New Zealand - Baldwin off to Greece

From tvnz.co.nz
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Former NZ Tall Black maestro Tab Baldwin has been thrown a European coaching lifeline, signing for two years with Greek club PAOK Thessaloniki.

American-born Baldwin will be charged with resurrecting an outfit that was once one of the best in Europe, but have struggled more recently. PAOK last won the Greek championship in 1992, but were eliminated in the quarter-finals last year after compiling a 15-11 record in the regular season.

"They have a great tradition and a huge fan base of over two million," says Baldwin. "They have an 8000-seat stadium, but the last few years have seen hard times, particularly financially.

"This year is a bit of a retrenchment year in terms of budget, so it won't be easy.

"I am looking at it, primarily, as a challenge because of the situation and also an opportunity to build my reputation in Europe."

Baldwin is already shopping for players and will move his family to Greece at the end of July.

He already has a formidable international reputation, having guided the upstart Kiwis to the 2002 & 2006 FIBA World Championships and the 2004 Athens Olympics. He also coached one-and-a-half seasons in Turkey, rescuing the Banvitsport club from relegation and then boosting them to the TBL semifinals the following year.

After losing his position at Banvit last year, he became sole owner of the Auckland Stars in the NBL.