By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes is turning the page after missing the Turkish BSL finals and failing to secure a spot in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.
Multiple sources confirm that Igor Kokoskov will be the new coach of the team, replacing Luca Banchi, who already has an offer from Milan on the table to join Ettore Messina’s coaching staff.
Igor Kokoskov finished the season alongside his longtime friend Quin Snyder as an assistant coach in Atlanta. Kokoskov has also coached the national teams of Georgia, Serbia, and Slovenia, winning the Eurobasket of 2017 with Slovenia in Turkey.
He has spent 19 years in the NBA as an assistant coach and was also the first non-American to become a head coach for one season in Phoenix (2018-19).
Kokoskov was also the first European to be a full-time assistant coach in NCAA Division I college basketball, and in 2004, he became the first non-American assistant coach to win an NBA championship, as a member of the Detroit Pistons coaching staff.
His return to Europe proves the ambitions of Anadolu Efes, as the club remains a solid EuroLeague contender.
Basketball Sphere first reported Efes’ interest in Kokoskov, and the first report about the impending deal came from Meridian Sport.
Coach Luca Banchi confirmed the change of guard after the final buzzer against Besiktas: “This match was my last match with Anadolu Efes. I want to thank you. First of all, I would like to thank everyone for giving me this opportunity, and then for the warm welcome I received during this short time in Istanbul. I truly felt at home”.