Union Olimpija Ljubljana 2008-09, team profile
|
 Another club that truly embodies the spirit of European basketball is Slovenian powerhouse Union Olimpia. Despite the obstacles of hailing from a small market – the club is located in the capital Ljubljana, with hardly more than 250,000 residents – Olimpija has mastered ways to make and keep the club among the very biggest names around. Olimpija comes off a season during which it re-established itself as the team in Slovenia by winning the Slovenian League and Cup double as well as reaching the final four of the Adriatic League. Over the years, Olimpija has thrilled its amazing fans by proving again and again that, particularly with that home crowd’s help in Ljubljana, a small team is more than capable of knocking out even the most powerful opponent. That reputation goes way back to when Olimpija dominated one of the world's emerging basketball hotbeds with six Yugoslavian League titles between 1957 and 1970. A new era began with Slovenia's independence, when Olimpija's dominance took on another meaning, namely 10 consecutive years of winning both the league and cup trophies in Slovenia. During that run, in 1993-94, Olimpija struck international gold by winning the Saporta Cup, then made its way to the Euroleague Final Four of 1997. Dusan Hauptman and Roman Horvat were Olimpija's heroes back in 1994, when the team beat Tau 91-81 in the Saporta Cup final in Laussane, Switzerland. Then players like Arriel McDonald, Marko Milic, Vladimir Stepania, Darren Henrie and Marko Tusek helped Olimpija advance to the 1997 Final Four before losing to eventual champion Olympiacos. Since then, Olimpija has stood as a regular among the best clubs in Europe, shocking several of them each season, and coming within a victory of the Final Four in 2003.
2007-08 RESULTS | Euroleague | | Adriatic League | R. Season | 15-11 | Playoffs | Semis |
| Slovenian League | R. Season | 13-1 | Playoffs | Champion |
|
|
Over the years, the club has managed to land and develop young, promising players ready to become European basketball stars, including Sani Becirovic, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Roberts Stelmahers. Its domestic success, including winning the Adriatic League title in 2002, has continued all along. In 2006, Olimpija won its 13th Slovenian League title in 15 years and it was one win away from advancing to the Euroleague Basketball Top 16 for the second consecutive season. The following year, a rain of injuries and some financial problems limited Olimpija's chances as it lost both the Slovenian League and Cup finals. That drought lasted one year, however, as last season Olimpija returned to domestic glory and maintained its reputation as a Euroleague giant-killer by surprising champion-to-be CSKA Moscow early in the season. Whatever the season and in whatever competition, its European competition knows that on any given night, Union Olimpija stands among the great teams of the entire continent.
|
|
Euroleague.net
|