By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
AS Monaco and Zvezdan Mitrovic have parted ways upon mutual agreement, the team announced Monday.
Mitrovic, 51, returned to La Roca Team for a second stint in 2020. His initial run stretching from 2015 to 2018 lifted the team from Pro B to the Basketball Champions League, including Final Four appearances in 2017 and 2018. Through the rapid climb in the French and European basketball world, his side was crowned LNB Pro A Leaders Cup for three consecutive years, in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Also, he was named the best coach of the French League in 2017 and 2018.
In his return, he guided Monaco to the 7DAYS EuroCup championship in 2021, thus earning a place in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for the first time in team history.
The 2021-22 campaign currently features the Red and Whites tied with Fenerbahce Beko, ALBA Berlin, and Bitci Baskonia, in 13th place on the EuroLeague table. Five losses in a row have turned a 5-4 record to 5-9. Domestically, the defeat to SIG Strasbourg on Sunday forced Monaco down to 8-3, a couple of games behind the Betclic Elite LNB Pro A leader, Metropolitans 92.
Coming up after the decision to dismiss the Montenegrin mastermind, Regular Season Round 15 and 16 in the next double-game week of the 2021-22 EuroLeague Regular Season. The team based in Monaco will visit Zalgiris Kaunas and host Zenit Saint Petersburg, Wednesday and Friday, respectively.
Mike James, Leo Westermann, Jerry Boutsiele, and Yakuba Ouattara were sidelined in recent games due to injuries limiting options available for Mitrovic.