Dimitris Itoudis and Oded Katash Ranked Among Top EuroLeague Coaches Ahead of New Season
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
Ahead of the 2026 EuroLeague season, Dimitris Itoudis of Hapoel Tel Aviv ranks fourth and Oded Katash of Maccabi Tel Aviv eighth among Europe's top 20 coaches, reflecting their recent performances and challenges.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Dimitris Itoudis ranks fourth among EuroLeague coaches after a turbulent debut season with Hapoel Tel Aviv.
- Oded Katash is eighth, entering his fifth season coaching Maccabi Tel Aviv with strong domestic success.
- Itoudis' team dominated early but faced a crisis, finishing without titles and exiting in quarterfinals.
- Katash led Maccabi to EuroLeague playoffs despite roster challenges, winning a domestic double last season.
- Yorgos Bartzokas tops the list, followed by Sarunas Jasikevicius and Zeljko Obradovic.
- The ranking includes 20 coaches, highlighting a mix of veteran and new leaders in European basketball.
As the new EuroLeague basketball season approaches at the end of August 2026, a ranking of the top 20 coaches in Europe has been published by Basketball Sphere, highlighting notable figures including Israeli representatives. Dimitris Itoudis, head coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv, secured fourth place. His debut EuroLeague season with Hapoel was described as turbulent yet impressive, with the team dominating early months before facing a significant crisis that sparked frequent speculation about his potential dismissal. Despite finishing without titles or a Final Four appearance and being eliminated by Real Madrid in the quarterfinals, Itoudis was praised for his coaching prowess, especially given Hapoel's challenges such as playing most home games away from their usual arena.
Oded Katash, coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv, ranked eighth. Entering his fifth season with Maccabi, Katash is noted for his longevity and resilience under intense pressure. He led Maccabi to EuroLeague playoffs in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons despite not having a top-tier roster, earning him strong fan support. Last season, Katash guided Maccabi to a domestic double, defeating a highly regarded Hapoel Tel Aviv, further cementing his status among Europe's leading coaches.
The full top five coaches are Yorgos Bartzokas (Olympiacos) at first, Sarunas Jasikevicius (Fenerbahce) second, Zeljko Obradovic (Panathinaikos) third, followed by Itoudis and then Xavi Pascual (Dubai). Other notable coaches in the top 20 include Pedro Martinez (Real Madrid), Pablo Laso (Anadolu Efes), and Tony Parker (Villeurbanne) at twentieth. This ranking sets the stage for an exciting EuroLeague season with a mix of veteran and emerging coaching talents.
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