By Semih Tuna/ info@eurohoops.net
Returning Yakup Sekizkok will be the next head coach of Galatasaray Ekmas, according to Eurohoops. On Friday, he was officially signed to a contract lasting until the end of the 2024-25 season.
After parting ways with Zvezdan Mitrovic, the Lions move to the former assistant of Ergin Ataman and most recently head coach of Darussafaka Lassa.
Sekizkok, 43, takes over in the Basketball Champions League and Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi.
Yakup Sekizkök, Galatasaray Ekmas’ın yeni başantrenörü oldu.
Detaylar birazdan @EurohoopsTR‘de.
— Semih Tuna (@semih_tuna) February 1, 2024
Working under Ataman included successful stints at Anadolu Efes, Galatasaray, and Besiktas from 2011 to 2023. The pairing generated two Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championships with Efes in 2021 and 2022 and also lifted the EuroCup trophy with the fellow Istanbul outfit in 2016. After Ataman switched to Panathinaikos Aktor, Sekizkok transitioned to a head-coaching role at Dacka.
Resurfacing in the BCL after guiding Darussafaka to the Play-Ins and up to Game 3 of the best-of-three series opposite MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, Sekizkok faces a complicated task. At 0-2 in Group J of the Round of 16, his new side has four games left in the double-legged round-robin schedule and hopes for a perfect or near-perfect run to make it to the Quarterfinals.
Staying in the BSL, identical 9-9 records between Dacka and Galata simply switch him to another part of the three-way tie, stretching from sixth to eighth in the standings.
Up next on the schedule is an away game against Fenerbahce Beko in Ulker Sports Arena on Sunday, before resuming the continental campaign by visiting Ludwigsburg in MHP Arena on Tuesday.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League