GREEK AMERICAN SPORTS

🇺🇸National Hellenic invitational basketball tournament🏀

The 96th National Hellenic Invitational Basketball Tournament was held on March 27-29,2026 in Chicago, NHIBT President Alex Kountoures and Tournament Chairman Jim Kokkines brought together Greek American teams across the United States. The NHIBT gave the opportunity to players of all ages to compete, form friendships, and connect to our Hellenic Heritage.

The Dynamic Basketball action took place at the state-of-the-art Connect-44 facility and fans enjoyed watching four different divisions battle on the courts. During the tournament weekend the NHIBT Scholarship Program recognized outstanding high school seniors who demonstrated excellence in the classroom and on the court.

The NHIBT committee also honored new members to the prestigious NHIBT Hall of Fame. The committee chooses inductees that represent the very best of what the NHIBT stands for passion for the game, sportsmanship, and a lifelong commitment to the Hellenic Basketball community.

NHIBT President Alex Kountoures said, “Tournament Committee Chairman Jim Kokkines and committee members, volunteers, and sponsors put together an amazing 96th NHIBT. We are already making plans for The Road To 1 00, our centennial celebration that will include our Hellenic Basketball Community across the United States.”

Greek American Sports staff was happy to see so many friends including AHEPA Supreme Athletic Director Chris Atsaves. We would like to thank the NHIBT for their hospitality and Philotimo. It was wonderful to watch all 47 teams compete.

✊The 69th Harry Agganis Basketball Tournament 🏀

GREEK AMERICAN SPORTS -Massachusetts

The 69th Harry Agganis Basketball tournament was held on April 16-19, 2026 at Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Lynn, Massachusetts. Father Alex Orphanos, President George Kaliavas, along with tournament committee members John Meklis, Christos Zikos, Panos Condakes, Louis Katsos, and Strati Saranteas would like to thank all the teams that participated this year’s Agganis Tournament.

Saint George was the winner of the 2026 Men’s Division Championship. Saint Vasilios of Peabody was the 2026 High School Division Champion.

On Saturday evening the Agganis committee presented the prestigious “MAZ AWARD” given annually to honor the late George Mazareas – a St. George community member who courageously fought ALS for over 20 years. George was a family man to his wife Cynthia and daughter Eleni. He was known for his dignity, support for his community, leadership and sportsmanship. George was an outstanding athlete at Milton Academy, Tufts University, and professional basketball player in Greece.

The George “MAZ” Mazareas Award was presented to John “Chip” Chipouras. John was born and raised in Lynn, was christened at Saint George. John has been active in Greek basketball as a player and still coaches Greek American Basketball teams.

John found his passion for basketball at St. George, playing alongside greats like Nick and Chris Tsiotos, Chris Zikos, Lynn greats George and Peter Mazareas, Mike Kmiec, and Nick Lampros. George Mazareas coached the 6 foot,7inch,Chipouras to the 1994 Harry Agganis Championship.

Harry Agganis “The Golden Greek” was inducted into “The Senior Bowl” Hall of Fame in Mobile, Alabama on May 3rd. Greek American Sports will be bringing coverage of the event on our social media platforms. Harry Agganis was a first-round draft choice in football for The Cleveland Browns and first round Bonus Baby in baseball signed by The Boston Red Sox.

Attention: If you are interested in sharing your participation or you know someone who deserves a highlight please send email for the student-athlete submission at:

greekamericansports@gmail.com

Dear Greek American Sports Community,

We are excited to share a quick submission update and encourage you to continue sending us the incredible student-athlete stories that make our platform so special.

If you—or someone you know—would like to be featured by Greek American Sports, we invite you to submit a student-athlete spotlight for publication.

📩 Submit via email:
greekamericansports@gmail.com

What to Include in Your Submission:

• High school or college name• Sport(s) played• Academic honors and/or GPA• Extracurricular activities• Varsity athletic team(s)• Athletic honors (League All-Star, All-State, etc.)

Hellenic community involvement is encouraged but optional, including Greek Orthodox participation, reflections on Greek heritage, or family roots in Greece.

📸 Photo Requirement:
Please include two photos with your submission. Our GAS staff will select one for publication. (Photo parameters remain the same as last week.)

Need inspiration? View sample submissions on our website:www.GreekAmericanSports.com

We want to sincerely thank all of our readers and contributors for the overwhelming support and outstanding submissions. While we continue to manage a high volume of entries—along with live interviews, events, and expanded sports coverage—please know that we remain fully committed to highlighting each submission in a timely manner.

Thank you for being part of the Greek American Sports family and for helping us celebrate excellence on and off the field.

greekamericansports@gmail.com
Greek American Sports (GAS)