Lukoil Academic
President Valentin Zlatev
Address Postoyanstvo, 67A
1111 Sofia - Bulgaria
Tel. +359 291 74 231
Fax +359 298 14 788
Arena UNIVERSIADA HALL
Roster
No.PlayerCountryPos.HeightBorn
5 GOLDWIRE, LEEMIRE USA Guard 1.90 1984
8 KOSTOV, CHAVDAR Bulgaria Guard 1.95 1988
9 AKINS, ANTHONY USA Guard 1.80 1980
10 NIKOLOV, HRISTO Bulgaria Forward 2.00 1985
11 ANGELOV, DIMITAR Bulgaria Forward 2.02 1979
13 MIJOVIC, VLADIMIR Bosnia - Herzegovina Forward 2.07 1984
14 BANEV, TENCHO Bulgaria Center 2.10 1980
15 STOYKOV, TODOR Bulgaria Forward 1.97 1977
20 HRISTOV, KALIN Bulgaria Guard 1.95 1990
21 VARBANOV, NIKOLAY Bulgaria Center 2.08 1985
24 VESELINOV, VESELIN Bulgaria Forward 2.01 1983
55 STEFANOV, RISTE FYROM Forward 1.99 1983
 Head Coach    
  MINCHEV, LUBOMIR Bulgaria    
The Club
One of European basketball's storied clubs, Lukoil Academic Sofia of Bulgaria, joins the new Eurocup for 2008-09 with plenty of vigor and experience to face a new challenge with eyes wide open. Last season, Lukoil celebrated the 50th anniversary of its place in the first European club championship game by recording an amazing 44-0 domestic record en route to its sixth straight Bulgarian League title, the third in a row to come with the Bulgarian Cup. That remarkable season honored a great tradition. Academic Basketball Club was founded back in 1947 and soon became a superpower not only in Bulgaria, but all around Europe, reaching back-to-back European Cup finals in 1958 and 1959. Academic remained the dominant force in Bulgaria, winning 12 titles between 1957 and 1976 period. After years of obscurity, the club returned to the elite when Lukoil became the main sponsor and the team started developing some of Bulgaria's best young players. The team's first trophy in 26 years was the 2001-02 Bulgarian Cup, and since that moment, Lukoil has dominated Bulgarian basketball. Its success has not been limited to home, either, as Lukoil also reached the ULEB Cup elimination rounds four times this decade, last season advancing as far as the Last 16. Along the way, Lukoil fans had not only team success to cheer, but also unique individual performances from players like the ULEB Cup's all-time leading scorer Todor Stoykov, 2003-04 ULEB Cup MVP Priest Lauderdale and 2005-06 ULEB Cup assists champ Lamont Jones. For the new Eurocup, Lukoil maintains reliable contributors like Stoykov, guard Riste Stefanov, forward Nenad Canak and center Tencho Banev while also bringing in Antonio Burks at point and Hristo Nikolov on the wing. With a proud history, both old and recent, Lukoil is ready to represent Bulgaria to the fullest in the 2008-09 Eurocup, just as it has throughout the decades.
Trophy Case
Bulgarian National League
1956/57, 1957/58, 1958/59, 1962/63, 1967/68, 1968/69, 1969/70, 1970/71, 1971/72, 1972/73, 1974/75, 1975/76, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08 , 2008/09
Bulgarian National Cup
1952, 1954, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
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