Anadolu Efes has officially appointed Luca Banchi as its new head coach, agreeing to a contract for the remainder of the season with an option for 2025-26. The announcement comes as the Turkish powerhouse looks to strengthen its EuroLeague campaign, where it currently holds a 10-9 record and sits ninth in the standings.
Banchi, 59, takes over from Tomislav Mijatovic, who will remain with the team as part of Banchi’s coaching staff. The veteran coach began the 2023-24 season with Virtus Bologna but resigned after a challenging 2-10 start.
Efes marks Banchi’s fifth EuroLeague team, further expanding a career that began in 2012 with Montepaschi Siena. He later coached Olimpia Milano, Brose Bamberg, and Virtus, guiding Milan to its first EuroLeague Playoff appearance in over a decade in 2014.
Banchi also brings a wealth of experience from other European competitions. He coached in the EuroCup with Italian side Turin in 2017-18 and Russia’s Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in 2019-20, winning the FIBA Intercontinental Cup with Lokomotiv in 2019.
Over his decorated career, Banchi has amassed several titles, including back-to-back Italian League championships with Milan in 2013 and 2014, along with an Italian Cup in 2013. He has also coached teams in France and Greece and spent a season as an assistant in the NBA G League.
Banchi’s most recent success came on the international stage. As head coach of the Latvian national team, he led the Baltic nation to a surprising fifth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Anadolu Efes hopes Banchi can inject new life into a squad looking to return to its championship form. The Istanbul-based club won consecutive EuroLeague titles in 2021 and 2022 under former coach Ergin Ataman but has struggled to replicate that dominance in recent seasons.
