Kalia Papadopoulou made history on Sunday, becoming the first female coach to win a title coaching a men’s basketball team in Europe after guiding AEL to an 81-79 victory over Keravnos in the Ecommbx Cup final.
The Limassol side claimed their 10th Cup title — and their first since 2009 — in the 57th edition of the competition, played at the Tassos Papadopoulos-Eleftheria stadium in Nicosia.
Papadopoulou led her side to a commanding half-time lead of 36-27 and held off a determined Keravnos fightback in the second half to seal the trophy. Tate was named the final’s most valuable player, while Flowers top-scored for AEL with 20 points.
The achievement prompted Cyprus Olympic Committee president Yiannis Ioannou to take to social media to suggest Papadopoulou be named Woman of the Year.
