EuroLeague Coaches Ranking Places Dimitris Itoudis Fourth, Oded Kattash Eighth

The new EuroLeague season is set to begin at the end of next month, and Basketball Sphere has published a ranking of the top 20 coaches participating in the competition. Two Israeli team coaches made the top ten: Dimitris Itoudis of Hapoel Tel Aviv was ranked fourth, while Oded Kattash of Maccabi Tel Aviv was placed eighth.

Itoudis's ranking follows a turbulent debut season in the EuroLeague with Hapoel Tel Aviv, which started strong with dominance in October and November but later faced a professional crisis. The team finished the season without a title and was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Real Madrid in four games. Despite these challenges, including playing most home games away from their arena, Itoudis was recognized as one of Europe's top coaches.

Kattash, entering his fifth season coaching Maccabi Tel Aviv, was noted for his longevity in a high-pressure role, with only Giorgos Bartzokas having a longer tenure among active EuroLeague coaches. The full ranking lists Giorgos Bartzokas of Olympiacos first, followed by Sarunas Jasikevicius of Fenerbahce, and Zeljko Obradovic of Panathinaikos ahead of Itoudis and Kattash.

The ranking highlights the competitive coaching landscape in the EuroLeague and sets expectations for the upcoming season, where both Israeli teams will look to improve their standings.