By George Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
The countdown for Olympiacos’s important friendly game in honor of Dusan Ivkovic is approaching and some of the greatest personalities in European basketball but also European tennis will be at the Peace and Friendship Stadium (20/9).
How could it be otherwise when we are dealing with a coach who has experienced so many achievements with the teams he has worked in and who has helped the sport of basketball make strides like few others have?
Eurohoops remembers and presents the milestones of Dusan Ivkovic’s coaching career, from the magical moments with the national team of Yugoslavia to the unforgettable runs with Olympiacos and Partizan.
The “small” Triple Crown with Partizan (1978-1979)
Partizan might be going through one of the worst periods in their history, but it wasn’t always so. The onetime pride of Serbian basketball experienced unique moments in the past, some of which carry the signature of the one and only Dusan Ivkovic.
More specifically, in the 1978-1979 season, the then 35-year-old “Duda” showed some first signs of his gift by leading his team to a triple crown, celebrating the championship, the cup, as well as the Korac Cup, all within a few weeks.
This initial success shaped, to a great extent, the subsequent philosophy of the great coach who, at a very young age, added to his list of achievements an important distinction and laid the groundwork for his career… to take off.
The silver in the Olympic Games in Seoul (1988)
Dusan Ivkovic undertook the difficult task of leading the national team of Yugoslavia shortly after the bronze medal in the 1987 EuroBasket and the successes didn’t take long to come. The starting point was the Olympic Games of 1988, where the “Plavi” climbed on the second step of the podium after losing 76-63 to the Soviet Union in the final.
The team might have overflowed with talent, with players such as Petrovic, Kukoc, Divac, Radja, Vrankovic, Paspalj and others, but Duda’s presence on the bench played an equally important part. The evening of 30 September 1988 was, in essence, only the beginning of everything that was to follow in the coming years at the international level.
Dusan Ivkovic’s Yugoslavia at the top of Europe (1989)
What the national team of Yugoslavia couldn’t do in the EuroBasket in Athens and the Olympic Games in Seoul, they did against Greece in the EuroBasket of 1988. In the big final that took place in Zagreb, Dusan Ivkovic’s amazing squad prevailed over the Greek national team and as a result celebrated the coveted gold medal.
The final score of 98-77 doesn’t allow the slightest doubt as to the superiority of the Plavi, with Petrovic (28 points) and Divac (25 points) having an amazing night against the usual suspect, Nikos Galis (30 points), but also Panagiotis Fasoulas (22 points).
It’s worth noting that Yugoslavia was winning a medal for the third summer in a row (1987, 1988, 1989), while Dusan Ivkovic’s term was already considered absolutely successful.
Duda’s first gold in a World Championship (1990)
After recently reaching the top, Dusan Ivkovic and his players were facing yet another challenge. To stay on the highest step of the podium and in fact in a competition that was more difficult, the World Championship.
The one and only defeat from Puerto Rico wasn’t enough to stop the amazing run of the Yugoslavs, who overcame the obstacle of the United States (99-91) in the semifinal and then completed their triumph against the Soviet Union (92-75) two days later.
Now, Duda’s name had become synonymous with the achievements of the national team, which, except for the Dream Team of 1992, could not be matched in terms of talent.
Unmatched in the EuroBasket in Italy (too) (1991)
A show of force! How else can we describe Yugoslavia’s presence in the EuroBasket in Italy, where Dusan Ivkovic’s squad cruised by with 5-0 wins and comfortably prevailed 88-73 in the final against the hosts? Being at the top had now become… routine for the Plavi, who had Dino Radja (23 points) and Toni Kukoc (20 points) as their big protagonists in the game for the gold.
It’s also worth noting that, in this particular tournament, Drazen Petrovic was not present. The move from the Blazers to the Nets but mostly his squabble with Divac as a result of the incident involving the Croatian flag didn’t allow “Mozart” to take part.
Of course, once again, credit has to be given to Duda, who managed to win two gold medals in the EuroBasket and the World Championship and a silver medal in the Olympic Games in his first four summers with the national team! Not bad…
Gold in Athens, the icing on the cake (1995)
The collection of medals continued in the EuroBasket in Athens for Dusan Ivkovic, who led Yugoslavia to the top for the third time before completing his term in the national team.
Once again, the Plavi managed to go all the way without suffering a single defeat (9-0), while the unbelievable Sasa Djordjevic is worth a special mention! His 41 points (2-for-3 in two-point shooting, 9-for-12 in three-point shooting, 10-for-12 in free throws) are still, to this day, the absolute highlight of that competition and a record performance in a final that will be difficult to top in the future.
“Sale”, however, was not alone, since he had great players on his side, names like Bodiroga, Danilovic, Paspalj and Divac. Each one of them helped write the ideal epilogue in the great coach’s seven-year term.
The first… legendary “Triple Crown” with Ivkovic’s signature
Dusan Ivkovic’s commitments with the national team all those years didn’t prevent him from being involved with basketball at a club level as well. The fact the Serbian coach led PAOK to their second championship in their history (1992) is telling, once again confirming his unique ability to lead teams to the top.
However, nothing can be compared with Olympiacos’s Triple Crown in the 1996-1997 season! The moment for the coveted European distinction had finally arrived for the Red-and-Whites, who put on a show of force in the Final Four in Rome, while celebrating the Cup and the Championship at home against Apollon Patras and AEK respectively.
The two parties concluded their partnership two years later and despite the fact they didn’t celebrate any more titles together, everyone remembers that the most successful season in the history of Olympiacos carries Duda’s signature.
Another European title, this time with Dynamo Moscow
It took Dusan Ivkovic just a few months to create a championship team in Moscow and win the Eurocup with Dynamo. In order for someone to grasp the importance of this particular distinction, they only have to know that the last time the club had celebrated a title was in the distant 1948.
In the final of the competition, the Russians went up against Aris (73-60), with Popovic (17 points), Douglas (17 points), Chatman (15 points) and Lazaros Papadopoulos (12 points, 12 rebounds) making the difference and giving the team their first European Cup in their history.
Their progress might not have been as good at home but this is perhaps justified to a degree since the beast that answers to the name of CSKA Moscow leave no room for the other title contenders.
Return to Serbia, return to medals!
After 13 years of absence, Dusan Ivkovic made the decision to once again sit on the bench of Serbia’s national team and this particular partnership proved to be important for both parties.
On the one hand, the Serbs once again found themselves on the podium after the gold medal in the World Championship (2002) and on the other, Duda proved that he can work wonders. Despite the fact that the roster he had to work with was especially young and thus inexperienced, the charismatic coach found the way to create a unit that, led by the amazing Milos Teodosic, managed to go the extra mile and win the silver medal.
On 20 September 2009, Serbia was returning to winning ways and Dusan Ivkovic, without knowing it yet, was “writing” the last important page with the national team in his career.
The “labor” in Istanbul, with Dusan Ivkovic’s signature
Dusan Ivkovic occupies a special place in the hearts of Olympiacos’ fans and the reason is simple and… twofold. He’s rightly considered the architect of the two biggest achievements in the team’s history, first with the Triple Crown (1997) and then with the Double (2012).
And if the Red-and-Whites were full of titles in the 90s, this was not at all the case before the “labor” of 2012 and the legendary upset against CSKA Moscow in the EuroLeague final. That night, Duda confirmed in the most emphatic way that he knows how to make men – and, in fact, champions – out of boys.
A few weeks later, the season was completed in an ideal way, as Olympiacos celebrated the championship for the first time since 1997! It’s no coincidence that it was Ivkovic once again who had shown the way…
