By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Finnish tactician Tuomas Iisalo is no longer the head coach of Telekom Baskets Bonn.
Iisalo, 40, parted ways with the most recent winners of the Basketball Champions League, the team announced Wednesday.
Success was highlighted by the BCL championship and combined with reaching the easyCredit BBL championship series this season. Taking over before the 2021-22 season, he was named Coach of the Year in Germany’s top-flight division in succession.
“I don’t think anyone even thought or could dream of what we achieved together these two years,” he addressed the fans in the farewell statement.
“The decision to leave Bonn was very difficult for us,” he explained referring to his family, “We made this decision to offer stability to our family and also for sporting reasons.”
Iisalo left with a staggering 85-20 W-L tally across all competitions.
Galatasaray set to add Ismet Akpinar
Switching from Fenerbahce Beko, Ismet Akpinar will soon become a new player for Galatasaray NEF, according to Eurohoops.
Galatasaray NEF transfere başlıyor. Geçtiğimiz sezonu Fenerbahçe Beko’da tamamlayan İsmet Akpınar, Sarı Kırmızılıların ilk transferi olmak üzere.
Detaylar birazdan @EurohoopsTR‘de.
— Semih Tuna (@semih_tuna) June 21, 2023
Akpinar, 28, is a candidate to resurface in the BCL with the Lions. Playing for Besiktas Sompo Sigorta, his 2019-20 campaign included 16 games played in the competition.
Spending the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons at Fener, the Turkish-German combo guard added to his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague experience and was also crowned Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi at the top half of the two-year spell. Other former teams stretch to FC Bayern Munich, Bahcesehir Koleji, ratiopharm Ulm, and ALBA Berlin.
Tofas nearing an agreement with Toure and Manek
From pushing Tofas to the Play-Ins in the 2022-23 BCL season, Boubacar Toure is close to a contract extension, per Eurohoops sources. The Senegalese center averaged 11.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest over ten appearances between the Qualifiers, Regular Season, and Play-Ins.
Joining the Bursa outfit in February, shortly following the elimination at the hands of AEK, Brady Manek is also nearing a deal for a new contract.
TOFAŞ, geçen sezonun yıldızları Boubacar Toure ve Brady Manek ile yeni sözleşme için anlaşmaya yakın.
Detaylar birazdan @EurohoopsTR‘de.
— Semih Tuna (@semih_tuna) June 21, 2023
Zan Mark Sisko is back
After sitting out most of the 2022-23 season due to personal reasons, Slovenian point guard Zan Mark Sisko signed with Rio Breogan for the 2023-24 season, the team announced Wednesday.
Sisko, 25, is a veteran of six Champions League games played in the inaugural 2016-17 season as a member of Cibona. Later switching to FC Bayern Munich, he logged 67 appearances in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Amit Sherf takes over Hapoel Holon
In additional BCL news, Hapoel Atsmon Playgrounds Holon promoted Amit Sherf to the position of new head coach. Working at the Israeli club since 2018, he will replace Guy Goodes at the helm. Former team captain Guni Israeli and returning Ido Levit were announced as his assistants.
Radzevicius and Josilo ink contract extensions
Rytas and Igokea m:tel re-signed key players in preparations for the 2023-24 edition of FIBA Europe’s top-tier club continental competition. The Vilnius outfit was re-signing hometown swingman Gytis Radzevicius for the next season and Igokea re-upped experienced forward Marko Josilo until the end of the 2024-25 season.
Alex Reyes stays at Bilbao
The latest contract extension announced by Surne Bilbao retains Alex Reyes for one more season. Previously inking contract extensions were Denzel Andersson, Xavi Rabaseda, Tomeu Rigo, and Adam Smith.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League