By Dimitris Minaretzis/ info@eurohoops.net
Zoc is heading towards his tenth trophy, seeking to widen the gap from his pursuers even further, considering there isn’t even one who can ever threaten him. But who knows?
What’s curious about the coaching presence in Belgrade is that all of them have worked with Obradovic, in one way or another. Something that clearly makes this quartet unique, with Dimitris Itoudis, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Pablo Laso all wanting to snatch the trophy away from ZOC, who will go to Belgrade to defend his ninth title.
This Final Four has another semantic significance for the coach of the defending champions, since it will take place in Belgrade. That’s where he started his European career by winning his first European title with Partizan in 1992. You could say he’ll be playing at home if it wasn’t for the Serbs’ rivalry with Fenerbahce‘s Turks.
The trio that worked together
Of course, we don’t have to overanalyze the kind of relationship that binds Zeljko Obradovic and Dimitris Itoudis. From 1999 to 2012 they experienced countless great moments with Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens, winning five European trophies and 11 Greek championships! Need we say more about their unbreakable bond?
Sarunas Jasikevicius is of course bound with both of them, as he played in Panathinaikos and won a EuroLeague trophy with them in 2009 and shared domestic accomplishments with them too.
Pablo Laso has also worked with ZOC. He was his player in Real Madrid from 1995 to 1997 and together they won the 1997 Saporta Cup in the final against Verona. So, there is no one who hasn’t been next to Obradovic, but also no one who doesn’t want to beat him desperately either! They’re not going there to shake his hands and talk about the old days, but to take the EuroLeague trophy out of his hands.
The trophy winners
Something they’ve achieved in the past. Dimitris Itoudis and Pablo Laso won the EuroLeague in 2016 and 2015 respectively, and only the rookie, Saras, hasn’t… had enough time to do so yet. Do you think he might do it this season? Why not…
In fact, Itoudis did it as Obradovic’s rival in Berlin in 2016, in the thrilling final that was decided in overtime after Khryapa saved CSKA in regulation play.
However, Laso too had to… go over ZOC in order to win the Euopean championship, since, in the 2015 semifinal, Real knocked out Fenerbahce, who were appearing in the Final Four for the very first time then, only to gain momentum and appear in the next four Final Fours in a row too.