EUROCUP - Petrovic named Eurocup Coach of the Year

BARCELONA (Eurocup) - There have been a few bumps along the way to the Eurocup Finals for Cedevita Zagreb but rest assured, it's been an amazing ride for coach Aleksandar Petrovic.

The brother of the late basketball legend Drazen Petrovic, Aleksandar (pictured) was on Tuesday named Eurocup Coach of the Year.

If there was a turning point in the club's season, it came in February after the team had suffered a one-point defeat to KK Zagreb in the Croatia Kresimir Cosic Cup.

Petrovic said immediately after the game: "If you lose this way, only the coach can be to blame.”

The club refused to accept his resignation and that proved to be a wise decision.

Cedevita went on to reach the Eurocup quarter-finals and then beat Asefa Estudiantes over two legs.

Last year, Ilias Zouros was named Coach of the Year after getting Panellinios to the last four of the Eurocup but they lost both games in Vitoria.

Petrovic would prefer to follow the example of his fellow Croatian, Neven Spahija, who led Power Electronics Valencia to the Eurocup title and into the Euroleague.

Cedevita will go up against UNICS Kazan in one semi-final of the EuroCup on April 16 with hosts Benetton Treviso squaring off against Cajasol Sevilla in the other.

FIBA