Tiit Sokk (born 15 November 1964) is a retired Estonian professional basketball player and current coach. Often cited as one of the very best European point guards of his generation, he is widely recognized as the greatest Estonian basketball player in history. Elected to the Hall of fame of Estonian basketball in 2010.[1]

Tiit Sokk
Tiit Sokk coaching Estonia in 2006
Personal information
Born (1964-11-15) 15 November 1964 (age 59)
Tartu, Estonia
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
Playing career1979–1998
PositionPoint guard
Coaching career1998–present
Career history
As player:
1979–1984Kalev
1984–1986Dynamo Moscow
1986–1992Kalev
1992–1996Panathinaikos
1996–1997Kalev
1997–1998Aris
As coach:
1998–2008Triobet/Dalkia
2006–2010Audentes/Noortekoondis
2010Kalev/Cramo (assistant)
2010–2014TTÜ
2014–presentBetoonimeister/Tskk/Nord
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

  • 2× I Liiga (2007, 2017)
  • International Student Basketball League (2013)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Soviet Union
Summer Olympics
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul
FIBA World Cup
Silver medal – second place 1986 Spain
Silver medal – second place 1990 Argentina
EuroBasket
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Yugoslavia

Professional career

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Sokk was awarded the Estonian best male athlete award in 1988. He won the Soviet Union League title in 1991 with Kalev Tallinn, and ended his career as a player in 1997, after playing a season with Aris in Greece.

National team career

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Sokk's most notable achievement was winning the Olympic gold medal as a member of the Soviet Union national team at the 1988 Summer Olympics.[2] He also won two FIBA World Cup silver medals in 1986 and 1990, as well as the bronze medal at EuroBasket 1989.[3]

Coaching career

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After his playing career, Sokk founded a basketball school in Estonia (Tiit Soku Korvpallikool), and coached in the Estonian Basketball League. He also was head coach of the Estonia national team during two different stints from 2004–2007 and 2009–2019.

Personal life

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Tiit Sokk has two sons, Tanel and Sten, who also play professional basketball at the international level for Estonian teams BC Tartu and Kalev/Cramo respectively. During his career in Greece he played under the name Tout Giannopoulos.

Achievements

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Kalev Tallinn
Panathinaikos

References

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  1. ^ Eesti korvpall 100 - Kuulsuste Hall - Tiit Sokk
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Tiit Sokk Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Tiit Sokk
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