Rīgas ASK

For the namesake team that played between 2004 and 2009, see ASK Riga.

Rīgas ASK
Leagues	USSR Premier League (1953–1991) LBL (1991–1997)
Founded	1931
Folded	1997
History	Rīgas ASK (1931–1997)
Location	Riga, Latvian SSR & Latvia
Team colors	Yellow and Blue
Championships	EuroLeague Championships (3) USSR Premier League Championships (3)
Home Away

Rīgas Armijas Sporta Klubs was a professional basketball club that was based in Riga, Latvia.

History

Rīgas ASK was founded in 1931, and started playing in the Latvian Basketball Championship. In the years that Latvia was controlled by the Soviet Union, the club was a member of the USSR Premier League, which lasted until 1991 (and to 1992 as the CIS Unified League). In 1953, head coach Alexander Gomelsky came to the club, and he remained with it until 1966.

Almost immediately, Gomelsky led ASK to the top of the USSR League, as he and the club's star player, Jānis Krūmiņš, led them to USSR League championships in 1955, 1957, and 1958, and also to the top of the European-wide top-tier level, by winning the FIBA European Champions Cup (now called EuroLeague) three times in a row, in 1958, 1959, and 1960. As well as to the final in 1961.

In 1997, Rīgas ASK merged with BK Brocēni, and the new club of BK ASK Brocēni was thus created. In 2004, a new club, under the name of BK Rīga was founded; and in 2006, it was renamed to ASK Rīga, after gaining the support of Riga City Council, the National Latvian Army Forces, and some powerful sponsors.

Honours

Total titles: 6

Domestic competitions

• USSR Premier League

Champions (3): 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58

Runners-up (2): 1961–62, 1963–64

European competitions

• EuroLeague

Champions (3): 1958, 1958–59, 1959–60

Runners-up (1): 1960–61

Notable players

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Criteria
To appear in this section a player must have either: Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

• Romanas Brazdauskis
• Alvils Gulbis
• Jānis Krūmiņš
• Aivar Kuusmaa
• Jaak Lipso
• Valdis Muižnieks
• Rauno Pehka
• Maigonis Valdmanis

Head coaches

• Gunārs Baldzēns (1953)
• Alexander Gomelsky (1953–1966)
• Maigonis Valdmanis (1966–1969)
• Gunārs Baldzēns (1969–1970)
• Juris Kalniņš (1970–1971)
• Jānis Zeltiņš (1971–1974 & 1987–1988)
• Valentīns Meļņičuks (1974–1981)
• Nikolajs Bolvačovs (1981–1986 & 1988)
• Aleksandrs Gostevs (1988)
• Armands Krauliņš (1989–1990)
• Pēteris Višņēvics (1990–1991)