By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Seeking a new head coach since the departure of Zeljko Obradovic, and Mirko Ocokoljic taking over as the interim play-caller, Joan Penarroya arrived at the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport on Monday evening en route to taking over Partizan Mozzart Bet. Landing a few hours after Cameron Payne, he was welcomed by team sports director Zarko Paspalj and projected coaching staff member Uros Dragicevic.
A deal between Penarroya and Partizan was revealed earlier in December.
The Belgrade outfit will soon officially confirm the new head coach and the addition of the 31-year-old combo guard.
After previously coaching FC Barcelona between 2024 and his recent dismissal, and Baskonia from 2022 to 2023, Penarroya is back in the EuroLeague. Earlier head-coaching jobs included back-to-back Basketball Champions League titles with San Pablo Burgos in 2020 and 2021, plus a FIBA Intercontinental Cup championship in 2021. The native of Terrassa was in charge of Valencia in the 2021-22 season, coached his former team as a player, BAXI Manresa, in the 2018-19 season, and MoraBanc Andorra from 2010 to 2018, after getting started in the lower divisions of Spain back in 2006.
Moving to the Serbian capital, his first assignment abroad meets Partizan at 6-11 in the EuroLeague, 3.5 games away from the Play-In Showdown zone and four games from a direct ticket to the Playoffs 2026, with 21 games left in the double-legged round-robin schedule of the 2025-26 Regular Season. In Group A of the AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season, an 8-1 record ranks second behind undefeated Dubai.
The next game is on Friday, in Round 18 of the EuroLeague, with Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv visiting Belgrade Arena.