By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce Beko has released Sasha Djordjevic, the team announced Friday. Greek tactician Dimitris Itoudis is expected to take over as the new head coach.
Djordjevic, 54, was named head coach of the team based in Istanbul last July. The one-year stint was highlighted by leading Fener to the BSL championship for the first time in four years. The 10-18 W-L tally in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fell four wins short of a berth in the Playoffs. As for Turkish Cup, labeled as Bitci Erkekler Turkiye Kupasi, his side lost to Anadolu Efes in the Final.
Counting the LBA Serie A championship in the last season of the three-year run as the Virtus Segafredo Bologna play-caller, the Serbian tactician extended the streak of capturing the domestic title to two years in a row. However, the success was closely followed by the end of his stint on both occasions. Before taking over the Bologna outfit in 2019, experience stemming from FC Bayern Munich, Panathinaikos, Benetton Treviso, and Olimpia Milano shaped the earlier stages of his head coaching career at the club level. He was also the senior national team selector for Serbia between 2013 and 2019.
Moving into the 2022-23 season and the next editions of EuroLeague and domestic competitions, Fenerbahce is expected to hand reins to Itoudis. The Greek head coach, currently preparing to guide the Greece senior national team in the approaching 2022 EuroBasket and 2023 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers, parted ways with CSKA a couple of weeks ago, 5 June.