Spectres Veteran Hronopoulos Retires

MELBOURNE – After 20+ seasons on the hardwood, Spectres veteran guard Costas Hronopoulos is retiring from representative basketball.

“It is with great sadness that I announce my retirement,” Hronopoulos said in a statement to the club. “I feel very lucky and privileged to have been with this great club for over 20 years, having played at Nunawading as a junior and senior throughout my whole career and finishing as a one club player.”

A Nunawading junior representative, Hronopoulos began with MEBA domestic club Waverley Wildcats as well as representing the Spectres in the VJBL before graduating into the programs SEABL D-League (now Big V – Victorian Youth Championship) and SEABL (now NBL1) teams.

A passionate clubman, Hronopoulos made his senior debut in 2013, initially honing his craft off the bench, learning from the likes of Shane McDonald and Matthew O’Hea before carving out a starting role that helped continue the Spectres on-court success.

Across his SEABL/NBL1 career, Hronopoulos was renowned league wide for his tenacity on the defensive end of the floor. He played part in the 2014 SEABL East Conference Championship and was integral to the Spectres 2019 NBL1 Championship alongside a core that he had spent much of his career with.

“Along the way I have made lifelong friends within the club, with whom I have shared some phenomenal memories both on and off the basketball court, none more so than our 2019 championship season.”

“Thank you to all the coaches and support staff that supported me throughout my playing career, and most importantly to all the great Nunawading fans for being there every week.”

“Costas has been a wonderful part of our program for over two decades,” Nunawading Basketball Operations Manager Paul Flynn said. “He shaped such a large part of our cultural identity, particularly within the senior men’s team and is a wonderful example of what hard work and determination can achieve.”

“On behalf of the Melbourne East Basketball Association and its representative teams – the Nunawading Spectres, I would like to thank and congratulate Costas on his outstanding contribution to Nunawading Basketball. What he has brought to our program cannot be replaced in recruitment, it can only be cultivated from within and over a long period of time.”

“We trust that whilst his time on-court may have come to an end, he may continue to have a positive influence in other areas of our program moving forward. But for now, we wish Costas and his fiancée Alex the very best as they plan their wedding.”

Hronopoulos checks out of the game one last time, having appeared in 158 SEABL/NBL1 games for the Nunawading Spectres – for this we stand and applaud. Thank you!