Makis Dendrinos

Makis Dendrinos was a high scoring guard in basketball, playing mostly for Panionios. However, he is best known for his many years as a coach in Greece, starting in 1973 while he was still playing. He began as an assistant with Panionios and in 1982 went to the United States where he spent time studying under some of the top coaches in the game, including Dean Smith, Bobby Knight, and Rick Pitino.

Upon his return to Greece Dendrinos took over Daphne and then Apollon Patras, but in 1997 he returned to Panionios until 2001, when he became coach of Iraklis. He was Greek national coach in 1995-96, leading them at the Olympics and the 1995 European Championship. After a few more years coaching, he left the bench and served as a technical advisor to Plato Schools and at Kolossos.