2016-17 Team Profile: Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

Jul 28, 2016 by Euroleague.net Print
2016-17 Team Profile: Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

It was a historic last season for Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade and its army of faithful fans, thanks to a memorable Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign during which the team battled through the regular season, and sizzled in the Top 16 to make the playoffs for the first time in club history. Zvezda needed to win three of its last four regular season games, and ultimately beat FC Bayern Munich 85-76 to get through Group A. Led by All-EuroLeague forward Quincy Miller, center Maik Zirbes and point guard Stefan Jovic – who set a EuroLeague single-game record for assists with 19 in a regular season victory, the team used a strong start to the Top 16 to separate itself in the standings and eventually book a spot in the playoffs. There, Zvezda battled hard against champion-to-be CSKA Moscow, coming within a shot of stealing Game 2 in Moscow, before eventually getting swept in the best-of-five series.

Euroleague

SEASON COMPETITION RECORD FINISH
2015-16 Euroleague 12-15 Playoffs
2014-15 Euroleague 10-14 Top 16
2013-14 Euroleague 4-6 Regular Season
TOTAL: 26-35

Eurocup

SEASON COMPETITION RECORD FINISH
2013-14 Eurocup 7-5 Semifinal
2012-13 Eurocup 7-5 Last 16
2011-12 Eurocup 7-5 Last 16
2009-10 Eurocup 8-4 Last 16
2008-09 Eurocup 6-6 Last 16
2007-08 ULEB Cup 8-5-1 Last 16
2006-07 ULEB Cup 9-5 Quarterfinal
2005-06 ULEB Cup 6-8 Quarterfinal
2004-05 ULEB Cup 5-5 Regular Season
2003-04 ULEB Cup 5-5 Regular Season
TOTAL: 68-53-1

History

Crvena Zvezda, which translates as Red Star, was among the most-crowned teams in the former Yugoslavia. The club was founded in 1945 and already a year later had started its domination by winning the first of its 10 straight titles. Zvezda continued winning trophies in bunches in the early 1970s when it claimed a national championship, three domestic cups and the 1974 Saporta Cup – its lone European trophy to date – all in a span of five years. The next two decades were not as fruitful. Zvezda had to wait until 1993 to win another Yugoslav crown, and it has repeated the success twice more in the 1990s. Over the years the club has had the privilege of being guided by some of Europe's coaching greats – Aleksandar Nikolic, Ranko Zeravica and Svetislav Pesic – on its bench, and had some of Europe's finest talents, like Zoran Slavnic, Dejan Tomasevic, Igor Rakocevic, Nemanja Bjelica and Predrag Stojakovic grow up with the club. However, Zvezda lacked success until 2006 and 2007 when Milan Gurovic led Zvezda to the ULEB Cup quarterfinals, where it lost against eventual champions Dynamo Moscow and Real Madrid. The club climbed back to prominence in recent years. In 2013 it won its first of three consecutive Serbian Cups, and in the 2013-14 season made its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut. Even though a 4-6 regular season record was not enough to advance from a tough group with eventual champion Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, Zvezda continued its journey in the EuroCup and reached the semifinals, where it lost a two-game series against Unics Kazan. In the past two seasons the club lived through some of the proudest moments in its 70-year old history. Led by big man Boban Marjanovic, in 2014-15 Zvezda reached the EuroLeague Top 16 for the first time ever and won its first-ever triple crown, lifting trophies in all three other competitions it entered that season – the Adriatic League, Serbian League and Serbian Cup. The club went a step further in the EuroLeague last season, and repeated winning two of three domestic trophies. Zvezda swept Cedevita Zagreb in the semifinals and Mega Leks in the playoff finals to win its second consecutive Adriatic League crown before going on to win its second straight Serbian League title by beating archrival Partizan Belgrade 3-1 in the best-of-five final series.

Trophy Case

Cup of Cups: 1974
ABA League: 2014-15, 2015-16
Serbian National League: 2014-15, 2015-16
Serbian National Cup: 2004, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2015
Yugoslav National League: 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1968-69, 1971-72, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1997-98
Yugoslav National Cup: 1971, 1973, 1975