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From Dusko Ivanovic to Xavi Pascual

The 2007/08 season also involved a change of coach. After a year and a half at Barça, Montenegrin coach Dusko Ivanovic passed the baton on to Xavi Pascual, until then his assistant on the bench.

Dusko Ivanovic’s unfortunate comments after his side was knocked out of the Copa de Rey in Vitoria were what led to his eventual dismissal. The Montenegrin confessed that he lacked confidence in the players he was coaching, and the Board of Directors considered such a attitude inadmissible. Shortly after those comments were made, and at a press conference in the build-up to the Euroleague Top 16, Ivanovic’s contract with the club was terminated.

The club above individuals

“The club is above any individuals and therefore any declaration that could affect or erode any members or employees is unwelcome” said Josep Cubells, the director responsible for the basketball section in justification of the termination of Dusko’s association with the club. “These were institutional and not sporting choices”, he continued, and also admitted that Ivanovic “accepted the decision elegantly”.

A home man instead

As soon as Dusko Ivanovic had been told the news, Xavier Pascual was brought in to guide the team out of this difficult period. The man who had been assistant coach to that point said he had every faith in the players under his command. “He is a well prepared person, and he understands basketball in a similar fashion. He is a home bred coach that has dealt with the situation well, considering that he only knew he would be coaching the side eight hours before it started”, said technical secretary Zoran Savic, speaking immediately after the opening match of Barça’s Euroleague Top 16 campaign. AXA Barça had beaten Unicaja by two points, and a week later travelled to Moscow, where the Board of Directors of FC Barcelona ratified Xavier Pascual as head coach until the end of the season.

Reaction under Pascual

From then until June 2008, Pascual put all of his effort into encouraging the best out of a demoralised team. His philosophy of the game helped no end to pick up the pieces and the side back to its winning ways. Ersan Ilyasova proved decisive in that, as did the likes of Pepe Sánchez and Gianluca Basile, two veterans whose experience was needed as they played key roles in Barcelona’s revival. The side came within one game of a place in the Final Four, but assured themselves a place in the Euroleague 2008/09 by qualifying for the ACB Final.