University of Tartu basketball team

University of Tartu basketball team (Estonian: Tartu Ülikooli korvpallimeeskond), for sponsorship reasons known as Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits, is a professional basketball team based in Tartu, Estonia. The team plays in the Latvian–Estonian Basketball League. They play their home games at the University of Tartu Sports Hall.

Tartu Ülikool
University of Tartu
Tartu ÜlikoolUniversity of Tartu logo
LeaguesKorvpalli Meistriliiga
Latvian–Estonian Basketball League
European North Basketball League
Founded1937 (1937)
History
List
    • Tartu EASK
      (1937–1940)
    • Tartu Ülikool
      (1948–1992)
    • Tartu KK
      (1992–1994)
    • Tartu Gaas
      (1994–1995)
    • KK Tartu
      (1995–1997)
    • SK Polaris
      (1997–1999)
    • Tartu Ülikool
      (1999–present)
ArenaUniversity of Tartu Sports Hall
Capacity2,600[1]
LocationTartu, Estonia
Team colorsWhite, Black, Blue
     
PresidentPriit Kaasik
Head coachNikolajs Mazurs
Championships26 Estonian Championships
17 Estonian Cups
1 Soviet Championship
WebsiteOfficial website

Founded in 1937 as division of the University of Tartu Academic Sports Club, the team have won a record 26 Estonian Championships, a record 17 Estonian Cups and one Soviet Championship.

History

The team was founded in 1937 by Herbert Niiler as Tartu Estonian Academic Sports Club (Estonian: Tartu Eesti Akadeemiline Spordiklubi), or simply Tartu EASK. The team won the regional series and was promoted to the top-tier Estonian Championship.[2] Led by Estonia national team players Oskar Erikson, Aleksander Illi, Heino Veskila and Ralf Viksten, the team won the 1938 Estonian Championship and managed to defend the title in the two following seasons. The club's success was cut short by World War II and the Soviet occupation.[3][4]

University of Tartu returned to the Estonian Championship in 1948. On 28 August 1948, the team defeated Tartu Dünamo with a record score of 132–6, with Ilmar Kullam scoring 40 points.[5] Led by a generation of star players such as Kullam, Heino Kruus and Joann Lõssov, the team won five consecutive Estonian Championships from 1948 to 1952. In 1949, the team also won the Soviet Championship.[2]

The team, now coached by Ernst Ehaveer, won another Estonian Championship in 1956 with a team of players from different generations like the veteran Kullam and the young Mart Laga. In 1957, center Jaak Lipso joined the team and Tartu won two more championships in 1958 and 1959.[2] After Lipso's departure, the team struggled in the 1960s before acquiring Aleksei Tammiste in 1968. The team won the 1968–69 season by defeating Tallinna Kalev 82–80 in the final, fielding an unorthodox starting lineup of 4 guards and 1 forward.[2][6] Led by Tammiste and Anatoli Krikun, the team won eight Estonian Championships from 1969 to 1978. In 1983, Ehaveer ended his 27-season tenure as the head coach. Under Ehaveer, the team had won a total of 11 Estonian Championships and 5 Estonian Cups.[2] In the 1980s, the team entered into a period of decline, failing to finish above third place.

Tartu continued to struggle after the restoration of Estonia's independence in 1991. In the 1995–96 season, the team reached the finals, but lost the series to Kalev 0–3. In 1997, University of Tartu hired Teet Laur as head coach. In 1998, the team signed Marek Doronin. University of Tartu finished the 1999–2000 regular season in third place, but reached the finals in the playoffs and won their first title since 1978, defeating Tallinna Kalev in three games.[2] The team also made their debut in Europe, entering the 1999–2000 FIBA Saporta Cup, but failed to advance past the group stage with just one win in 10 games. In 2000, Jüri Neissaar returned to the team and replaced Laur as head coach. The team defended their KML title in the 2000–01 season, defeating Tallinna Ülikoolid-A. Le Coq in three games in the finals.[2] Tanel Tein was named Most Valuable Player of the season, while Neissaar won the Coach of the Year.[7] The team failed to win their third consecutive KML title as Tartu lost the series to Tallinna Kalev 2–3. Nevertheless, Tein was named MVP for the second year in a row.[8]

Tanel Tein was named MVP on the season in 2001, 2002 and 2006, Finals MVP in 2007 and Estonian Player of the Year in 2008.

In 2003, Tõnu Lust was hired as head coach. University of Tartu won the 2003–04 regular season and won the title, defeating EBS/Nybit in 4 games to 2 in the finals.[2] Augenijus Vaškys was named MVP and Lust won the Coach of the Year award.[9] The team finished the 2004–05 regular season with a 12–4 record, but lost the finals to Ehitustööriist 3 games to 4. After the season, Lust was replaced as head coach by the assistant coach Paavo Russak. The team reached the finals in the 2005–06 season, but were once again defeated by Kalev/Cramo (former Ehitustööriist) 3 games to 4, losing the deciding seventh game by a single point, 68–69. Despite the loss, Tein was named MVP of the season for the third time.[10] University of Tartu signed Gert Kullamäe, Martin Müürsepp and Giorgi Tsintsadze for the 2006–07 season, while Algirdas Brazys replaced Russak as head coach. The team won the regular season and reached the finals in the playoffs, where they defeated Kalev/Cramo 4 games to 2. Tein was named the KML Finals MVP. Üllar Kerde was hired as the new head coach for the next season. University of Tartu competed in the 2007–08 FIBA EuroCup and made Estonian basketball history by reaching the Final Four, where they were defeated by Barons LMT 82–88 in the semifinals.[11] In the third place games, the team faced Proteas EKA AEL, but lost 70–79. University of Tartu defended their KML title in the 2007–08 season, defeating Kalev/Cramo in a four-game sweep in the finals.[2] Brian Cusworth was named the KML Finals MVP, in addition to regular-season MVP, while Tein was named Estonian Player of the Year and Kerde won the Coach of the Year award.[12]

On 20 December 2008, Kerde was replaced by assistant coach Indrek Visnapuu. University of Tartu won the 2008–09 regular season and advanced to the finals in the playoffs. In the finals, the team faced Kalev/Cramo once again and lost the series 2 games to 4. The team won the 2009–10 season, defeating Rakvere Tarvas 4 games to 2 in the finals.[13] Janar Talts was named KML Finals MVP.[14] On 25 January 2012, Visnapuu was replaced by assistant coach and former University of Tartu player Gert Kullamäe. The team won their next Estonian Championship in the 2014–15 season, defeating Kalev/Cramo 4 games to 1 in the finals.[15] Tanel Kurbas was named the KML Finals MVP and Kullamäe won the Coach of the Year award. University of Tartu participated in the 2015–16 season of the newly established FIBA Europe Cup, reaching the round of 32. In Estonia, the team finished the 2015–16 regular season in second place. The team advanced to the finals, but were defeated by Kalev/Cramo 4 games to 1.[16]

Sponsorship naming

The team has had several denominations through the years due to its sponsorship. From 2001 to 2016, the club was sponsored by Saku, an Estonian brewery company, which led to the team featuring Rock, one of Saku's brands, in their team name. As a result, the name Rock was used frequently to refer to the team.

  • Tartu Gaas: 1994–1995
  • SK Polaris: 1997–1999
  • Tartu Ülikool-Delta: 1999–2001
  • Tartu Ülikool/Rock: 2001–2016
  • Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits: 2019–present

Logos
  • Rock sponsorship logo
    Rock sponsorship logo
  • BC Tartu (2016–2018)
    BC Tartu (2016–2018)

Home arenas

Players

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

University of Tartu roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.Wt.Age
SG 0 Estonia Böckler, Leemet 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 22 – (2001-04-07)7 April 2001
SG 1 Estonia Rosenthal, Märt 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 91 kg (201 lb) 24 – (1999-03-15)15 March 1999
PG 2 Estonia Kuusmaa, Kaspar 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 78 kg (172 lb) 19 – (2004-01-27)27 January 2004
SF 5 Estonia Eelmäe, Hendrik 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 22 – (2000-10-26)26 October 2000
PF 8 Estonia Urvik, Erki 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 105 kg (231 lb) 21 – (2002-05-07)7 May 2002
SG 10 Estonia Kivi, Robin 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 86 kg (190 lb) 24 – (1999-03-17)17 March 1999
SF 14 Estonia Tassa, Aleksander 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 94 kg (207 lb) 19 – (2004-02-12)12 February 2004
PF 17 Ukraine Voinalovych, Andrii 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 23 – (1999-12-11)11 December 1999
PG 18 Estonia Ross, Rando 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 18 – (2004-09-18)18 September 2004
C 21 Slovakia Pavelka, Tomas 2.17 m (7 ft 1 in) 103 kg (227 lb) 22 – (2000-09-22)22 September 2000
PG 31 Estonia Suurorg, Oliver 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 81 kg (179 lb) 23 – (2000-01-08)8 January 2000
PG 32 United States McCloud, Jalan 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 80 kg (176 lb) 27 – (1995-06-13)13 June 1995
PF 33 Estonia Saal, Patrik 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) 98 kg (216 lb) 22 – (2000-06-16)16 June 2000
PF 35 United States Johnson, Brandon 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 25 – (1997-10-24)24 October 1997
SG 45 Estonia Peemot, Patrik 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) 84 kg (185 lb) 21 – (2001-08-07)7 August 2001
SG 50 Estonia Pere, Oliver 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 85 kg (187 lb) 19 – (2003-09-07)7 September 2003
Head coach
  • Latvia Nikolajs Mazurs
Assistant coach(es)
  • Estonia Olari Narits
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured Injured
Updated: 12 January 2023

Depth chart
Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Tomas Pavelka Andrii Voinalovych Erki Urvik
PF Brandon Johnson Patrik Saal
SF Robin Kivi Hendrik Eelmäe
SG Märt Rosenthal Aleksander Tassa Oliver Pere
PG Jalan McCloud Oliver Suurorg Rando Ross

Head coaches

Season by season
From 1937
1991 onward
Season Tier Division Pos. Postseason RS PO Estonian Cup Regional competitions European competitions
1991–92 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 8 – 7–22 – – ––– –––
1992–93 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 5 – 20–16 – – ––– –––
1993–94 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 4 Fourth place 15–13 0–4 – ––– –––
1994–95 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 6 Fifth place 13–15 5–4 – ––– –––
1995–96 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 3 Runner-up 19–17 6–3 – ––– –––
1996–97 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 4 Third place 12–13 4–3 – ––– –––
1997–98 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 5 Third place 10–15 3–6 – ––– –––
1998–99 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 4 Fourth place 14–11 5–5 – ––– –––
1999–00 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 3 Champion 20–10 9–2 Champion ––– 2 Saporta CupRS1–9
2000–01 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Champion 28–7 6–0 Champion ––– –––
2001–02 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Runner-up 23–7 5–5 Runner-up ––– –––
2002–03 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Third place 20–4 4–3 Champion ––– 4 Europe Champions CupQR2–6
2003–04 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Champion 18–6 6–3 Quarterfinalist ––– 4 Europe CupQR2–4
2004–05 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Runner-up 12–4 8–4 Champion Baltic Basketball League10th3–15 4 Europe CupQR2–6
2005–06 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 2 Runner-up 18–6 6–6 Runner-up Baltic Basketball League14th11–21 –––
2006–07 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Champion 33–3 9–3 Runner-up Baltic Basketball League9th14–12 4 EuroCup ChallengeRS3–3
2007–08 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Champion 33–3 7–0 Runner-up Baltic Basketball LeagueR165–15 3 EuroCup4th9–4
2008–09 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Runner-up 26–2 5–4 Quarterfinalist Baltic Basketball League3rd11–12 3 EuroChallengeRS2–4
2009–10 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Champion 23–5 7–4 Champion Baltic Basketball LeagueQF10–11 3 EuroChallengeRS1–5
2010–11 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 2 Runner-up 28–4 3–4 Champion Baltic Basketball LeagueQF14–10 3 EuroChallengeRS2–4
2011–12 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Runner-up 25–3 3–4 Champion Baltic Basketball LeagueRS6–14 –––
2012–13 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 2 Runner-up 28–4 6–4 Quarterfinalist Baltic Basketball LeagueQF14–4 3 EuroChallengeRS2–4
2013–14 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Runner-up 30–2 6–4 Champion Baltic Basketball League3rd14–6 3 EuroChallengeQF10–5
2014–15 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 1 Champion 26–6 10–3 Champion Baltic Basketball League4th4–1–3 3 EuroChallengeT166–6
2015–16 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 2 Runner-up 25–7 7–4 Runner-up Baltic Basketball LeagueRU7–1 3 Europe CupL324–8
2016–17 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 2 Third place 29–3 7–3 Runner-up Baltic Basketball League3rd4–1–3 3 Champions LeagueQR21–1–2
4 Europe CupRS0–4
2017–18 1Korvpalli Meistriliiga 2 Runner-up 19–7 3–4 – Baltic Basketball League3rd12–6 4 Europe CupQR20–2
2018–19 1 Korvpalli Meistriliiga 3 Quarterfinalist – 1–3 – LEBLQF14–16 –––
2019–20 1 Korvpalli Meistriliiga Cancelled [lower-alpha 1] – – LEBLCNX [lower-alpha 1]10–14 –––
2020–21 1 Korvpalli Meistriliiga – – LEBLRS8–16 –––
2021–22 1 Korvpalli Meistriliiga – Champion LEBLQF12-16 –––
  1. Season cancelled in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trophies and awards

Trophies

Estonian Championship

  • Winners (26): 1938, 1939, 1940, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1968–69, 1970, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1977–78, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2014–15

Estonian Cup

  • Winners (17): 1950, 1952, 1956, 1958, 1974, 1976, 1979, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2021

Soviet Championship

  • Winners (1): 1949

BBL Cup

Individual awards

See also

References
  1. "Tartu Ülikooli Spordihoone". spordiregister.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  2. "Tartu korvpall timeline" (in Estonian). Postimees.
  3. "Heino Veskila". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  4. "Veskila, Heino". ESBL. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  5. "Tartu ÜSK 132:6 Tartu Dünamo". Estonian Basketball Association. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  6. "TRÜ 82:80 Tallinna Kalev". Estonian Basketball Association. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  7. "Enden ainus kandidaat" (in Estonian). Postimees. 26 May 2001.
  8. "Selgunud on Eesti korvpallihooaja parimad" (in Estonian). Delfi Sport. 31 May 2002.
  9. "Müürsepp Eesti parim" (in Estonian). Delfi Sport. 8 June 2004.
  10. "Selgusid korvpallihooaja 2005/06 parimad" (in Estonian). Delfi Sport. 1 June 2006.
  11. "Barons fight back to book place in final". FIBA Europe. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  12. "Valiti korvpallihooaja parimad" (in Estonian). Delfi Sport. 4 June 2008.
  13. "Kullaklubi". Basket.ut.ee. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  14. "Rock krooniti Eesti meistriks! Talts finaalseeria MVP!" (in Estonian). Delfi Sport. 14 May 2010.
  15. "Eesti meister 2015 on TÜ/ROCK!" (in Estonian). Estonian Basketball Association. 22 May 2015.
  16. "Kalev/Cramo kindlustas meistritiitli koguni 27-punktise võiduga!" (in Estonian). Delfi Sport. 27 May 2016.
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