SLO - Zupan's saga unfolds as sixth player leaves Olimpija

LJUBLJANA (UPC Telemach league) - Deaf basketball player Miha Zupan's saga finally unfolds as Union Olimpija Ljubljana managed to register him on March 1st. Zupan scored 8 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in his come-back match against Crvena Zvezda in Saturday's Adriatic League encounter. A breath of air for a team who waved good-bye its sixth player this season the day before.

24-year old Zupan was forced to a four-month stop due to legal problems with his former team Geoplin Slovan. The 204 cm tall power forward signed for Union Olimpija in June but did not revoke the contract with Slovan. The teams involved then could not settle for the indemnity Olimpija should reimburse Slovan.

Union Olimpija registered him before the beginning of the season but Zupan's (now former) team Geoplin Slovan Ljubljana contested the registration. By then he collected six appearances in the Adriatic League. He was scheduled to play as the first deaf player in the Euroleague but saw his international license revoked on the day of the debut.

After nearly twenty weeks the teams involved finally reached an agreement. The indemnity sum has not been disclosed.

"I am happy the agony has come to an end and I will step on the court again," said Zupan in his statement.

"I kept practicing all this time and I think I am in a satisfying shape. I will probably still need some time to tune in a competition pace, though."

Zupan's addition is a breath of air for a team that saw Bosnian tall-man Hasan Rizvic leave the day before. Rizvic was the sixth player departing from the current Slovenian champion this season.

Centers Christian Maraker and Saulius Kuzminskas, forward Marko Milic and guards Ender Arslan and Abdul Mills emptied their lockers earlier this season. With Saso Ozbolt and Goran Jurak still injured, the team is virtually decimated.

Zupan has not much time to get into competition pace as the Slovenian top championship will soon step into its final phase.

Simon LicenFIBA