Giannis Sfairopoulos will succeed Dusko Ivanovic at Crvena Zvezda / News - Basketnews.com

Giannis Sfairopoulos has agreed to take over Crvena Zvezda after Dusko Ivanovic was fired.

Credit: www.imago-images.de-SCANPIX Credit www.imago-images.de-SCANPIX

The head coaching position on Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade's bench will not be vacant for long, following the dismissal of Dusko Ivanovic.

Points this season

41%80,8Points made:80,8Accuracy:41,5%Place in standings:8Record max:94Record min:74Best scorer:Shabazz NapierTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The 66-year-old Montenegrin tactician was let go on Saturday evening, although his contract was set to expire in June, 2024. As Meridian Sport reported, Giannis Sfairopoulos will be his successor.

According to BasketNews information, the Greek coach has come to a final agreement with the Belgrade-based club. Sfairopoulos, 56, had last coached Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2018-2022) and is slated to return to a EuroLeague bench after 20 months (February 2022).

During his term in Israel, Sfairopoulos won three consecutive championships (2019-2021) and was named twice coach of the year. He had previously guided Olympiacos through four campaigns (2014-2018), reaching the EuroLeague title game in 2015 and 2017 and winning two straight domestic championship trophies in 2015 and 2016.

He also coached Panionios and Kolossos Rhodes in Greece, while serving as an assistant with the Houston Rockets and CSKA Moscow, as well as with the Greek national team.

Dusko Ivanovic took over Zvezda in November. 2023. He exited the club having won the Radivoj Korac Cup and the Serbian Championship, but didn't manage to win the ABA League and lead the red-and-whites to the EuroLeague playoffs. Red Star's bad start to the 2023-24 season and a EuroLeague record of 1-3 after the first four rounds led to his dismissal.

Sfairopoulos' deal with Zvezda affects Baskonia's plans, as the Basque club had reportedly placed the Greek play-caller on the top of their list. Joan Penarroya's departure seems almost a foregone conclusion, but now, Baskonia will have to look for other options in the market.

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