By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Zoc commented for “El Mundo Deportivo” his nine EuroLeague titles with five different clubs. The only one club he coached and he didn’t won a EuroLeague with them was Benetton Treviso, were he met for the first time Fenerbahce‘s general manager Mauricio Gherardini. Still he did reach the Final Four with the Italians
Istanbul 1992 (Partizan)
“A shock! Of course, a very positive one. The youngest team in the history of the competition, also playing 20 of 21 matches outside Belgrade (ed.note: due to Yugoslavian civil was), I thought it was something that would never happen again.
Tel Aviv 1994 (Joventut)
“It may be strange, but what I remember most is the lament of the Madrid press in the quarter-finals when we eliminated Real Madrid by 2-0. They said that Real could represent better the Spanish basketball in the Final Four of Tel Aviv … It turns out that in semis we beat Barcelona easy enough. From the final I cannot forget the irregular last minute, when the clock stopped. The day of the final I took the players to the zoo, I wanted them to relax”.
Zaragoza 1995 (Real Madrid)
“When I signed for Real the club put a clause in the contract: in order to renew I would have to win the Euroleague. My lawyer told me that I would be crazy if I accepted but I signed. I would say it was the easiest title I ever won. We reached the Final Four of Zaragoza without problems and there we beat first Limoges and then Olympiacos in the final”.
Thessaloniki 2000 (Panathinaikos)
“My first year in Athens. I still did not know enough about the club. Days before we went to Thessaloniki we lost to PAOK in the Cup and the fans cheered the players. People from Maccabi spoke to Oded Katash, who told me literally: “Coach, do not worry, we’ll win for sure. I know my folks (Maccabi, his former team), there is no one who can defend me”. I have never seen so much confidence in a player. We won thanks to a great performance by Katash, but also Bodiroga, Rebraca, Gentile…”