By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Poor form, including mishandling a 25-point lead against JDA Dijon on Tuesday, pushed Galatasaray Ekmas play-caller Zvezdan Mitrovic to the exit.
Mitrovic, 53, parted ways with the Lions on Wednesday. His contract was terminated upon mutual agreement, noted the team. Eurohoops sources previously reported on his departure, following a report by Caglar Torun.
Back to the Basketball Champions League after leading AS Monaco to the championship game of the 2017-18 season, the Montenegrin tactician guided the storied Istanbul outfit from the Regular Season to the Play-In stage and from there to the Round of 16. Forced down to 0-2 in Group J by Dijon, despite leading by 25 points in the third quarter, distanced Galata from potentially qualifying for the Quarterfinals.
In May, Mitrovic took over Galatasaray replacing Andreas Pistiolis. Recovering the team from elimination in the Round of 16 of the BCL, his efforts clinched a Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi playoff berth as the eighth seed. However, Turk Telekom edged out a best-of-three series to advance to the Semifinals instead of his side. In the 2023-24 Regular Season of the BSL, a 9-9 record places sixth in the standings.
After his first job as a head coach with Buducnost VOLI and a long stretch in Ukraine, he joined Monaco in 2015. Mitrovic reached the Final Four of the Champions League in 2017 and 2018. Following a stint with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, returning to La Roca Team was marked by the 7DAYS EuroCup championship in 2021.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League