KK Metalac Valjevo

Metalac Valjevo
Metalac Valjevo logo
LeaguesKLS
Founded24 March 1948; 76 years ago (1948-03-24)
HistoryKK Budućnost
(1948–1954)
KK Metalac
(1954–present)
ArenaValjevo Sports Hall
Capacity2,500
LocationValjevo, Serbia
Team colorsRed and White
   
PresidentJovan Teodosić
Head coachBranislav Ratkovica
Championships2 National League Cup
Websitekkmetalac.org.rs

Košarkaški klub Metalac (Serbian Cyrillic: Кошаркашки клуб Металац), commonly referred to as KK Metalac, is a men's professional basketball club based in Valjevo, Serbia. They are currently competing in the Basketball League of Serbia.

History

Metalac was established on 24 March 1948 as KK Budućnost Valjevo.[1] Six days later, the club played its first official game in Čačak against Borac and lost 69:19. In a relatively short period of time, they managed to qualify for a higher level of competition, entering the South Group of a then minor Serbian League under the new name Metalac in 1954. Due to financial problems in 1960, the club had to leave all competitions and restart from scratch again a year after.

In 1973 Metalac managed to qualify for the First Yugoslav Federal League by beating Mladost Zemun in the last round of the competition, gaining a decisive advantage over Vojvodina Novi Sad. In the last round Luka Vidacic from Herceg-Novi scored a club record of 57 points. Metalac spent six consecutive seasons in the First League and managed to beat at least once all the big clubs of Yugoslav basketball in that period. They played their last game in Yugoslav First Federal League on 31 March 1979 against Jugoplastika in Split.

During the last couple of years, professional basketball in Valjevo is on the rise again. Metalac qualified for the top level of club competition in Serbia in 2007–08 and since then managed to progress to the Basketball League of Serbia Superleague phase five times. They have constantly been a serious contender for a spot in the Adriatic League over the past few seasons and finally became part of it in 2014–15 after Radnički Kragujevac opted out because of financial instability.[2]

The club was a founding member of the Adriatic Basketball Association in 2015.[3] In December 2020, the club's shares were transferred to FMP.[4]

Sponsorship naming

The club has had several denominations through the years due to its sponsorship:

  • Metalac Family One: 1992–1993
  • Big Enex Metalac: 1993–1995
  • Metalac Koteks: 2012–2013
  • Metalac Farmakom: 2013–2016

Players

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Metalac Valjevo roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age
G 1 Serbia Bajić, Marko (C) 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 80 kg (176 lb) 23 – (2001-11-12)12 November 2001
F 7 Serbia Đuran, Filip 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 85 kg (187 lb) 33 – (1991-07-09)9 July 1991
F/C 10 Serbia Vuksanović, Saša 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 102 kg (225 lb) 27 – (1997-05-14)14 May 1997
G 11 New Zealand Cook-Green, Joe 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 84 kg (185 lb) 27 – (1997-07-24)24 July 1997
G 13 Serbia Novković, Matija 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 28 – (1996-04-28)28 April 1996
G 15 United States Dye, Kenny 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 80 kg (176 lb) 24 – (2000-07-07)7 July 2000
F 16 Serbia Popović, Aleksa 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 25 – (1999-03-20)20 March 1999
F/C 25 Serbia Lešić, Sava 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) 101 kg (223 lb) 36 – (1988-02-23)23 February 1988
G 26 Serbia Janković, Nemanja 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) 73 kg (161 lb) 22 – (2002-11-01)1 November 2002
G/F 35 United States Lyons, Tyrone 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 84 kg (185 lb) 24 – (2000-09-22)22 September 2000
G/F 41 Serbia Munižaba, Milan 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 26 – (1998-02-10)10 February 1998
G 44 Serbia Teofilović, Aleksandar 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 79 kg (174 lb) 24 – (2000-12-02)2 December 2000
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured Injured

Updated: September 20, 2023

Head coaches

Notable players

References

  1. ^ "Istorija KK Metalac". kkmetalac.org.rs (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Metalac u ABA ligi!". mondo.rs (in Serbian). 5 September 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  3. ^ "REGIONALNA KOŠARKA PREŽIVJELA Klubovi postaju vlasnici nove ABA lige". sportske.jutarnji.hr. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Zvanično: FMP dobio vlasnički udeo u ABA ligi". mozzartsport.com. Retrieved 16 December 2020.