By Aris Barkas / barkas@eurohoops.net
Coach Georgios Bartzokas is ready to sign with Barcelona a 2+1 seasons contract. Lokomotiv was in talks with the Spanish team for the coach’s buy out option and the two sides have reached an agreement.
This puts an end to the “coach saga” for Barcelona, who was not able to sign first target Sarunas Jasikevicius in the head coach position due to experience restrictions imposed by the Spanish coaches association.
Bartzokas began working as a basketball coach since he was 22 years old. He was the assistant coach of Panagiotis Giannakis for several years in Maroussi. In 2006, he become the head coach of Olympia Larissa. That same year with Olympia, he managed to reach the playoffs of the Greek league for the first time in the club’s history. The team finished in 7th place, and repeated their playoffs qualification the next year, during the Greek league 2007–08 season.
In 2009, Bartzokas became the head coach of Maroussi. In 2010, he was named the Greek League Coach of the Year. He became the head coach of Panionios in 2010.
Bartzokas got his first chance to coach a Euroleague contender with Olympiacos, in June 2012. He won the 2012–13 Euroleague, becoming the first Greek coach in history to win this title. He was also named the Euroleague Coach of the Year in 2013. He left Olympiacos at the start of next season, after a cup defeat by Panathinaikos and during last year he led Lokomotiv Kuban to the Euroleague final four for the first time in the club’s history.