By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Ljubljana-born Jaka Lakovic is the new head coach of Gran Canaria, the team announced Friday. He inked a two-year contract, as highlighted in the press release of the Canary Islands outlet.
Lakovic, 43, spent the last three seasons at the helm of ratiopharm Ulm. He will continue in the 7DAYS EuroCup after coaching Ulm to a 1-9 record in 2019-20 and a 4-6 record in 2020-21, before surviving the Regular Season and making it to the Quarterfinals of the 2021-22 edition of the second-tier club continental competition of Euroleague Basketball. His side was eliminated by Virtus Segafredo Bologna, later crowned champion.
Under his guidance at the domestic level, the German side enjoyed three berths in the easyCredit BBL Playoffs extended to the Semifinals in 2020 and 2021 but limited to the Quarterfinals in 2022. A couple of campaigns reaching the Semifinals followed by an early exit in the Round of 16 painted the picture of the last three years in the German Cup.
From Germany back to Spain’s ACB shapes the next step. Besides competing from 2006 to 2011 as a player of FC Barcelona, he began his coaching career as an assistant at Barca B in 2016-17. From there, more experience came from a stint as an assistant at Bilbao combined with a late take-over as the interim head coach in 2017-18 and another assistant gig with Joventut in 2018-19.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net