Sasa Obradovic stays with Monaco for three more seasons / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Roca Team-Direction de la Communication / Manuel Vitali Credit Roca Team-Direction de la Communication / Manuel Vitali

On April 6,Sasa Obradovic's agent Misko Raznatovic announced that his client is going to be coaching AS Monaco through the 2022-23 season.

Points this season

48%83,4Points made:83,4Accuracy:48,1%Place in standings:1Record max:107Record min:54Best scorer:Mike JamesTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

On July 11, three months later, the club from the Principality issued an announcement, informing that the Serbian coach will stay until 2025, extending his commitment to the EuroLeague and LNB side for three seasons instead of just one.

Obradovic took over the reins at Monaco last December as a replacement for Zvezdan Mitrovic, returning to the Monegasques' bench after the 2019-20 season.

The 53-year-old specialist brought success to the Roca Team, lifting it to the EuroLeague playoffs and making history. Monaco became the first EuroCup team to qualify for the EuroLeague playoffs. Nevertheless, they lost out to LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in the LNB finals.

Obradovic accumulated EuroLeague experience, coaching Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (2020), ALBA Berlin (2012-13 and 2014-15), and RheinEnergie Cologne (2006-07).

Previously, Obradovic also worked in Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, Donetsk, Turow Zgorzelec and Kyiv.

He's a four-time German Cup winner, Russian and Ukrainian Cup winner, German and Ukrainian league champion, in addition to being chosen as the Eurocup Coach of the Year in 2018.

Credit AS Monaco-Direction de la Communcation

"The EuroLeague playoffs will soon be our minimum goal"

"The French league title is what we're missing at the end," Obradovic told the club's website after the agreement was officialized.

"Apart from that, when I arrived, the situation was not good. A lot of things had to change within the team for chemistry to be found and created between the players.

Having too many foreigners was necessarily problematic. So we had to make choices with a player like Rob Gray, who was EuroCup Finals MVP last year. It was necessary to adjust the playing time of some guys like Brock Motum and Danilo Andjusic whose behaviour was always exemplary. It was not easy because they are good people. It was also hard to know if we had the right combination of players," Obradovic went on to say.

Credit AS Monaco/Direction de la Communication

And when we see the final results, we can say that we have done a very good job given the progress made. We managed to qualify for the Euroleague playoffs, which was not at all possible before I arrived. And we also made it to the finals of the French league."

"I think it's this Euroleague run that cost us the title," the Serb explained.

"The accumulated fatigue, both physical and mental, got the best of us. During Games 2 and 4, we did not have the right attitude on the court. It was unworthy of a top-level team and of the playoffs. As for the decisive match, given the scenario, it was a lottery. We missed our chance because of our big absences in Games 2 and 4."

Obradovic thinks that "the Euroleague was an exceptional journey with a daunting series against Olympiakos that many observers described as one of the most intense ever. Nobody ever wanted to let go, in order not to be left behind. We didn't give up and that's what people wanted to see.

It was decided by Olympiacos' experience in those big meetings, and by a player like Sloukas. We had our chance to create a surprise," he stressed.

The experienced play-caller thinks thatFrench basketball is changing with Monaco and ASVEL boasting big projects. "We are building a roster in order to maintain our place in last year's standings. The top 8 will soon be the minimum objective for us, and no longer the ultimate goal," he pointed out.

Current roster:

Credit BasketNews.com

AS Monaco

Position Player Status SF Armel Traore Long-term contract Coach Sasa Obradovic ( Like what we are doing? Support us by becoming BN+ member.