Chris Roupas

Chris Harry Roupas

Chris Roupas at Penn State's Basketball Alumni Day, February 13, 2011
Personal information
Born (1957-09-19) September 19, 1957
York, Pennsylvania
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight 220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school Dallastown (Dallastown, Pennsylvania)
College Penn State York
Playing career 1982–1983
Position Shooting guard
Number 55,12,23,30,14
Career history
1982–1983 Aiolos (Greece)

Chris Roupas (born September 19, 1957) is a former 6 ft 5 in, 220 pound starting guard for the Greek professional basketball team Aiolos in Athens, Greece during the 1982-83 season.[1]

Biography and career

Born in York, Pennsylvania, Roupas lettered his freshman and sophomore seasons for Head Coach Ron Trimmer in the Penn State Commonwealth Campus League at the Penn State York Campus in 1975 through 1977.[2] At University Park, injuries at the start of his junior and senior years limited his playing.[3] Not to be deterred from his injuries, Roupas helped the team out as a manager, record keeper, and practice body during his rehabilitation.[1] Upon graduation in 1981, Roupas made a United States All-Star team composed of Greek-Americans sponsored by AHEPA.[3] That team toured Greece in June 1982 where Roupas was spotted by Greek basketball coaches and asked to come back the following season and play professionally.[4] Roupas is the first Penn State Nittany Lions Basketball Player to play professional basketball in Greece.[5]

Penn State University

Chris Roupas
Penn State's Chris Roupas working out in the Nittany Lion's weight room in University Park, June, 1979
At University Park, Penn State Basketball Alumni Lee Schisler and Chris Roupas in September of 2011

In the 1975-76 Commonwealth Campus League Season at the Penn State York Campus, Roupas played in 12 games, averaging 3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2 assists at the small forward position while averaging ten minutes of action in each game as a freshman.[6] In the 1976-77 season, Roupas played in all 18 games, averaging 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.[6] His most memorable three games first came on December 18, 1976, in his sophomore season, when Roupas came off the bench in the second half to hit 7 of 9 from the field and score fourteen points in just twelve minutes against Schuylkill to help preserve a 98-84 victory for the Nittany Lions.[6] His next memorable game came on January 22, 1977, where in his first start against Allentown for the Penn State York Campus, Roupas scored 12 points in a 96-64 win for the Lions.[6] Roupas continued his fine play the following week on January 29, 1977, when he scored 8 points coming off the bench at Delaware to help the Lions come from being down 9 points at the half to win 90-82 in front of a tough Delaware crowd.[6] Despite limited action, Roupas had outstanding offensive statistics in his sophomore season with 108 points, making 45 out of 78 attempts from the field for 57.7%, and 18 out of 25 attempts from the free throw line for 72%.[7] Roupas also was fourth on the team in rebounding with 72 rebounds.Trimmer called Roupas his most improved player from the year before with Roupas having the ability to provide instant offense when inserted into a game.[7] Now as an alumnus, Roupas stays very active with the Penn State basketball alumni, Penn State's Coaches Versus Cancer, and with the Penn State Nittany Lion Hoops Club which helps to promote, support, and encourage participation in the Penn State men's basketball program.[8] Roupas also serves on the Board of Directors for Penn State's Kappa Delta Rho fraternity which is one of the largest fraternity houses at Penn State's University Park. .[9]

United States AHEPA All-Star Basketball Team

Chris Roupas (sunglasses on shirt) with the 1982 USA-AHEPA All-Star Basketball Team in Greece. (click on photo for complete caption)
Chris Roupas 1982 USA-AHEPA All-Star

Touring Greece in June 1982 with the United States AHEPA All-Star team, Roupas started in 4 out of 10 games the United States-AHEPA All-Stars played in averaging 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.[10] Playing against the best teams Greece put together, the all-stars beat Panathinaikos BC, Panionios BC, Panellinios BC, Kolossos Rodou BC, The former Rethmynon and Iraklion, Crete teams now Rethymno BC, Apollon Patras BC, and Olympiacos BC.[11] They lost to AEK Athens BC,and PAOK.[11] Rounding out the 1982 USA-AHEPA All-Star team with Roupas was Chris Nikitas-Depaul University, Tim Birtsas-Michigan State ( Birtsas went on to win a World Series Championship in professional baseball pitching for the Cincinnati Reds in 1990 ),[12] Terry Benka-Drake University, Dean Tsipis-Case Western, Tony Kazanas-Bowling Green State University, John Koutsoflakis-Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Chris Tsiotis-Suffolk University, Peter Koclanes-Colorado School of Mines, Tom Papathakis-Chico State, Dan Nikitas-Saint Michael's College (Vermont), and Larry Kopczyk-Transylvania University.[10] The All-Stars were coached by Dr. Monthe Kofos of Boston, Massachusetts, Spiros Siaggas of Reno, Nevada, and Judge Tom Yeotis of Flint, Michigan, with Clinician Dean Bouzeos of Chicago, Illinois, and Trainer George Petroleas of Detroit, Michigan.[10]

Aiolos Greek Professional Basketball Team

Aiolos Basketball Player Chris Roupas #14 (to the right) walks to the bench during a game against Panellinios BC during the 1982-83 Greek professional basketball season in Athens, Greece.
Aiolos Basketball Player Chris Roupas #14 during a game in Athens, Greece in front of a sold out crowd against Panellinios BC in the 1982-83 Greek professional basketball season. Roupas scored 22 points in a 94-93 losing effort.[1]

Starting at the shooting guard position for Aiolos in Athens, Greece, during the 1982-83 season, Roupas played in all 26 regular season games averaging 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 shots blocked .[1] Roupas scored a career high 27 points in a come from behind win against the Apollon Patras BC team.[1] Roupas scored his team's final 7 points in the last two minutes to seal an 87-83 come from behind win before a standing room only crowd at Patras.[1] Aiolos finished the 1982-83 regular season in eighth place out of fourteen teams in their division,[1] which was later re-aligned in the 1986-87 season by the Hellenic Basketball Federation. Another re-alignment of the league and teams happened again in the 1992-93 season by the newly formed Hellenic Basketball Association which saw several teams combine into one with Aiolos now becoming Aiolos Trikallon.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Where Are They Now?, The Hellenic Chronicle, June 2, 1983,
  2. ↑ Roupas Is On A Roll, Alan Pettit, The York Dispatch , April 9, 1983
  3. 1 2 Roupas Returns from Greece, Alan Pettit, The York Dispatch, July 13, 1982
  4. ↑ Strange Times In Greece, But Chris Roupas Loves It, Alan Pettit, The York Dispatch, January 3, 1983
  5. ↑ It's All Greek Basketball To Chris Roupas, Kevin Forsythe, The York Daily Record, January 6, 1983
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Lions Update, Dick Van O'Linda, The York Dispatch, March 2, 1977
  7. 1 2 "Penn State 1976-77 Commonwealth Campus Basketball Season Recap", Coach Ron Trimmer, March, 1977
  8. ↑ Penn State's Nittany Lion Hoops Club Tailgate Brings Together Former Basketball Alumni, Current Players, and Fans, Bob Miller,Fanbase, September 14, 2011
  9. ↑ Penn State KDR Zeta Chapter Board of Directors, 2012 Directory
  10. 1 2 3 AHEPA All-Star Hoopsters Touring Greece, Dr.Monthe Kofos,The Hellenic Chronicle, July 1, 1982
  11. 1 2 1982 AHEPA All-Star Basketball Team Recap, The Hellenic Chronicle, August 2, 1982
  12. ↑ 1990 Professional Baseball Reference
  13. ↑ Changing Faces Of Greek Basketball, The Hellenic Chronicle, May 18, 1994

See also

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