Zmago Sagadin
Encyclopedia
Zmagoslav "Zmago" Sagadin (sɑːˈɡɑːdɪn, born November 1, 1952 in Celje
), whose first name in Slovene means "winner", is a legendary Slovenia
n basketball
coach. He is also a founder of Slovenia's first national basketball team and co-founder of the Adriatic Basketball League. Sagadin is widely considered as the most successful Slovene and top European basketball coach with 25 championship titles both on a national and international level. He has been recognized 9 times as a Slovenian Top Coach of the Year and received various honor awards.
Furthermore, Sagadin is known for his work process which developed a variety of top players who now compete internationally and in NBA
. Success of Union Olimpija Ljubljana (formerly Smelt Olimpija), during his time coaching the team, contributed to establishing basketball as a distinctive part of Slovenian sport culture and recognition of Union Olimpija as a reputable European club.
Sagadin is also author of basketball-related articles, served 8 years as a President of Slovenian Basketball Coaches Association, and lecturer on KZS, FIBA and ULEB
-organized seminars and clinics.
Sagadin signed a contract with top Croatian team KK Zadar
in February 2009.
(now in NBA
), Primož Brezec
, Boštjan Nachbar, Šarūnas Jasikevičius
, Jiří Welsch
, Marko Milič
, Vladimir Stepania
, Soumaila Samake
, Radisav Ćurčić
(former NBA
), Vladimir Boisa
, Sani Bečirovič
, Nikola Vujčić
, Vlado Ilievski
, Gregor Fučka
, Jurica Golemac
, Ariel McDonald
, Marko Tušek
, Boris Gorenc, Jasmin Hukić
, Ivica Jurković, Gregor Hafner (now playing for top European clubs).
Also he helped in reaffirmation of some well-known players: Igor Rakočević
, Scoonie Penn
, Obinna Ekezie
, Mindaugas Žukauskas
, Sandro Nicević
, Yotam Halperin
.
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
), whose first name in Slovene means "winner", is a legendary Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach. He is also a founder of Slovenia's first national basketball team and co-founder of the Adriatic Basketball League. Sagadin is widely considered as the most successful Slovene and top European basketball coach with 25 championship titles both on a national and international level. He has been recognized 9 times as a Slovenian Top Coach of the Year and received various honor awards.
Furthermore, Sagadin is known for his work process which developed a variety of top players who now compete internationally and in NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. Success of Union Olimpija Ljubljana (formerly Smelt Olimpija), during his time coaching the team, contributed to establishing basketball as a distinctive part of Slovenian sport culture and recognition of Union Olimpija as a reputable European club.
Sagadin is also author of basketball-related articles, served 8 years as a President of Slovenian Basketball Coaches Association, and lecturer on KZS, FIBA and ULEB
ULEB
ULEB was founded in 1991, with the aim to help in the cooperation and development of European professional club basketball leagues...
-organized seminars and clinics.
Sagadin signed a contract with top Croatian team KK Zadar
KK Zadar
KK Zadar is a Croatian professional basketball team from the city of Zadar playing in the A-1 Liga.Zadar is the place where Croatian basketball was born in 1930. Zadar's reputation has been of a basketball hotbed with a team that can capture trophies at any given moment...
in February 2009.
Titles
(24 with Olimpija Ljubljana, 1 with Crvena zvezda)- European CupSaporta CupSaporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, where the National Cup winners from all over Europe played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA Europe...
– 1994 - Euro League Final Four – 3rd place - 1996/97
- Adriatic League (ABA)NLB LeagueLiga ABA, also known as Adriatic League, until September 2011 known as the NLB Liga ABA for sponsorship reasons, is a top-level regional basketball league, featuring teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Israel, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.The league exists alongside scaled-down national...
– 2002 - Central European Championship – 1992, 1993
- National Championships – 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006
- National Cups – 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006
- Radivoj Korać Cup – 2004 (with Crvena zvezda)
Awards
- Slovenian Coach of the Year – 1992/93, 1993/94, 1994/95, 1996/97, 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2001/02
Players
He recruited and, through his work, developed many great basketball players: Beno UdrihBeno Udrih
Beno Udrih is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. He was traded to the Bucks on June 23, 2011 after spending four seasons in Sacramento. -Early career:...
(now in NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
), Primož Brezec
Primož Brezec
Primož Brezec is a Slovenian professional basketball player with Lokomotiv Kuban of the Russian Super League. He is a 7 ft 1 in tall center. Brezec has played seven seasons in the NBA.-Europe:...
, Boštjan Nachbar, Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarunas Jasikevicius
Šarūnas Jasikevičius is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who plays for Panathinaikos BC. He is a member of the Lithuanian national team, and plays the point guard position.-Early years:...
, Jiří Welsch
Jirí Welsch
Jiří Welsch is a Czech professional basketball player with Spirou Basket of the Basketball League Belgium. Welsch has played in the National Basketball Association league in the United States, having been drafted in 2002 by the Philadelphia 76ers.-Early years:Welsch began his professional career...
, Marko Milič
Marko Milic
Marko Milič is a Slovenian professional basketball player. Milič's father, Vladimir, was a shot putting champion in the former Yugoslavia. His mother, Metka Papler, is a former successful sportswoman of the same origin...
, Vladimir Stepania
Vladimir Stepania
Vladimir Stepania is a retired Georgian professional basketball player, in the center position.-Basketball career:...
, Soumaila Samake
Soumaila Samake
Soumaila Samake is a Malian professional basketball player. A 7'0" 245 lb center, he was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft, and played for the Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers...
, Radisav Ćurčić
Radisav Curcic
Radisav Ćurčić is a Serbian basketball player, who also holds an Israeli citizenship. He is 206 cm tall , and played center.His clubs included:...
(former NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
), Vladimir Boisa
Vladimir Boisa
Vladimir Boisa or Vladimer Boisa is a Georgian professional basketball player. He plays for KK Union Olimpija in the UPC Telemach League, Euroleague and Adriatic League.- National team :...
, Sani Bečirovič
Sani Becirovic
Sani Bečirović is a Slovenian 1.96 m professional basketball player currently plays for the Benetton Treviso, that plays at both point guard and shooting guard positions...
, Nikola Vujčić
Nikola Vujcic
Nikola Vujčić is a Croatian professional basketball player. He is 2.11 m tall. He can play at both the center and power forward positions. He last played for Efes Pilsen SK for the 2010–11 season.-Player profile:...
, Vlado Ilievski
Vlado Ilievski
Vlado Ilievski is a Macedonian professional basketball player. He is a 1.88 m point guard who plays for Anadolu Efes.During his successful career, Ilievski played for KK Partizan, Antbirlik Antalya, FC Barcelona Bàsquet, Lottomatica Roma, VidiVici Bologna, Montepaschi Siena, Tau Cerámica, KK...
, Gregor Fučka
Gregor Fucka
Gregor Fučka is a retired Italian basketball player of Slovenian origin. A 215 cm forward-center, he was a European Player of the Year Mister Europa and Euroscar laureate in 2000.- Pro career :...
, Jurica Golemac
Jurica Golemac
Jurica Golemac , is a Slovenian-Croatian professional basketball player. He is 2.12m tall and weighs 102 kg . He can play at both the forward and center positions...
, Ariel McDonald
Ariel McDonald
Ariel Rene McDonald is an American-Slovenian basketball player, playing the point guard position for the Italian club Montepaschi Siena...
, Marko Tušek
Marko Tušek
- Honors :Clubs Honors*Slovenian League champion - 93/94, 95/96, 96/97, 97/98 with KK Union Olimpija*Slovenian Cup champion - 93/94, 94/95, 96/97, 97/98 with KK Union Olimpija*Champions of Cup Winners - 93/94 with KK Union Olimpija...
, Boris Gorenc, Jasmin Hukić
Jasmin Hukić
Jasmin Hukić is a Bosnian professional basketball player who currently plays for BC Donetsk in Ukraine. He is former captain of Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team.-External links:...
, Ivica Jurković, Gregor Hafner (now playing for top European clubs).
Also he helped in reaffirmation of some well-known players: Igor Rakočević
Igor Rakocevic
Igor Rakočević is a Serbian professional basketball player who plays for Montepaschi Siena. He can play at both the point guard and shooting guard positions. He is 1.94 m tall...
, Scoonie Penn
Scoonie Penn
James "Scoonie" Donell Penn is an American professional basketball player. He plays at the point guard position. His height is 5 ft 11 in and he weighs 180 pounds.-Amateur career:...
, Obinna Ekezie
Obinna Ekezie
Obinna Ralph Ekezie is a Nigerian professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA. His name, Obinna, means "Father´s heart".-Career:...
, Mindaugas Žukauskas
Mindaugas Žukauskas
Mindaugas Žukauskas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He was a captain of the Lithuanian national basketball team. In August 2006 Žukauskas transferred from Montepaschi to another Italian team Scavolini Pesaro...
, Sandro Nicević
Sandro Nicevic
Sandro Nicević is a Croatian professional basketball player.-Pro career:In his professional career, Nicević has played with: Gradine Pula, Franck Zagreb, Benston Zagreb, Cibona Zagreb, Olimpija Ljubljana, Le Mans, AEK Athens, Unicaja Málaga, Beşiktaş, Benetton Treviso.-Croatian national...
, Yotam Halperin
Yotam Halperin
Yotam Halperin is an Israeli professional basketball player. He is a 1.96 m tall combo guard.Halperin, who is Jewish, was born and raised in Tel Aviv and was the basketball star of Metrowest High School in Ra'anana...
.
Coaches
Sagadin served as a mentor to many of his former assistant coaches and players who are now successful head coaches:- Sašo FilipovskiSašo FilipovskiSašo Filipovski is a Slovenia-born Macedonian professional basketball coach. He is the current coach of KK Union Olimpija.-Coaching career:...
(PBC CSKA MoscowPBC CSKA MoscowPBC CSKA Moscow is a Russian professional basketball team that is based in Moscow, Russia. The club is a member of the VTB United League. It is often referred to in the West as "Red Army" for its past affiliation with the Soviet Army. CSKA has won two titles between 2006 and 2009 in Europe's...
, Lottomatica Roma, Turow ZgorzelecTurów ZgorzelecPGE Turów Zgorzelec is a Polish professional basketball team that is based in Zgorzelec. The club plays in the Polska Liga Koszykówki and the Eurocup. The club's home court is Centrum Sportowe .- History :...
, KK Union OlimpijaKK Union Olimpija-Depth Chart:-In: Ben Woodside Deon Thompson Aleksandar Ćapin Jaka Blažič Danny Green Ratko Varda Robert Rothbart -Out: Giorgi Shermadini - return from a loan Kenny Gregory Samo Udrih Aloysius Anagonye Vladimir...
), - Tomo Mahorič (BC KyivBC KyivBC Kyiv is the Ukrainian professional basketball club that is based in Kiev. The club's home court for Ukrainian domestic league matches is the Meridian Sports Complex, which has a seating capacity of 1,500. Large attendance games and European-wide competition games are held at the 7,000 seat Kiev...
, Slask Wrocław, Lietuvos RytasBC Lietuvos RytasBC Lietuvos rytas is a professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania playing in the Lithuanian Basketball League , the VTB United League, and the Eurocup...
, Union Olimpija), - Neven Spahija (Tau CeramicaSaski BaskoniaSaski Baskonia, S.A.D., known as Caja Laboral for sponsorship reasons, is a Spanish professional basketball club from the Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain...
, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Lietuvos rytasBC Lietuvos RytasBC Lietuvos rytas is a professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania playing in the Lithuanian Basketball League , the VTB United League, and the Eurocup...
), - Aleksandar TrifunovićAleksandar Trifunovic (basketball)Aleksandar Trifunović is a Serbian professional basketball coach.-Managing career:Trifunović was the manager of the Serbian League club Red Star Belgrade during the 2001-02 season.-Coaching career:...
, (Lietuvos rytasBC Lietuvos RytasBC Lietuvos rytas is a professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania playing in the Lithuanian Basketball League , the VTB United League, and the Eurocup...
, Crvena zvezdaKK Crvena zvezdaKošarkaški klub Crvena zvezda is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. Its name Crvena zvezda means Red Star and it's part of the Red Star Belgrade sports society ....
), - Zoran Martič (Union Olimpija, Domžale, Slovan, Pivovarna Laško),
- Jure ZdovcJure ZdovcJurij "Jure" Zdovc is a retired Slovenian basketball player and the coach of BC Spartak Saint Petersburg.As junior he start to play for Comet Slovenske Konjice...
(Union Olimpija, Bosna, Split, Iraklis, Panionios).
About
- Euroleague.net Coach Profile: Zmago Sagadin
- Eurobasket.com Zmago Sagadin profile
- "Union Olimpija History"
Interviews
- Polet: "Prva peterka bo slovenska!"
- Adriatic League interview: Zmago Sagadin
- MojeDelo interview: Zmago Sagadin