Creon Raftopoulos

Creon Raftopoulos (born 17 October 1974) is a Zimbabwean professional basketball coach.

Playing career Raftopoulos captained the Zimbabwe national team during his playing career. In 2001, he moved to England to trial for the Teesside Mohawks. He sustained an injury in the first scrimmage game which ended his playing career.

Coaching career

Early career After sustaining the injury, Raftopoulos took up a coaching position at the Middlesbrough Basketball Academy. He was made head coach a year later.

In June 2008, he announced he would step down from his position with the Mohawks for personal reasons. Raftopoulos cited his mother's cancer diagnosis as the reason for reconsidering his options, with his family all living in the south.

Surrey Scorchers In 2015, the Surrey Heat, who had since become known as Surrey United, went through another rebrand under new ownership to become the Surrey Scorchers. On 1 July, Raftopoulos was named as the first head coach of the franchise's new era.

The Scorchers finished bottom during the 2015–16 season, but qualified for the play-offs the following year. The 2017–18 season saw Raftopoulos improve the Scorchers to a fifth-placed finish. In May 2018, he was named the Basketball Journalists Association's Coach of the Year after leading the Scorchers to their best season since reforming and securing an unbeaten home record in 2018.

Personal life Raftopoulos' parents were both involved in basketball. His father, Kimon, was the first black player to represent Rhodesia and went on to become the Commissioner of the Zimbabwean League after his retirement from playing. His mother, Juliette, was also capped for Rhodesia and later coached the women's national team.

His son, Caylin, is a professional basketball player who plays for the Surrey Scorchers under his father's coaching.