The International Coaches Clinic returns to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four this spring with another line up of marquee lecturers ready to offer their expertise first-hand during one of the biggest dates on the world basketball calendar. The 2015 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four International Coaches Clinic ‘Jose Luis Abos’ will be held in Madrid, Spain on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17, during the Final Four weekend.
Terry Porter, a former two-time NBA all-star and head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, as well as Igor Kokoskov, the first European assistant coach on an NBA bench and NBA champion in 2004 are two of the outstanding lecturers on the clinic’s roster this time. They will be joined by current and former Euroleague head coaches Luca Banchi, Fotis Katsikaris and Sito Alonso.
After a successful 2014 edition in Milan, Euroleague Basketball and Giorgio Gandolfi – Sport Marketing, Events and Communication are proud to renew their partnership to bring another outstanding International Coaches Clinic to the 2015 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four.
“We are very excited to be able to announce that there will be a 2015 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four International Coaches Clinic,” Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO, said. “More than 220 coaches from 30 different countries worldwide attended the 2014 event in Milan, and that was a testament to the quality of the clinicians, as well as the organisation by Giorgio Gandolfi. The clinicians in 2015 will be just as good, if not better, therefore we encourage all interested basketball coaches to register for the clinic and thereby participate in the celebration of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four from May 14 to 17!”
“The Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four is undoubtedly the most important basketball event for clubs in Europe,” Giorgio Gandolfi, Founder & Principal of Giorgio Gandolfi – Sport Marketing, Events and Communication, added. “We are grateful to Euroleague Basketball for trusting us after the great success of last year’s clinic in Milan. Based upon the many requests coming to us from all over the world, I think the 2015 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four International Coaches Clinic could be more and more international, and a sure success with a strong representation of Spanish coaches.”
The Clinic will be held at the GO fit Vallehermoso, located at Av. de Filipinas, 7 in Madrid. It will be organised in collaboration with FEB (Federacion Española de Baloncesto), AEEB (Asociacion Española de Entrenadores de Baloncesto), FBM (Federacion de Baloncesto de Madrid), Viajes El Corte Ingles, FIBA (International Basketball Federation), WABC (World Association of Basketball Coaches), EUABC (European Union Association of Basketball Coaches), and ACB (Asociacion Clubes de Baloncesto), while the sponsor will be Spalding, the famous USA basketball and apparel company.
Early registrations with special discounts are open until March 16 (or until a maximum of 200 coaches are registered). All details are visible in the registration form on www.giorgiogandolfi.com Special hotel and Final Four ticket packages are available from partner Viajes El Corte Inglés until April 10. For logistics reasons, April 1, 2015 will be the last day to request a letter of invitation for any coaches who need an entry visa to enter Spain.
Terry Porter is the former NBA coach of the Phoenix Suns (2008-2009) and the Milwaukee Bucks (2003-2005). He served also as assistant coach of the Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves, where he also was acting head coach last season while Rick Adelman was not with the team due to family issues. Porter spent 17 years in the NBA as a player, playing 1,274 games and scoring 15,586 points for the Portland Trail Blazers (10 years), Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. he was a two-time NBA all-star (1991, 1993) and played in two NBA finals (1990, 1992).
Igor Kokoskov is currently an NBA assistant coach with the Orlando Magic, a role he held previously with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers. He was the first European assistant coach to sit on a NCAA Division I basketball bench at the University of Missouri, and on an NBA bench. He has spent the last 15 years in the NBA and won the title in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons under head coach Larry Brown. A former assistant coach of the Serbian national team under Zeljko Obradovic, Kokoskov since 2008 is also the head coach of the Georgian national team.
Luca Banchi is the head coach of Turkish Airlines Euroleague team EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. He won that last two Italian League championships, in 2014 with EA7 Emporio Armani and in 2013 with Montepaschi Siena, along with the Italian national cup. Previously, he served as assistant coach to Simone Pianigiani on the bench of Montepaschi Siena, winning six straight Italian League titles, five Italian Supercups and four Italian national cups, and reaching one Euroleague Final Four together, in 2011.
Sito Alonso is the head coach of Bilbao Basket since 2014. While at Joventut Badalona as an assistant coach to Aito Garcia Reneses, Alonso won the EuroChallenge, the Spanish Copa del Rey and the ULEB Cup between 2005 and 2008, before becoming head coach in 2009. While coaching at San Sebastian Gipuzkoa, he was awarded with Spain’s Coach of the Year trophy in 2013. He was also assistant coach to Juan Orenga with the Spanish national team and head coach of the under 20 Spanish national team who won the European Championships bronze medal in 2013.
Fotis Katsikaris is the head coach of the Greek national team since 2014. He started his coaching career in 2003 with AEK Athens, then he was on the bench of Dynamo St Petersburg, Pamesa Valencia, Aris Thessaloniki and Bilbao Basket. With Bilbao he reached the ACB finals in 2011 and the Eurocup final in 2013, when he was chosen as the competition’s Coach of the Year.
Source: Euroleague.net
