By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
Long before Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana took the form in which we know it today – before Cedevita and Olimpija made their historic merger agreement in 2019 – Alen Omic made his first professional steps in the Slovenian capital.
Olimpija was just the first of Omic’s many EuroCup and EuroLeague stops before his journey brought him back to Ljubljana in the midst of the current 2021-22 season.
Omic acquired a significant level of experience at a relatively young age. He started playing professionally in the Slovenian League at age 17, with Zlatorog Lasko in 2009, and flew off in 2012 for his first major contact with Olimpija on the big stage of EuroLeague.
He introduced himself in the 7DAYS EuroCup the following season and started unfolding his talent to the maximum. When his three-year stint in Olimpija finally ended, the Slovenian international took a leap to sign with Gran Canaria of Spain. As it turned out, it was the perfect decision; he was voted to the 2015-16 All-EuroCup First Team at the end of the following season.
After his success in Las Palmas, Omic split the 2016-17 season between Anadolu Efes and Unicaja Malaga, where he ultimately lifted his first-ever EuroCup trophy. A short passing through with Hapoel Jerusalem followed at the beginning of the 2017-18 season and he redeemed his success with another EuroLeague return, playing for Crvena Zvezda.
Only in 2019-20 did he make his reappearance in EuroCup, with Joventut Badalona, though that season came to a halt due to the pandemic.
Before his journey came full circle back in Ljubljana, Omic moved to France for the first time in his career in September 2020, with JL Bourg.
“This is my fourth year in Olimpija, the first year in Cedevita Olimpija, so I’ve been in Ljubljana before. The club is different, than when I left” Omic admits. “A lot of things are different, and you can see, that younger players have respect towards more experienced ones, which is nice and great”.
At 29 years of age, Omic has eight EuroCup seasons already under his belt with six different teams. There’s only a limited amount of players in the competition with this depth of experience, yet that’s not even the beginning of his story.
By the end of the current season, he is most likely to overtake several players (namely, Mire Chatman, Sammy Mejia, Stefan Markovic) to rank among the top three in total performance index rating in EuroCup history. It wouldn’t be far-fetched, either, given that he already averages a PIR of 14.5 in just two games with Cedevita.
His height and wingspan make him a threat under the paint and Cedevita’s opponents will certainly need some time to adjust their plans to Omic, who is the second-best rebounder in EuroCup history in just 101 games. Only Bojan Dubljevic is in front, with 23 more games played. That, on its own, is a pretty significant achievement, though we should also add that there’s a battle between the two players when it comes to offensive rebounds, too. Just 5 offensive rebounds separate them – 237 for Dubljevic and 232 for Omic.
“I don’t feel any pressure, regarding breaking the records” Omic tells Eurohoops. “I enjoy doing what I do. I will do my best to help achieve the club’s goals, and my personal goals. In life, it’s great to be number one, and at the same time, win some trophies when you go along“.
Alen Omic in eight EuroCup seasons* (with Gran Canaria, Unicaja Malaga, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, Joventut Badalona, JL Bourg, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana)
| Stat category | Totals | Rank |
| Rebounds | 636 | 2nd |
| Offensive Rebounds | 232 | 2nd |
| Defensive Rebounds | 404 | 2nd |
| Points scored | 1053 | 16th |
| 2-pointers made | 422 | 2nd |
| Field goals made | 423 | 6th |
| Blocks | 45 | 28th |
| Index Rating | 1444 | 6th |
*As of Round 7 of the 2021-22 season
Cedevita’s losing streak in EuroCup has been alarming, so the addition of Omic (and later Yogi Ferrell) was all but necessary. It’s a win-win for both sides in this case. Cedevita has found an accomplished big to contribute to their efforts (and hopefully put them back on the winning track). At the same time, Omic has the chance to meet with EuroCup history by surpassing milestones – or even setting new records – in the place where his European career began. In his own words, he brings “effort, energy, positive attitude”, towards his team. “I want us to win every single game, and to fight until the end, and never give up, no matter the score”.