Round 14 in the 2023-24 EuroLeague season has come to a close, with some notable results taking place during Friday's three fixtures.

Game Center: Fenerbahçe Beko triumphs on Saras's debut; Valencia Basket, Olimpia Milano both win on the road

### Friday, December 15

[Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 86-74 AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-fenerbahce-beko-vs-as-monaco-basket/)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul continued its perfect record at home in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season with an 86-74 win against AS Monaco in Round 14. On what was Saras Jasikevicius's first game in charge of Fenerbahce, the team led for almost the entire night as it improved to a 7-7 record. Monaco, meanwhile, dropped to a 8-6 mark.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Evimizde galibiyet bizim! 💪<br><br>Tebrikler Fenerbahçe Beko! 👏<br><br>Maç Sonucu | Fenerbahçe Beko 🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ASMonaco_Basket</a>: 86-74<br><br>Skor dağılımımız: Hayes-Davis 23, Wilbekin 13, Guduric 10, Sertaç 9, Madar 7, Calathes 7, Motley 6, Sestina 5, Pierre 4, Dorsey 2. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://t.co/xuyrnDSrjo">pic.twitter.com/xuyrnDSrjo</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1735747433391427602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Olympiacos Piraeus 56-63 Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/olympiacos-piraeus-valencia-basket/E2023/126/)

Valencia Basket used its defense to shock Olympiacos Piraeus 56-63 on the road in Round 14 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. That's now three wins in a row for Valencia, which improved its record to 8-6, while Olympiacos suffered its third home loss of the season to drop to a 7-7 record.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🔥 𝙑𝙄𝘾𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙄𝘼 🔥<br>🔥 𝙀𝙉 𝙀𝙇 𝙋𝙄𝙍𝙀𝙊 🔥<br><br>Asaltamos una de las pistas más complicadas en Europa. ¡¡VAMOS!! 🧡<br><br>🏆 J14 <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a><a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Olympiacos_BC</a> 56<br>🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@valenciabasket</a> 63<br>🤝 <a href="https://twitter.com/movistar_es?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@movistar_es</a> <br><br>Se vienen varios en casa ahora, familia, vamos a luchas junt@s 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/D0NHkLidB6">pic.twitter.com/D0NHkLidB6</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1735767833286492160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[FC Barcelona 86-90 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-barca-basket-vs-olimpia-milano/)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (5-9) celebrated a shock 86-90 win at FC Barcelona (10-4) to snap its poor run of form and rekindle its hopes of making the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs. This result dented Barcelona's hopes of catching up with runaway leader and reigning champ Real Madrid (13-1) at the top of the standings.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">L’Olimpia sbanca il Palau Blaugrana! 🔥✅<br>Shields nel primo tempo e Hall nel secondo guidando l’Olimpia alla vittoria! <br><br>(Hall 21 pts, Shields 19, Melli 16, Flaccadori 15)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/insieme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#insieme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/olimpiamilano?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#olimpiamilano</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaOlimpia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaOlimpia</a> <a href="https://t.co/i8An34Lpy8">pic.twitter.com/i8An34Lpy8</a></p>&mdash; Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936/status/1735775708583014669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Thursday, December 14

[Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs. ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade-alba-berlin/E2023/124/)

Zvezda brushed aside ALBA 85-71 after taking control midway through the contest and never letting go. Zvezda improved to 5-9, while ALBA dropped to 2-12. Zvezda pulled away to lead 51-42 at halftime and used its defense to lock up the result early. Rokas Giedraitis shined with 19 points against his former club with 19 while Nemanja Nedovic scored a game-high 20. Milos Teodosic contributed 12 points and Dejan Davidovac 10. Louis Olinde paced ALBA with 13 points..

Zvezda hope home comforts can provide respite from two narrow road losses as it hosts stuttering ALBA, which are battling to escape the basement of the standings. The visitors may need to provide support for Johannes Thiemann in controlling the physical play of Joel Bolomboy and Luka Mitrovic.

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs ALBA Berlin | Round 14 | Highlights

[Zalgiris Kaunas 85-93 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/zalgiris-kaunas-partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/E2023/121/)

Partizan snapped its four-game road losing streak  by downing Zalgiris 85-93 in Round 14 to improve to 8-6 in the standings. Zalgiris dropped to 5-9. Kevin Punter paced the winners with 22 points. PJ Dozier added 16 points, James Nunnally 14, Zach LeDay 13 and Bruno Caboclo 12 for Partizan. Keenan Evans led Zalgiris with a career high 33 points. Rolands Smits added 18 and Tomas Dimsa had 11 for the hosts. Partizan led from tipoff to final buzzer and was up by as many as 17 points in between.

Lacking in offensive fluency, Zalgiris ranks 17th in assists with just 15.2 ppg, a figure that won't be helped by the loss of point guard Lukas Lekavicius to injury. Meanwhile, Partizan have no issues of that nature, ranking second in scoring with 87.2 ppg and leading the league in two-point conversion rate.

Zalgiris Kaunas vs Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | Round 14 | Highlights


[Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 95-86 Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2023/122/)

Maccabi took control in the fourth quarter to seize an important 95-86 home win over Efes and improve to 8-6 with a third win in four games. Efes fell to 7-7. Lorenzo Brown paced four Maccabi double-figures scorers with 21 points. Bonzie Colson adeed 19, James Webb 14 and Tamir Blatt 12 points. Efes, too, had four double-digit scorers with Darius Thompson netting 22 points, Mike Daum 20, Shane Larkin 17 and Tyrique Jones 12 points. After 30 close minutes, Blatt's 3 three-pointers early in the fourth quarter sent Maccabi in front for good.

In a meeting of direct rivals on the edge of the playoffs places, Maccabi faces Efes in a bid to break their respective part of a five-way tie for sixth place. Both teams have performed better offensively than defensively, with the Turks ranked 15th for allowing 86.4 ppg and the hosts 17th at 87.6 ppg.

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs Anadolu Efes Istanbul | Round 14 | Highlights

[Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 81-91 Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2023/120/)

Virtus nailed a hugely impressive 81-91 road win at Baskonia to climb to a 10-4 record and retain its hold on third place. Baskonia dropped to 8-6. The hosts led 70-68 with 7 minutes left before a 10-0 run by Virtus cleared its way to victory. Marco Belinelli scored a season-high 27 points, Tornike Shengelia had 16 and Isaia Cordinier paired his 12 points with 8 rebounds. Chima Moneke paced the hosts with 16 points, followed by Maik Kotsar, who had 13. 

Baskonia may have to find a way of stopping its own former star, Toko Shengelia, who continued his stellar season with 27 points in Virtus' victory over Maccabi. Long-range fireworks could come from prolific three-point shooter Markus Howard, while Marco Belinelli is also regarded as a major deep threat.

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs Virtus Segafredo Bologna | Round 14 | Highlights

[Real Madrid 88-73 FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/real-madrid-fc-bayern-munich/E2023/119/)

Real's record rose to 13-1 record with an 88-73 home win over Bayern and the hosts' former head coach, Pablo Laso. Bayern gave the hosts a stern test through three quarters, but Real recovered to secure the win behind 16 points from Sergio Llull. Facundo Campazzo chipped in with 13, Mario Hezonja 12, Sergio Rodriguez and Vincent Poirier 11 each. For Bayern, Isaac Bonga stood out with 15 points and Devin Booker poured 14.

The spotlight will fall on Bayern coach Pablo Laso, who returns to face his former club for the first time in an official capacity since his glorious 11-year reign. Expect a fierce battle inside the paint as Real giant Walter Tavares is confronted by the dynamic, and daunting, duo of Serge Ibaka and Devin Booker.

Real Madrid vs FC Bayern Munich | Round 14 | Highlights

[LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 82-89 Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2023/118/)

Panathinaikos returned to winning ways by downing LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 81-89. The Greens improved to 7-7 while ASVEL dropped to 2-12. Marius Grigonis led the winners with 19 points. Kostas Sloukas added 18 and a career-high 12 assists, Dinos Mitoglou scored 16 points, Mathias Lessort 14 and Kendrick Nunn 13 for Panathinaikos. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot led ASVEL with 17 points, while Youssoupha Fall added 13 and Joffrey Lauvergne posted 10 points and 11 rebounds.

ASVEL playmaker Paris Lee, who's averaged 6.8 assists in the last four, tries to dominate the backcourt against the team he represented in 22/23. Meanwhile, the Greens hope Kendrick Nunn continues his excellent form after scoring 19, 13 and 24 points in the last three to boost their playoff-ambitions.

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Round 14 | Highlights

Game Center: Fener triumphs on Saras's debut; Valencia, Milan both win on the road

FC Barcelona v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-12-15T19:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v Valencia Basket (2023-12-15T19:15:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v ALBA Berlin (2023-12-14T18:00:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v AS Monaco (2023-12-15T17:45:00.000Z)

Real Madrid v FC Bayern Munich (2023-12-14T19:45:00.000Z)

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2023-12-14T19:30:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2023-12-14T20:00:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2023-12-14T18:00:00.000Z)

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-12-14T19:05:00.000Z)

Virtus Bologna improved to 10-4 in the 2023-24 EuroLeague standings after beating Saski Baskonia, which dropped to 8-6, 81-91 at Buesa Arena in Round 14.

Virtus Bologna powers past Saski Baskonia on the road, 81-91

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Toko Shengelia of Virtus Segafredo Bologna has possession against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 14 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Marco Belinelli, Toko Shengelia and Isaia Cordinier all shined on the night for the Italian visitors.

Virtus powers past Baskonia on the road, 81-91

Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. improved to 8-6 with a 95-86 victory over Anadolu Efes S.K. in Belgrade in Round 14 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Maccabi holds off Efes 95-86

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EuroLeague Live Blog: Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

The Israeli champs pulled away late to secure another win in their home away from home, Belgrade. 

One week after shining against Saski Baskonia, KK Crvena zvezda forward Rokas Giedraitis impressed against another of his former teams in ALBA Berlin in Round 14 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Rokas Giedraitis punished his former club... again 

The law of haunting former clubs meant that Rokas Giedraitis was always likely to take a central role when [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade hosted ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-kk-crvena-zvezda-vs-alba-berlin/) on Thursday night, and so it proved. The Lithaunia international shined in Round 14, recording 19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals as Zvezda coasted to a comfortable 85-71 home victory.

The experienced forward moved to Serbia during the summer after a three-season stint with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, having earlier started his career in the elite of European basketball with two seasons at ALBA. Whilst playing for ALBA, he earned a selection to the All-EuroCup First Team in 2018-19 and then enjoyed a strong debut season in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague in 2019-20.

Rokas Giedraitis had 19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals as Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade beat ALBA Berlin 85-71 in Round 14 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Rokas Giedraitis's highlights vs. ALBA

After seeing their team sign a proven veteran performer, Zvezda fans could have been forgiven for expecting more from Giedraitis than he showed during the opening weeks of the season. Before last week, he had only reached double digits in scoring on two occasions and had recorded nine consecutive single-digit PIRS after the Round 13 loss at Valencia.

### Giedraitis has rediscovered his groove

Something needed to provide a spark and it came on familiar territory last Friday night, as he delivered his best performance of the season in a narrow loss at former club Baskonia, netting 24 points on 5-of-9 three-point shooting along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

And on Thursday night back at his new home in Belgrade, he was on the money again to produce his second consecutive strong game against an old employer.

### He put Zvezda in charge against ALBA

Giedraitis was decisive from the early stages, scoring 5 points in a 10-2 run that first gave Zvezda control of the game. He soon added another triple to reach halftime as the game’s leading scorer with 12 points, then kept on shining after the interval with 7 points in less than 7 minutes to start the third quarter. That contribution also served to take the game away from ALBA for good and completed his scoring for the night.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another buzzer-beater from Giedraitis, to continue his three-point shooting spree 🚨<br><br>🏀 66:50<br>⏱️ 3:41 Q3<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkcz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkcz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreTheTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreTheTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/X058uhn2Pg">pic.twitter.com/X058uhn2Pg</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1735380118640410709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

After the game, Giedraitis allowed himself to be content with his contribution... but only to an extent. "This will give us more confidence in each other," he said. "We played a really good second half. Let's enjoy it now... at least until tomorrow!"

Like Zvezda in general, Giedraitis has taken a while to get going this season. But with PIRs of 24 and 23 in his last two games, the 31-year-old has shown promising signs that he’s ready to become a key player for the Crvena Zvezda men. Now he just needs to repeat that form against a team he didn’t formerly represent.

More Zvezda News

Rokas Giedraitis in action for Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade against ALBA Berlin in Round 14 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Zvezda forward shined against ALBA in Round 14, one week after impressing against another of his ex-teams, Baskonia.

KK Partizan snapped a four-game road losing streak with an 85.93 victory at Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 14 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Partizan leaves Kaunas with 85-93 victory

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EuroLeague Live Blog: Zalgiris Kaunas vs. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.

The visitors scored a club record 58 first-half points and remained in control the rest of the way. 

KK Crvena zvezda ended a two-game losing streak in the EuroLeague by beating ALBA Berlin 85-71 in Round 14 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

KK Crvena zvezda gets back on track with stress-free win over ALBA Berlin, 85-71

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Mike Tobey of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade dunks on Louis Olinde of ALBA Berlin in Round 14 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Nemanja Nedovic and Rokas Giedraitis shined for the hosts on the night, as they ended a two-game losing streak for their team.

Zvezda gets back on track with stress-free win over ALBA, 85-71

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan received another injury blow on Thursday with the news that playmaker Maodo Lo will miss three weeks of action due to a thigh injury, while Nikola Mirotic will be out for six weeks with an Achilles problem.

Maodo Lo out three weeks, Nikola Mirotic for six

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan received another injury blow on Thursday with the news that playmaker Maodo Lo will miss three weeks of action due to a thigh injury, while Nikola Mirotic will be out for six weeks with an Achilles problem.

Lo suffered an injury to the adductor brevis muscle of his left thigh "which will be re-evaluated in three weeks," the club said in its release on Thursday.

Mirotic, on the other hand, underwent detailed tests and consultations with a specialist due to a left Achilles tendinopathy, which already caused him to miss two games last week.

"In agreement with the club, Mirotic will undergo a six-week rehabilitation program at the end of which he will be re-evaluated," Milan added.

According to that timetable, Mirotic's re-evaluation and a potential return to the floor should be expected in late January or early February.

In his 11 appearances this season, Mirotic has ranked fourth in the EuroLeague in scoring with 17.6 points, and also averaged 6.2 rebounds. His averaged PIR of 19.6 is fifth best entering Round 14.

So far this season, Lo has posted 9.9 points, 3.5 assists and 2.4 rebounds and earned MVP of the Round honors in Round 10, when he had 32 points on 6-for-7 three-point shooting for a 38 PIR in a road win over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade.

More Milan news

The Italian side has also been without Billy Baron this season.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul continues adding players to a roster depleted by injury by announcing that playmaker Ridvan Oncel has joined the team on loan until the end of the season

Efes adds playmaker Oncel on loan

Anadolu Efes Istanbul continues adding players to a roster depleted by injury by announcing that playmaker [Ridvan Oncel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/ridvan-oncel/010400/) has joined the team on loan until the end of the season. Oncel (1.91 meters, 26 years old) arrives from Darussafaka Istanbul ,where he averaged 9.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the Turkish League this season, as well as 5.4 points and 3.4 assists in the Basketball Champions League.

At Efes, Oncel will reunite with head coach Erdem Can, center Tyrique Jones and injured forward Erkan Yilmaz, who were all together with Turk Telekom Ankara last season, reaching the EuroCup Finals as well as the Turkish League playoff final. Last season in EuroCup, Oncel started in 19 of 21 appearances, playing 12:24 minutes per game and posting 2.7 points and 1.5 assists.

[Yilmaz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/erkan-yilmaz-anadolu-efes-sk-out-for-three-months/) is one of half-dozen regulars from Efes roster currently sidelined with injury who are all due out until beyond this week's game at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, at least: center [Ante Zizic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/ante-zizic-anadolu-efes-sk-out-for-three-weeks-with-calf-injury/), until mid-December with a calf injury; guard [Rodrigue Beaubois](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/efes-loses-clyburn-beaubois-to-injury/), until late December with a back injury; forward [Derek Willis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/efes-forward-willis-undergoes-finger-surgery/), due out until January with a broken ring finger; and forward [Will Clyburn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/efes-loses-clyburn-beaubois-to-injury/), until early January with a leg injury. Center Tibor Pleiss hasn't played since Round 8, either. One player who might return to action in Round 14 for Efes is Elijah Bryant, who missed seven games, but is listed as questionable for a clash against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

Oncel previously played at Galatasaray Istanbul and also with Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul. Prior to that, Oncel spent eight years with Bandirma Kirmizi, club where he played in junior categories and later made his professional debut. He has also been a member of the Turkish national team, and has helped its U18 squad win a silver medal at the 2015 European Championships. He is now set for his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut.

Efes has found some backcourt help to alleviate its spate of injuries.

Sarunas "Saras" Jasikevicius, the iconic former EuroLeague player whose star rose just as quickly as a head coach, will be the new man at the head of the bench for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, replacing Dimitris Itoudis.

Fenerbahce names Sarunas Jasikevicius head coach through 2026!

[Sarunas "Saras" Jasikevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/fc-barcelona/bar/jasikevicius-saras/?season=E2022), the iconic former player whose star rose just as quickly as a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague head coach, will be the new man at the head of the bench for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, the club announced on Thursday.

Jasikevicius, 47, replaces Dimitris Itoudis, who was let go on Wednesday after a year and a half with Fenerbahce. Jasikevicius and the club signed a contract through the end of the 2025-26 season.

A tumultuous 24 hours, ending a day before Fenerbahce hosts AS Monaco in Round 14 of the regular season, came as the team is tied for 11th place in the EuroLeague standings with a record of 6-7, including a pair double-round losses on the road in Spain last week. A domestic home loss to injury-riddled Anadolu Efes Istanbul over the weekend added to the impetus for change among the club's management.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Fenerbahçe Beko’nun yeni başantrenörü Sarunas Jasikevicius! 💛💙 <br><br>👉 <a href="https://t.co/BydWHDC7Eg">https://t.co/BydWHDC7Eg</a> <a href="https://t.co/RK5CFOfDaO">pic.twitter.com/RK5CFOfDaO</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1735298882442056013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

"Everything happened very quick in the process of my arrival," said Jasikevicius in an interview with the club's official media channels. "Of course it's not easy, but at the end of the day we are here to do our job: to help Fenerbahce to win games and hopefully achieve great success. I'm definitely very excited to be here. There are so many familiar faces for me, so many familiar sights and places. I realize it's not an easy situation, so we will need everyone's support. But little by little, we will try to implement some new ideas. I am grateful for this opportunity and I am looking forward to this new chapter."

### Saras has taken his playing success on the bench

Jasikevicius came off a legendary playing career, in which he was crowned a EuroLeague champion four times with three different teams, to quickly make his impact in the coaching ranks. He spent a season and a half as an assistant coach at his hometown club, Zalgiris Kaunas, before being elevated to the top position in the middle of the 2015-16 season and compiling a 2-10 record the rest of the way.

In its first full season under Saras, Zalgiris improved to 14-16, falling just short of the EuroLeague Playoffs. But in the next one, 2017-18, Jasikevicius and Zalgiris broke the bank. Not only did Zalgiris reach the playoffs for the first time in more than 15 years, it also upset Olympiacos Piraeus despite lacking home-court advantage and claimed the club's first Final Four qualification since it had been continental champion in 1999. Zalgiris lost to defending champion Fenerbahce in the semifinals but defeated CSKA Moscow for third place. The next season, Zalgiris returned to the playoffs but lost 4-1 to Fenerbahce. In the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, Zalgiris was 12-16 and tied for ninth place when the competition stopped.

Focus on: Sarunas Jasukevicius, FC Barcelona

### Challenging for titles with Barcelona

The 2020-21 season saw Jasikevicius return to FC Barcelona, the club with which he had won his first EuroLeague title as a player in 2003, and continue his success. Barca finished first in the EuroLeague Regular Season, defeated Zenit St Petersburg 3-2 in the playoffs, and returned to the Final Four for the first time in seven years. After beating EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on a buzzer-beater in the semifinals, Barca fell short in the championship game against Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The next year, Barca again finished first in the regular season and again won a five-game playoff, this time against FC Bayern Munich, but was beaten by archrival Real Madrid in the semifinals at the Final Four and settled for third place. Last season, after a second-place regular-season finish, Barca swept Zalgiris in the playoffs, but lost another semifinal to Real Madrid, the eventual champion, and finished fourth after losing the Third Place Game to AS Monaco. After the season, Barca and Jasikevicius parted ways.

All told Saras coached 140 games over parts of five seasons with Zalgiris for a 66-74 record and 118 more with Barcelona for an 82-36 record. His winning rate of 57.4%, based on a 148-110 overall record, ranks 10th among coaches with at least 100 EuroLeague games this century.

### Second stop at Fenerbahce

As a player, Jasikevicius earned Euroleague Basketball Legend status for his winning ways throughout his career. He is the only player in competition history to lift the EuroLeague trophy with three different teams (Barcelona 2003, Maccabi Tel Aviv 2004 and 2005, Panathinaikos Athens 2009) and the last to lift the trophy in three consecutive seasons.

His pro career started with a season each at Lietuvos Rytas of Lithuania and Union Olimpija of Slovenia before he landed at Barcelona, with whom he won the EuroLeague title in the last of his three seasons there. His legend grew over the next two seasons as he guided Maccabi Tel Aviv as point guard to back-to-back titles and lifted the 2005 Final Four MVP trophy in the process. He landed next at Panathinaikos Athens and won the continental crown there in 2009, giving him four EuroLeague trophies in seven seasons. 

Saras played short stints at both Rytas and Fenerbahce in the 2010-11 season before finishing his career with one-season stops again at Panathinaikos, Barcelona and, finally, his hometown club, Zalgiris.

Now back at Fenerbahce, Jasikevicius is due to debut on its bench this Friday against visiting Monaco.

In less than 24 hours, Fenerbahce changed courses by substituting one renowned head coach with another.