As coach:
1978–1987	Dimokritos Thessaloniki
1987–1990	Iraklis Thessaloniki
1993	PAOK Thessaloniki (Assistant)
1993–1994	PAOK Thessaloniki
1994–1996	Aris Thessaloniki
1998–1999	Aris Thessaloniki
2000–2001	Makedonikos
2002–2003	Makedonikos
2005–2006	PAOK Thessaloniki
2007	AEK Athens
2007–2009	Maroussi Athens
2009–2017	PAOK Thessaloniki
2019	Aris Thessaloniki
Career highlights and awards
As head coach: FIBA Korać Cup champion (1994) 2× Greek League Coach of the Year (2008, 2014) Greek League Hall of Fame (2023)

Playing career

Markopoulos played club basketball with the Greek club Olympos Saranta Ekklision, from 1967 to 1972. He then played with the Greek club Dimokritos Thessaloniki, from 1972 to 1978. While he was with Dimokritos, he played multiple seasons in the top-tier level Greek Basket League.

Coaching career

Markopoulos has coached, in his career, teams such as: Iraklis Thessaloniki, PAOK Thessaloniki, Aris Thessaloniki, Makedonikos, AEK Athens, and Maroussi Athens. His most remarkable success was the acquisition of the FIBA Korać Cup title, while with PAOK ,in the 1993–94 season. In the Greek Basket League 2007–08 season, while coaching Maroussi, and qualifying to the semifinals of the Greek Basket League, he was voted the Greek League Best Coach.

He was also named the Greek League Best Coach in 2014.^[2] In the summer of 2014, he extended his contract with PAOK through the 2018–19 season.^[3] On 26 May 2017, PAOK announced the end of their cooperation with Markopoulos working as the club's head coach.^[4]

Personal life

Markopoulos' son, Charis, is also a professional basketball coach, and former professional basketball player.^[5]

References

1. Harris Stavrou (17 December 2023). "Κόρφας, Μαρκόπουλος, Μπουρούσης στο Hall of Fame της Α1" [Korfas, Markopoulos, Bourousis in the A1 Hall of Fame]. Sport24.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2 March 2024.
2. ESAKE.gr Καλύτερος προπονητής 2014: ΣΟΥΛΗΣ ΜΑΡΚΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ (in Greek).
3. EurocupBasketball.com Long-time PAOK coach Markopoulos signs with club through 2019. Archived 2014-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
4. SPORT24 Τέλος ο Μαρκόπουλος από τον ΠΑΟΚ! (in Greek).
5. The first match up: Soulis Vs Charis Markopoulos.

External links

• EuroCup Official Coaching Profile
• Greek League Coaching Profile
• The top of the Greek Benches: Soulis Markopoulos (in Greek)