New Anadolu Efes coach Ivkovic to lay foundations for future

ISTANBUL

Dusan Ivkovic is the only coach to have won four different European competitions.

Legendary Serbian coach Dusan Ivkovic has put pen to paper on a two-year contract with Anadolu Efes, vowing to raise a new generation of stars at the premier Istanbul basketball club.

The 70-year-old coach highlighted the importance of young players several times during the press conference on June 3, his first as the coach of the team.

“We give great importance to young players. We will work hard to breed new players so that they serve Anadolu Efes and Turkish basketball well,” he said. “There are many young talents in the squad: Doğuş [Balbay], Birkan [Batuk], Cedi [Osman] and Emircan [Koşut], I am very lucky about that. We want to create a team blending our young players with international players with Euroleague experience.”

Ivkovic, the only coach to have won four different European competitions, comes to an Efes side which has only won the Turkish title once in the last decade.

Despite its drought, Efes is Turkey’s most successful club with 13 league titles.