By Semih Tuna/ info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes hired Luca Banchi as head coach, demoting head coach Tomislav Mijatovic to assistant as the club have officially announced, confirming an earlier report by Eurohoops sources.
Banchi signed a contract until the end of the 2024-25 season that includes an option for 2025-26. The Italian coach began the season with Virtus Bologna and resigned from the club in December after a 2-11 start in the EuroLeague.
Efes decided to proceed with a new head coach following the 87 – 70 defeat to Besiktas in the Turkish BSL. Before this game, the two-time EuroLeague champions had back-to-back losses in the EuroLeague, vs. AS Monaco and Fenerbahe Beko on the road that dropped them at 10-9.
After working in Efes since 2010 and spending four years as an assistant coach at Efes, Mijatovic was promoted to head coach in February 2024. He helped the team make a turnaround after a rough first leg in the regular season and reach the Play-In tournament where it was eliminated by Banchi’s Virtus with a home loss. In Turkey, the team lost to Fenerbahce in the Finals.