British trio win Greek Cup with Athinaikos

A British trio have added another piece of silverware to their collections after Athinaikos demolished Proteas Voulas 94-56 to win the Greek Cup on Saturday.

Holly Winterburn and Kristine Anigwe starred on court while GB Senior Women’s head coach Krumesh Patel played a key role behind the scenes in the Athens-based club’s first Cup triumph in 14 years.

The victory ended a 14-year wait for Athinaikos, who claimed their fourth Greek Cup title with a performance that was dominant from tip to buzzer at the DAK Eleftheroupolis arena in Kavala. An explosive 9-0 start set the tone, and by the end of the first quarter the Athens-based club led 21-8. A dominant second period — which exposed Proteas’ catastrophic three-point shooting, going 0-for-18 from beyond the arc — sent Athinaikos into the break ahead 44-23. The second half was routine as the lead stretched beyond 30.

Anigwe finished with 16 points as part of a deep and balanced team performance that saw four players reach double figures. Alexis Prince was named Finals MVP after a superb 20-point display — shooting 4-for-8 from three and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line — adding three rebounds and four assists in just 21 minutes. Elena Tsineke matched Prince’s 20, while Robyn Parks chipped in with 13.

In a touching moment of sportsmanship at the final whistle, head coach Stella Kaltsidou instructed her players to deliberately foul 17-year-old Proteas player Maria-Eleftheria Arapoglou, allowing the teenager to score from the free-throw line to applause from both sets of fans.

For Winterburn, the Greek Cup is the latest chapter in a remarkable European career. The 25-year-old GB international won the EuroCup Women title with London Lions in 2024 under the same coach — Kaltsidou was at the helm of the Lions during their historic run at the Copper Box Arena.

“I can’t really put into words how special winning the EuroCup Women title with London was,” Winterburn told FIBA ahead of the upcoming Finals. “We went through so much as a group, from losing the EuroLeague Women Qualifiers at the start of that season, to getting told the women’s team would no longer exist after the season ended. Yet every hit we took just made us stronger.”

“I think it’s quite remarkable what Stella has been able to do so early in her coaching career,” Winterburn added. “To win a EuroCup Women title in her first year as a head coach and to now be on the verge of another so quickly afterwards speaks for itself.”

The Greek Cup is just the beginning of what could be an extraordinary season for Athinaikos. The club has already reached the A1 Women’s League finals against Panathinaikos, and face Turkey’s Mersin in the EuroCup Women Finals — the first leg on April 2 in Greece, the return a week later in Turkey. A historic treble is very much alive.

Patel, who serves as assistant coach at Athinaikos alongside his GB duties, adds the Greek Cup to his growing coaching CV. The former Manchester SLBW head coach was recently appointed GB Senior Women’s 3×3 head coach and continues to work with Stella Kaltsidou’s setup in Athens.

For the British contingent at Athinaikos, the Greek Cup represents another significant milestone in their European careers as they continue to chase silverware on multiple fronts.