Croatian basketball legend Mirko Novosel dies at 85 / News - Basketnews.com

Mirko Novosel, who changed the European basketball scene and won three Olympic medal with former Yugoslavia, passed away.

Credit: Robert Valai/Euroleague Basketball/Getty Images Credit Robert Valai/Euroleague Basketball/Getty Images

Mirko Novosel has passed away at the age of 85. He was considered the best Croatian coach in history and one of the greatest geniuses on the European bench between the 1970s and the mid-1990s.

Along with Ranko Zeravica and Aleksandar Nikolic, he formed a Holy Trinity of Balkan coaches who dominated the continent and influenced later generations.

His national team highlights include:

Olympic Gold medalist in Moscow 1980 (with Yugoslavia/as team director) 2 times Olympic Silver medalist: Montreal 1976 (with Yugoslavia/as head coach) and Barcelona 1992 (with Croatia/as sports director) Silver medalist in the 1974 World Championship in Puerto Rico (with Yugoslavia/as head coach) Olympic Bronze medalist in Los Angeles 1984 (with Yugoslavia/as head coach) Bronze medalist in the 1994 World Championship in Toronto (with Croatia/as sports director) 2 times European Champion (with Yugoslavia/as head coach): Spain 1973 and Belgrade 1975 2 times Bronze medalist in the European Championships: Germany 1993 (with Croatia/as head coach) and Athens 1995 (with Croatia/as sports director) Gold medalist in the 1972 European Championship for Junior Men in Zadar (with Yugoslavia/as head coach )Gold medalist in the 1971 European Championship for Cadets in Gorizia (with Yugoslavia/as head coach)

Novosel was the one who convinced Drazen Petrovic to move from Sibenka to Cibona Zagreb, changing the European basketball scene.

At the club level, the coach reached his peak by winning the 1985 European Cup (now EuroLeague). In addition, he lifted two Saporta Cups, two Yugoslavia Leagues and seven Cups , turning Cibona into a power at the hands of the Petrovic brothers, Ivo Nakic, Zoran Cutura, and Andro Knego.

Before making the leap to the bench, Novosel had a long playing career that lasted for 15 years at Lokomotiva, which later became Cibona.

The indelible mark that Novosel left on basketball made him enter the Springfield Hall of Fame in 2007, curiously, the same year that Phil Jackson and Pedro Ferrandiz, two other coaching legends did. Three years later, FIBA ​​also included him in its Hall of Fame .

Now without Ranko Zeravica and Aca Nikolic, his death marks the end of an era in European basketball.

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