KB Trepça
Klubi i Basketbollit Trepça is a professional basketball club based in Mitrovicë, Kosovo. The club competes domestically in the Kosovo Basketball Superleague and Kosovo Cup and internationally in the Fiba Europe Cup. Trepça is one of the most successful clubs in Kosovo, Trepça has won 4 National Championships, 7 Kosovo Basketball Cups, 2 Kosovo Supercups, 1 Liga Unike and 1 Liga Unike Supercup.
| KB Trepça | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Xehëtarët, Minatorët (The Miners) |
| Leagues | Kosovo Superleague Kosovo Cup Liga Unike |
| Founded | 1947 |
| History | KB Trepça 1947–present |
| Arena | Salla e sporteve Minatori |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Location | Mitrovicë, Kosovo |
| Team colors | Green, Black |
| President | Vullnet Sefaja |
| Head coach | Adis Bećiragić |
| Team captain | Valdrin Haxhiu |
| Championships | 4 National Leagues 7 National Cups 2 National Supercups 1 Liga Unike |
| Website | Official website |
History edit
Early years and successes in Yugoslavia (1940–1992) edit
The origins of Trepça can be traced back to the 1940s when basketball started gaining popularity in Mitrovica. However, it wasn't until 1947 that the club was officially established. Initially, KB Trepça competed in local leagues and tournaments, gradually developing its reputation as a competitive team.
In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Trepça experienced its golden era. The club achieved numerous successes. Trepça won several regional titles and made their debut in the First B Federal Basketball League, the country's second-tier basketball competition, in the 1980's.[1][2] The team consistently performed well and became known for its strong roster of talented players like Ferit Zekolli, Blerim Vuniqi, Vesko Pajović, Naim Hajrizi, Nusret Qubreli or George Dikeoulakos, and skilled coaching staff. In 1982–83, Trepça reached the eightfinals of the Yugoslav Basketball Cup but lost against Borac Çaçak 85–91. In 1988–1989, Trepça once again reached the eightfinals but lost against Red Star Belgrade.[3]
Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and the subsequent conflicts in the Balkans, Kosovo went through a turbulent period. KB Trepça, like many other institutions in the region, faced significant challenges and disruptions. The club's activities were severely impacted, and it took several years for basketball to regain stability in Kosovo.
Establishment of the Kosovo Basketball Federation (1992–1999) edit
With the establishment of the Kosovo Basketball Federation in 1992, KB Trepça started competing in the Kosovo Basketball Superleague. KB Trepça won their first league title in the 1992/1993 season against KB Peja.[4] The following year, Trepça reached the final once again but lost against Peja.
Years of dominance (1999–2002) edit
Trepça won the Kosovo Basketball Superleague in 2000 and 2001.[5] Furthermore, Trepça won the Kosovo Cup in 1999. The coach was Ahmet Behrami and notable players during this period were Ilir Selmani, Naim Hajrizi, Brahim Veseli, Artan Mehmeti, Eroll Pepiqi, Besim Braha, Fikret Hanxhiq, Edmond Raqa and many others.[6] In the 2002 season Trepça lost the final against KB Prishtina.
New successes and rivalries (2002–2012) edit
Trepça continued to be one of the dominant forces in Kosovan basketball by always reaching the play-offs and by winning the Kosovo Cup in 2004 with notable players like Igor Miličić, Haashim Simmons, Ylber Jusufi, Besim Braha, Fikret Hanxhiq, Ilir Selmani, Naim Haxha, Brahim Veseli etc. Trepça lost the finals in 2007 and 2010 against KB Prishtina. The 2010–11 season was a special season for Trepça where they played two local derbies against KB Mitrovica and KB Bambi who both were from Mitrovica.[7] The following season Trepça won the Superleague 3-2 against Prishtina in the finals. In addition to that Trepça won the Kosovo Cup the same year. The roster was made by players like Jaleel Nelson, Drilon Hajrizi, Gazmend Asllani, Besnik Azemi, Fikret Hanxhiq, Arian Tahiri, Valdrin Haxhiu, Imer Tahiri, Emir Zimic and Luard Halili.[8] Drilon Hajrizi became the MVP of 2011–12 Superleague season.[9] During this period and especially after the 2012 finals the rivalry with Prishtina intensified.
Trepça's debut in a European competition and struggle for the play-offs in the Superleague (2012–2019) edit
From 2012 to 2019 Trepça constantly placed 4th or 5th fighting for the play-offs in the Superleague. In 2014, 2016 and 2017 they reached the semi-finals but did not manage to go further. In 2016, Trepça made their debut in the Balkan International Basketball League where they won against Karpoš Sokoli, Feni Industries and Sutjeska.[10] Nevertheless, they finished 5th not making into the play-offs.
Downfall and revival (2019–2022) edit
In the 2019-20 Superleague season Trepça almost relegated after finishing 7th for the first time in their history.[11] Trepça won against AS Prishtina in the play-out. The following season Trepça once again placed 7th. This time they faced KB Istogu in the play-out winning 193-155 in aggregate.[12] Notable players were Drilon Hajrizi, Burim Zekiqi, Dino Butorac, Valdrin Haxhiu and Stavros Toutziarakis. Trepça started a reorganization in 2021 by signing several players like Andrew Gordon, Samir Zekiqi and Amin Hot. The new coach was Lumbomir Minchev.[13] Trepça won the Kosovo Cup in 2022 after one decade by beating KB Bashkimi 76-62 in the final.[14] On 3 March 2022 they signed former NBA-player Rodney Purvis who later became a key player. Trepça reached the final in the 2021-22 Superleague season but failed to win against Ylli.
Supporters & Rivalries edit
The main supporters of Trepça are Torcida Mitrovicë. Founded in 1984, they are the oldest ethnic Albanian ultras.[15]
Sigal Prishtina edit
One of the most notable rivalries for Trepça is with Sigal Prishtina, another basketball club from Kosovo. Matches between Trepça and Sigal Prishtina often generate a lot of excitement and anticipation among fans. These two teams have a long-standing rivalry, and their matches are highly competitive and intense. The rivalry was the reason for several incidents between Trepça's supporters' group Torcida 1984 and Prishtina's supporters' group Plisat including violence and hooliganism.[16][17]
KB Peja edit
Another significant rivalry for Trepça is with KB Peja, another prominent basketball club from Kosovo. Matches between Trepça and Peja have historically been fierce and have attracted a lot of attention from fans. Both teams have had successful seasons and have often been in direct competition for titles and championships.
Arena edit
The club plays in the sport center Salla e sporteve Minatori, in the center of Mitrovica, with a capacity for around 3,500 spectators.[18] The average attendance was 3,400 during the playoff of the 2022–23 Kosovo Basketball Superleague being the highest average attendance in the Kosovo Basketball Superleague.[19]
European record edit
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-2023 | FIBA Europe Cup | BG Göttingen | 62–76 | ||
| 2023-24 | FIBA Europe Cup | Qualifying round | Tindastóll | 77–69 | |
| Pärnu Sadam | 77–67 | ||||
| Regular season | Leiden | 54–84 | 76–80 | ||
| Gravelines-Dunkerque | 76–68 | 49–83 |
European Cups edit
1.^ KB Trepça lost the game on forfeit (against KB Peja) after the game was abandoned in the third period due to riots from the home fans, which injured one of the referees and one of KB Peja's players.[20]
Players edit
Current roster edit
| KB Trepça roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth chart edit
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Jordy Tshimanga | Dardan Kapiti | Venis Haliti |
| PF | Devonte Upson | Brandon Edwards | |
| SF | Drilon Hajrizi | Kevin Bracy-Davis | |
| SG | Mikaile Tmušić | Erjon Kastrati | Valdrin Haxhiu |
| PG | Darnell Edge | Kevin Capers | Amin Hot |
Honors and titles edit
Domestic edit
- Winners (4): 1992-1993, 1999-2000, 2000-2001, 2011-2012
- Runners-up (6): 1993-1994, 2001-2002, 2006-2007, 2009-2010, 2021-2022, 2022-2023
- Winners (7): 1993, 2000, 2004, 2012, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Runners-up (2): 2005, 2010
Kosovo Supercup
- Winners (2): 2002, 2023
- Runners-up (2): 2021, 2022
Regional edit
- Winners (1): 2023–2024
Liga Unike Supercup
- Winners (1): 2022
Season by Season edit
KB Trepça (2015–2024) edit
| Seasons | Division | Pos. | Play Offs | Kosovo Cup | Liga Unike | Kosovo Supercup | European competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 1 | 4th | Semifinals | Quarterfinals | — | — | — |
| 2016-17 | 1 | 4th | Semifinals | Semifinals | Balkan League | ||
| 2017-18 | 1 | 5th | — | Quarterfinals | — | ||
| 2018-19 | 1 | 5th | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | |||
| 2019-20 | 1 | 7th | Postponed | — | |||
| 2020-21 | 1 | 7th | Relegation | Quarterfinals | |||
| 2021-22 | 1 | 2nd | Runner-Up | Champion | - | Runner-Up | |
| 2022–23 | 1 | 4th | Runner-up | Champion | Postponed | Runner-up | FIBA Europe Cup QF |
| 2023–24 | 1 | 1st | TBD | Champion | Champion | Champion | FIBA Europe Cup RS |
Notable players edit
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
| Criteria |
|---|
| To appear in this section a player must have either:
|
- Herion Faslija
- Klein Strazimiri
- Kregg Jones
- Maksim Shustov
- Narcis Begovac
- Senad Delić
- Jasenko Elezović
- Edin Nurkanović
- Dinko Pelto
- Nedžad Spahić
- Mladen Varaga
- Marko Zorz
- Charles Manga
- Davor Halbauer
- Davor Kurilić
- Jure Lonzančić
- Igor Miličić
- Devon van Oostrum
- Gazmend Asllani
- Besim Braha
- Drilon Hajrizi
- Naim Haxha
- Valdrin Haxhiu
- Fikret Handžić
- Esat Ibrahimi
- Erjon Kastrati
- Musab Mala
- Besim Maxhuni
- Artan Mehmeti
- Eroll Pepiqi
- Edmon Raqa
- Vigan Raqa
- Ilir Selmani
- Bekim Syla
- Besnik Tupella
- Burim Zekiqi
- Samir Zekiqi
- Amin Hot
- Mikaile Tmušić
- Ylber Jusufi
- Muhamed Thaçi
- Dime Tasovski
- Axel Mpoyo
- John Gardiner
- Amir Delalić
- Melvis Haskić
- Álvaro Calvo
- Jan Orfila
- Jamel Artis
- Ken Brown
- Ryan Burgart
- Frank Butler
- Will Daniels
- Darren Fenn
- Kevin Guyden
- Jaleel Nelson
- Rodney Purvis
- Haashim Simmons
- Julius Teal
- Dennis Mims
- Vesko Pajović
- Blerim Vuniqi
- Ferit Zekolli
Coaching history edit
| Coach | Years active |
|---|---|
| Ahmet Behrami | 1999–2001 |
| Senad Spuzanin | 2001–2003 |
| Čedomir Perinčić | 2003–2004 |
| Ahmet Behrami | 2004–2006 |
| Naim Hajrizi | 2006–2008 |
| Aleksander Sarkanj | 2008–2009 |
| Saša Katalinić | 2009–2010 |
| Ilir Selmani | 2011–2012 |
| Neven Plantak | 2012–2013 |
| Mika Turunen | 2013 |
| Panče Milevski | 2013 |
| Israel Martín | 2013–2014 |
| Izet Tahiri | 2014–2015 |
| Neven Plantak | 2015–2016 |
| Dimitris Papadopoulos | 2016–2017 |
| Ilir Selmani | 2017–2019 |
| Serhat Sehit | 2020–2021 |
| Lyubomir Minchev | 2021–2022 |
| Aleksandar Jončevski | 2022–2023 |
| Engin Gençoglu | 2023 |
| Adis Bećiragić | 2023–present |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Ekipa e KB Trepçes, që kishte arritur të siguronte ligën e parë,B-në ish-Jugosllavi,në vitin 1984" (in Albanian). Mitrosport. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ^ "Historiku". FBK (in Albanian). Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Bnl viewer". istorijskenovine.unilib.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Trepça-Peja Historia e finaleve 1993, 1994, 2000 dhe sivjet" (in Albanian). asistionline.com. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ^ "Kampionët e Kosovës ndër vite". Kosovo Basketball Federation. 11 May 2021.
- ^ "Torcida e Plisat kur festonin bashke! -Basket Trepça - Prishtina (Sezona 1999/2000)". Kosova Arkiv. 22 March 2019.
- ^ "Superliga (2010-2011)". Eurobasket.com. 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Superliga 2011-2012". 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Drilon Hajrizi, basketbollisti i vitit 2012". Telegrafi (in Albanian). May 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "KB Trepca calendar 2016-2017". balkanleague.net. 9 September 2023.
- ^ "PËR HERË TË PARË NË HISTORI TË KLUBIT, TREPÇA I'A BËN SEFTE PLAY OUT-IT". 25 May 2020.
- ^ "TREPÇA MBETET NË SUPERLIGË, MPOSHT EDHE NË SFIDËN E DYTË TË "PLAY-OUT"-IT ISTOGUN". 29 April 2021.
- ^ "PAK LËVIZJE ZYRTARE NË KLUBET KOSOVARE, TREPÇA E YLLI SKUADRAT MË AKTIVE!". 16 July 2021.
- ^ "Pas një dekade, Drilon Hajrizi i sjell Trepçës Kupën e Kosovës". 13 February 2022.
- ^ "Torcida kujton sukseset e Trepçës". Bota Sot. 8 May 2020.
- ^ "4 policë të lënduar nga incidenti në ndeshjen Prishtina–Trepça". RTV21. 11 December 2022.
- ^ "Torcida vs. Plisat-Basketball Fight". YouTube. 26 April 2010.
- ^ "Spiel Zusammenfassung Trepça-Peja Finalrunde". flashscore.de. 3 May 2023.
- ^ "FBK boton shikueshmërinë nëpër palestra, Trepça më e shikuara!". 30 May 2023.
- ^ "The game KB Trepca - KB Peja is suspended, the visitors win it 20-0". Balkan International Basketball League. 11 January 2017.
External links edit
- KB Trepça - Profile Eurobasket.com
- KB Trepça Official Facebook
- Official website (in Albanian)