1997 Liga Sudamericana de Básquetbol
The 1997 Liga Sudamericana de Básquetbol, or 1997 FIBA South American League, was the second edition of the second-tier tournament for professional basketball clubs from South America. The tournament began on 18 February 1997 and finished on 9 May 1997. Argentine club Atenas won the tournament, defeating Brazilian club Corinthians in the Grand Finals.
| Liga Sudamericana de Básquetbol | |
|---|---|
| Season | 1997 |
| Dates | 18 February – 9 May 1997 |
| Number of teams | 15 |
| Finals | |
| Champions |  Atenas |
| Runners-up |  Corinthians |
| Semifinalists | Olimpia Cougar Franca |
← 1996 1998 → | |
Format
Teams were split into three groups of four teams each and one group of three teams, and played each other in a home-and-away round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advanced to the final stage, a best-of-three direct playoff elimination where the champion was decided.
Teams
| Country | Team |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Andino Sport Club |
| Atenas | |
| Olimpia | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Bolivia | Ingavi de La Paz |
| Brazil | Corinthians |
| Cougar Franca | |
| Corinthians de Santa Cruz do Sul | |
 Chile | Español de Talca |
| Deportivo Petrox | |
 Colombia | Paisas de Medellín |
| Piratas de Bogotá | |
 Paraguay | Sol de América |
 Peru | Deportivo SIPESA |
| Regatas Lima | |
 Venezuela | Gaiteros del Zulia |
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | Qualification | OLI | PET | SOL | ING | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olimpia |
6 | 6 | 0 | 12 | Advances to final stage | — | 109–88 | 105–86 | 151–88 | |
| 2 | Deportivo Petrox |
6 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 83–97 | — | 92–99 | 127–89 | ||
| 3 | Sol de América |
6 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 94–102 | 87–105 | — | 101–90 | ||
| 4 | Ingavi de La Paz |
6 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 101–114 | 91–106 | 120–113 | — |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | Qualification | FRA | PAI | GAI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cougar Franca |
4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | Advances to final stage | — | 118–83 | w/o | |
| 2 | Paisas de Medellín |
4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 78–108 | — | w/o | ||
| 3 | Gaiteros del Zulia[lower-alpha 1] |
4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 76–86 | 92–78 | — |
Notes:
- Gaiteros withdrew from the tournament after playing two matches.[1]
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | Qualification | COR | AND | REG | ESP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corinthians |
6 | 4 | 2 | 10 | Advances to final stage | — | 99–92 | 106–84 | 123–122 | |
| 2 | Sport Club Andino |
6 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 87–81 | — | 94–69 | 110–81 | ||
| 3 | Regatas Lima |
6 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 81–74 | 62–96 | — | 97–73 | ||
| 4 | Español de Talca |
6 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 80–81 | 103–94 | 54–56 | — |
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Pts | Qualification | ATE | PIR | COS | SIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atenas |
7 | 6 | 1 | 13 | Advances to final stage | — | 103–84 | 98–82 | 105–46 | |
| 2 | Piratas de Bogotá |
6 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 57–77 | — | 87–79 | 85–77 | ||
| 3 | Corinthians de Santa Cruz do Sul |
6 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 91–103 | w/o | — | 104–77 | ||
| 4 | Deportivo SIPESA |
6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 72–86 | 65–96 | 86–96 | — |
Final stage
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Grand Finals | ||||||||
| Atenas | 2 | |||||||||
| Paisas de Medellín | 0 | |||||||||
| Atenas | 2 | |||||||||
| Olimpia | 1 | |||||||||
| Olimpia | 2 | |||||||||
| Sport Club Andino | 1 | |||||||||
| Atenas | 2 | |||||||||
| Corinthians | 1 | |||||||||
| Corinthians | 2 | |||||||||
| Deportivo Petrox | 0 | |||||||||
| Corinthians | 2 | |||||||||
| Cougar Franca | 0 | |||||||||
| Cougar Franca | 2 | |||||||||
| Piratas de Bogotá | 1 | |||||||||
Finals rosters
Atenas Cordoba: Marcelo Milanesio, Greg Dennis, Thomas Jordan, Fabricio Oberto, Diego Osella - Héctor Campana, Leandro Palladino. Coach: Rubén Magnano
Corinthians: Luiz Augusto Zanon, Robyn Davis, Oscar Schmidt, Brasilia, Caio Silveira. Coach: Zé Boquinha
Season MVP: Greg Dennis
References
- Atenas tiene una prueba en Medellín, Clarín, 4 April 1997. Retrieved 22 May 2017.(in Spanish)
- 1997 South American League for Men's Clubs, FIBA Archive. Retrieved 18 May 2018.