SOFIA (FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers) - Lyubomir Minchev has officially been confirmed as the new Bulgarian national team head coach during the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers next summer as well as for the big event itself, should the Balkan nation qualify.

The Bulgarian Federation (BFB) moved to secure the services of the 45-year-old Minchev, a FIBA Europe Coaching Certificate (FECC) graduate, after an initial agreement with Maccabi Rand Media Rishon coach Sharon Drucker fell through.

BFB president Georgi Glushkov commented that he held several meetings with Drucker and the two parties had agreed to the financial terms, but in late February the Israeli tactician informed the Bulgarian legend that he could not assume the position because of personal reasons.

Minchev is a former Bulgarian international whose national team career started in the early 1990s and spanned over a decade, while at club level he played mainly for Levski but also had stints at Palma as well as Slavia.

He embarked on a coaching career shortly after retiring as a player and worked at Levski, Lukoil Academic and Chernomore while he is currently the head coach of Bulgarian league surprise package Beroe.

More importantly, Minchev has already accumulated significant coaching experience with the national team as he served as an assistant to Pini Gherson at EuroBasket 2009 in Poland and was then on the staff of Rosen Barchovski at EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania.

Minchev was also at the helm of the U18 Bulgarian side in the Division A European Championship of 2010 and the Division B event the following year.

He took the reins of the U20 national team in the 2012 European Championship Division B, led them to promotion and coached the team also in the Division A event of 2013.

"I am absolutely certain that the choice to appoint a Bulgarian coach is the best, but we all now need to stand alongside Lyubomir Minchev," commented former Bulgaria head coach Barchovski.

"He is able to do good work, but he must have everybody's support.

"I coached the national team at two EuroBasket tournaments, in 2005 and 2011, and both times we played as equals against the big teams.

"But the problem is that our team is not so competitive any more, because everybody else in Europe improved while we stayed at the same level."

The BFB will officially present their new head coach to the media at a press conference in Sofia on Wednesday.

Bulgaria were drawn in Group E of the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers and will go up against Slovenia, Ukraine and newcomers Kosovo.