By Semih Tuna/ info@eurohoops.net
Returning to the international level was presented as an option for Aleksandar Dzikic. However, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem did not allow the Serbian tactician to take over Georgia.
The Georgian Basketball Federation made an offer but Dzikic’s side at the club level will not allow him to take the job, according to Eurohoops sources.
After seven years with Ilias Zouros in charge, Georgia continues the search for the next head coach, ahead of the Qualifiers of the 2025 EuroBasket.
Georgian Federation made an offer to Aleksander Dzikic to take over the bench of the national team, but Hapoel Jerusalem declined the possibility and will not allow the Serbian coach to take the job, so Georgia is still on the market.
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— Semih Tuna (@semih_tuna) December 7, 2023
Dzikic, 52, was hired by the team based in Jerusalem before the 2022-23 season. Capturing the Migdal State Cup in January and reaching the Semifinals of the Ligat Winner Playoffs after ranking second in the Regular Season led to being named Coach of the Year in Israel. At the continental level, his coaching efforts extended the Basketball Champions League run to the championship game of the 2023 Final Four.
In the ongoing campaign, Hapoel Jerusalem won the Winner League Cup and started the 2023-24 installment of the Champions League Regular Season with three wins in four Group G outings. Without Dzikic and foreign players, losing to Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan opened the Regular Season of Ligat Winner.
Following a stint as an assistant coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves under head coach Dwane Casey from 2005 to 2007, Dzikic returned to Europe taking over multiple teams over the last 15 years, including the U20 team of Serbia and the senior team of North Macedonia.
Zouros, 57, parted ways with Georgia after the first appearance of the country in the FIBA World Cup. The Crusaders ranked 16th overall and secured a spot in this summer’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. The Greek tactician previously led Georgia in the 2017 and 2022 editions of EuroBasket.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League