The conclusion of the World Cup also marked the end of Ilias Zouros’ contract as the head coach of the National Team. This signifies the conclusion of the era led by Ilias Zouros. The Greek coach bids farewell to the Georgian Team at its peak, an achievement that can be attributed to Coach Zouros. After successfully progressing from the initial group stage, our team earned a spot among the top 16 countries in the world.
Ilias Zuros holds the record as the longest-serving head coach of the Georgian national team, and his accomplishments remain unparalleled. While there have been significant milestones in modern Georgian basketball history, such as moving from the “B” to “A” division, making our Eurobasket debut, and participating in four consecutive European Championships, the chance to compete in the World Championship represents a groundbreaking achievement. This unprecedented feat was realized under the leadership and coaching of Ilias Zuros.
Zouros took over the post of head coach of the Georgian national team from Igor Kokoshkov, who in turn led our team for 7 years and after the Georgian contract expired, he took over the future European champion, the national team of Slovenia. In his debut season, Ilias Zuros led our national team to an early qualification for EuroBasket 2017.
Viktor Sanikidze, both individually and on behalf of the Basketball Federation, extends heartfelt appreciation to Ilias Zuros for the exceptional contributions made during his eight-year journey with our national team. The emotions and joy generated by the Georgian national team under Ilias Zuros’ leadership are immeasurable and will leave a lasting impact on Georgian basketball fans for years to come.
