Dusko Ivanovic will have to wait until next week to make his EuroLeague debut as Virtus Bologna’s new head coach. As confirmed by BasketNews sources, Ivanovic will not be eligible to lead Virtus Bologna in their home game against Crvena Zvezda Belgrade on Friday due to EuroLeague regulations.
The regulations require new head coaches to be registered by Wednesday at 18:00, and since Ivanovic’s hiring was only confirmed on Thursday, he missed the deadline. As a result, Ivanovic will have to wait until Virtus’s next EuroLeague game, which is scheduled for December 12 against another of his former teams, Baskonia, in Vitoria.
For Friday’s match against Crvena Zvezda, Nenad Jakovljevic, a former assistant to Luca Banchi, will take on the role of head coach for Virtus Bologna. Ivanovic has already conducted a practice with the team, but due to both EuroLeague and Italian league rules, he will also be unable to coach in Virtus’s upcoming game against Olimpia Milan on Sunday.
Virtus Bologna is currently struggling in the EuroLeague, sitting at the bottom of the standings with a 2-11 record, and Ivanovic will be hoping to turn their fortunes around when he officially takes charge next week.
