By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
With one of their main targets for the coaching vacancy, Dimitris Priftis, re-signing with Aris, Alba Berlin its turning its focus elsewhere and their new target according to Eurohoops sources is Saso Filipovski.
The 41 years old Slovenian coach led Zielona Gora to the Polish championship title with a sweep three days ago and he can continue his career in Berlin. Filipovski has a contract for next season with the club, however due to the financial state of Zielona Gora, he may be able to leave.
The coaching career of Filipovski started back in 1996 when he was an assistant coach of Union Olimpija for seven seasons until 2003. He then became a head coach of the team for two seasons. In 2006, he signed a contract with the Polish team Turow Zgorzelec, with whom he was a runner-up in the Polish League championship in 2006–07 and 2007–08 season
Over the period from 2009 until 2011, he had short stints working in Russia with Lokomotiv Rostov and as an assistant coach in CSKA Moscow, before being a head coach in Lottomatica Roma for a short time back in 2011. In 2011, he returned to Union Olimpija, coaching them for two seasons.
On 11 November 2014, Filipovski was named a new head coach of the Polish team Zielona Gora. In his first 2014–15 season with the team, he won the Polish League championship after 4–2 win in the final series over his former team Turow Zgorzelec. On June 19, 2015, he signed a two-year extension with the club, he won the 2016 championship title and now the Germans are knocking on his door.