BC Rustavi

Rustavi
Rustavi
Leagues	Georgian Superliga
Founded	1991; 33 years ago
History	BC Azoti ; (1991–1995) ; BC Kimikosi (1995–1997); BC Azoti; (1997–2005); BC Rustavi; (2005–present)
Arena	Azot Arena
Capacity	750
Location	Rustavi, Georgia
Team colors	Black and white ;
President	Amiran Khachidze
Head coach	Mikheil Beruashvili
Championships	4 Georgian Superligas
Website	http://basketball.energyinvest.ge/
Uniform	Uniform

BC Rustavi (Georgian: საკალათბურთო კლუბი რუსთავი) is a professional basketball club based in the city of Rustavi, Georgia. The club competes in the Georgian Superliga, and plays its home games in the Rustavi sports arena.

History

The club was founded in 1991 as BC Azoti, and began competing in the newly established Georgian national league. It is one of only 2 clubs (the other being Dinamo Tbilisi) to have participated in the league continuously throughout its existence. Rustavi challenged for high positions in the league on a consistent basis, and recorded numerous top 3 finishes, always falling short of winning trophies.

The club's fortunes changed in 2006, when it acquired major sponsorship from the investment company 'Energy Invest'. They were now able to attract some of the best Georgian players to the club, as well as foreign imports. As a result, Rustavi convincingly won 4 league championships in a row, between 2007 and 2010. In addition, they won the Georgian cup in 2009, and numerous smaller national competitions. At the end of the 2009/10 season, 'Energy Invest' announced that the level of funding for the club would diminish, forcing them to compete with a young team and modest ambitions for 2 years. In 2012, the funding increased once more, and the squad was considerably strengthened.

Rustavi took part in various international competitions on several occasions, such as the Korać Cup in 1997, 98 and 99; the Eurocup in 2007; and the EuroChallenge in 2008, but failed to advance beyond the qualifying rounds on each occasion.

Honours

Georgian Superliga
- Winner (4): 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
- Runner-up (4): 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006
Georgian Cup
- Winner (1): 2009
Dadiani Memorial Trophy
- Winner (5): 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Korkia/Sakandelidze Memorial Trophy
- Winner (4): 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010

Current Roster

Energy Invest Rustavi roster

Players

Coaches

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.
4	Bowie, Nate	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)	95 kg (209 lb)
7	Tsekvava, Levan	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	87 kg (192 lb)
9	Abaishvili, Malkhaz	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	73 kg (161 lb)
10	Chachanidze, Revaz	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	75 kg (165 lb)
11	Gugava, Davit	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)	88 kg (194 lb)
12	Nelson, Kyle	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)	104 kg (229 lb)
13	Chochua, Mikheil	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	90 kg (198 lb)
14	Toudjani Talba, Jolivet	1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)	95 kg (209 lb)
15	Atanelishvili, Revaz	2.08 m (6 ft 10 in)	105 kg (231 lb)
22	Machavariani, Zurab	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	80 kg (176 lb)
23	Arabuli, Gaga	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	88 kg (194 lb)
24	Khmelidze, Levan	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)	83 kg (183 lb)