Dusko Ivanovic has helped Virtus to two wins in three games and believes more will come
New Virtus boss Ivanovic: 'This was what we needed'
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 17 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Virtus Segafredo Bologna opponents beware - the Black V just might be back. Two wins in three games - both victories coming in close battles - could be exactly what the doctor ordered. The doctor in this case is new head coach Dusko Ivanovic, who believes the Italian side still has a strong season ahead of it.
Virtus crossed the midway mark of the regular season with just a 4-13 record - five victories from 10th place, where the club finished last season to earn a spot in the Play-In Showdown. But Ivanovic has helped the club to a 2-1 mark since taking over the team starting in Round 15.
Win number two under Ivanovic was an impressive 86-81 back-and-forth battle over FC Barcelona - Virtus's first home game with Ivanovic on the sidelines.
Game Videos
- 01:13
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Isaia Cordinier: 'We miss you, Toko!
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/MNO1RPkJITw/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-FC Barcelona | RS Round 17 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:16
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Diouf dunks after classy Cordinier pass! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/dae9055d-488d-4422-98b1-b4abce99934d.jpg?crop=1046%3A589%3Anowe%3A194%3A81]()
Cordinier out of nowhere with the block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:27
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Jump ball leads to Clyburn dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4dab62ae-417e-4b0d-9d39-1af3707564d9.jpg?crop=634%3A357%3Anowe%3A216%3A142]()
Diouf swats Nunez! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/2705678b-bcca-415f-867f-87dc8c8d2cc3.jpg]()
Olympiacos Piraeus-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
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Clyburn beats the halftime buzzer from deep! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:19
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/17/GwKuZXnjPZZHGsfnnOy90wdV1yZlCu71-1734477186412.jpg]()
Justin Anderson: 'We had to put on a show'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/p9QCpDvgzAQ/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 16 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:11
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Jabari Parker with a big dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/r7-EPf12MxY/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-EA7 Emporio Armani Milan | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/c8a31c83-b5ac-405e-8d70-ab9d777f7a4a.jpg?crop=790%3A444%3Anowe%3A425%3A149]()
Parra's backdoor slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:58
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/13/yiYw7J1mdObtBpxioZUlot8gA6GBlW0A-1734080491542.jpg]()
Dusko Ivanovic: 'Tonight, we had luck'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9784b387-7c1e-4d89-b6a0-645268f0b32d.jpg]()
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 15 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ece3dd1c-da77-4e53-9e3f-293a5989bff2.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A126%3A135]()
Clyburn banks in the improbable shot! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/_AHQFNY7GeU/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:30
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d97c0f1a-1eb4-4a5d-809f-d6c556a42aa5.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A132%3A24]()
Clyburn and Cordinier combine for the perfect play! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f2facf28-8946-41f7-8741-ff953f6bc2a5.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A164%3A27]()
Polonara denies Daum! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a7338539-b552-4291-be32-4ae0cc61e82b.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A161%3A52]()
Shengelia and Cordinier sweet combination! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:35
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/12/05/ynuyM3XoAMr8WKttQnOgfix8f3r3JA01-1733441325313.jpg]()
Jabari Parker: 'I think we wanted it more'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f522effa-1bd1-4da3-a15d-5ea4d723f7f8.jpg]()
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-FC Barcelona | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/6b69f89a-d328-4885-a013-89bf09073bf2.jpg?crop=1261%3A710%3Anowe%3A38%3A30]()
Anderson with an impossible basket! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:08
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ff25c7ac-38ca-477d-88d4-3832d20911f8.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A135%3A160]()
Vesely slams it with fury! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/915576dc-7371-4a3a-ac2c-63f386b6c4e4.jpg?crop=1302%3A733%3Anowe%3A24%3A21]()
Parker’s one-handed slam! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/wgCfGu2ABpo/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-ALBA Berlin | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ceb1ce8d-3d89-4ad0-a089-a32265fcc825.jpg?crop=1219%3A686%3Anowe%3A41%3A93]()
Clyburn throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/d18ebad5-3a42-48fd-9a22-89e0c5615b0d.jpg?crop=1179%3A663%3Anowe%3A86%3A108]()
Shengelia's double block! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/07f63778-1d31-4fb5-b2ff-8d8b38b701c5.jpg]()
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens-FC Barcelona | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e9456843-8a0d-47ef-bdd9-7f85fb15e6ba.jpg?crop=1179%3A664%3Anowe%3A126%3A38]()
Anderson rejects Brown with force! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:06
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/64fe5cef-335f-456e-8c6f-fa6862e92268.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A135%3A44]()
Parker throws it down with fury! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/58edc56e-2e5b-439b-aaec-bf73f1a0ee8e.jpg?crop=1920%3A1080%3Anowe%3A0%3A0]()
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/cbb07da4-47ee-4be4-afa1-0475e093ac96.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-Real Madrid | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/rqHknWewwgU/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:18
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/c8a31c83-b5ac-405e-8d70-ab9d777f7a4a.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A135%3A149]()
Parra with the huge block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a0d9bb97-958d-4ea9-b7f0-40741513c594.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A97%3A32]()
Ante Zizic with a big dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/bf58ad3c-07c8-40e1-9fb6-0052dded6b07.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-FC Barcelona | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/9hK0SFuRquE/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/00b75cd0-79a5-41f5-8275-cb3ba273994a.jpg]()
Virtus Segafredo Bologna-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/PjpIeli7J0k/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-Paris Basketball | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:18
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/15/RmIksWow7ZaF64KxMm5GqHl44PtSo0yJ-1731708144267.png]()
Satoransky flies to the rim! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
- 00:20
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/bb96d3f6-1448-45a3-8519-5cbfbd81ec17.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A270%3A25]()
Clyburn beats the buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9d22acee-dcf3-40d2-b30e-b53962988c92.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A131%3A0]()
Huge put-back by Polonara! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4233ab3e-dfd5-48e7-87ee-6a9a577dd1bd.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A189%3A0]()
Clyburn goes coast-to-coast! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:17
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f6bbe2ec-182c-441e-be96-e84f1351580b.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A109%3A68]()
Satoransky throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/aa5193d9-3d8a-4314-996b-1206a350fbac.jpg]()
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-FC Barcelona | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:17
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/13/lX2Hw4DGt1wDy5OtfPpXp6g1YlLDJB0g-1731525994598.jpg]()
Alex Abrines: 'I was mad, I was mad at us'
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/1dca5c6d-16da-407c-bb31-a6ebb132f15e.jpg?crop=1350%3A760%3Anowe%3A0%3A69]()
Metu's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:27
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/18069c3e-30dd-45dc-961a-a71e234a2bba.jpg?crop=1197%3A674%3Anowe%3A85%3A38]()
Metu destroys the rim! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:18
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9ec7ffdd-5021-4932-88af-e1613cee4004.jpg?crop=1350%3A759%3Anowe%3A0%3A45]()
Vesely’s dunk…and one! Motorola Magic Moment
"I’m happy because tonight we played good defense. We made some mistakes but we never gave up. We believed and we had the energy we needed for 40 minutes," said the 67-year-old Montenegro coach. "This game demonstrated that they have character. They have good energy."
Ivanovic has plenty of experience to help Virtus; he led Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz to Spanish championships in 2002, 2010 and 2020, Spanish Cups in 2002, 2004 and 2009 and reached the EuroLeague Finals in 2001 and the EuroLeague Championship Game in 2005. Ivanovic has now coached 402 EuroLeague games - fourth most in history - and he thinks highly of his new team.
"I believe in these guys. This is the reason I am here. Because I believe they can win something this year. We will fight for this," he said.
Ivanovic might actually just be the lucky beneficiary of Virtus finally breaking through. The team was playing pretty solid basketball but just could not win games late. Through the first 13 games of the season, Virtus suffered seven losses by 5 points or fewer, including five by a single basket.
The last of those was Virtus's 88-90 home loss to ALBA Berlin after which head coach Luca Banchi called it quits and resigned. The team was dead last in the standings with a 2-11 record.
Enter Ivanovic, who could not coach the team in Round 14 and then helped Virtus to an 81-82 thrilling win at Baskonia in an emotional return to Buesa Arena. A 10-point loss at Olympiacos Piraeus followed to start the double round week before Virtus surprised Barcelona without leading scorer and rebounder Toko Shengelia.
"This is what they needed before. They were playing good, but lost seven games by 5 points or fewer. This energy can change things," said Ivanovic.
Both victories under Ivanovic came with key players coming up clutch - Will Clyburn against Baskonia and now Isaia Cordinier versus Barcelona.
"The most important thing for us is fighting - getting back to passion, fight and togetherness," said Cordinier, who set career highs with 24 points and an index rating of 38. “In our position, we are just trying to get back to standards. The easiest way to win a game is to play defense."
After losing those seven tight games, Virtus has now won back-to-back nail biters. And that famous Black V just might be back.
