Xavi Pascual
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Two of the great young coaches in the Euroleague meet in this series, though it is not the biggest stage they have squared off against each other on. Barcelona coach Xavi Pascual led his team to a 64-54 victory over CSKA Moscow, then coached by Evgeny Pashutin, in the semifinals of the 2010 Euroleague Final Four in Paris. Barca went on to win the title. In their brief careers, each has accomplished almost unparalleled results. Pascual took over the head coaching duties at Barcelona midway through the 2007-08 season and has led the team to the playoffs in five straight years, two Final Fours, one Euroleague title plus two Spanish League crowns and two Spanish King’s Cup successes. Pashutin, who had a successful career as a player, served as an assistant coach under Ettore Messina on CSKA Moscow’s Euroleague winning squads and won the gold medal with the Russian national team at the 2005 European U-20 Championship in his first head coaching gig. He took over for Messina at CSKA in 2009, led the team to the domestic championship and the Euroleague Final Four. The last season, his first with Unics, he captured Eurocup glory. |
Evgeny Pashutin
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