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KK Vršac

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"KK Mladost Vršac" redirects here. For other teams named Mladost, see KK Mladost.
Vršac
Vršac logo
LeaguesBasketball League of Serbia
Founded1946; 78 years ago (1946)
ArenaMillennium Centar
Capacity5000
LocationVršac, Serbia
Team colorsMaroon, White
   
PresidentKristian Serman
Head coachLazar Spasić
Championships1 Adriatic League
Websitekkvrsac.rs

Košarkaški klub Vršac Meridianbet (Serbian Cyrillic: Кошаркашки клуб Вршац Меридианбет), commonly referred to as KK Vršac Meridianbet, is a men's professional basketball club based in Vršac, Serbia. They are currently competing in the Basketball League of Serbia. Their home arena is the Millennium Centar, with a capacity of 4,400.

Over the years, the club competed under different names, mostly after sponsor companies, carrying for an extended period of time the name of pharmaceutical company Hemofarm.

History

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The club was founded in 1946 under the name KK Jedinstvo. From 1959 to 1967, the club competed under the name KK Mladost, when the name got changed to KK Inex Brixol due to sponsorship reasons. In the 1968–69 season, they won first place in the Vojvodina lower-league. In 1977, the club changed its name again, this time to KK Agropanonija. Four years later, in 1981, they again became champions of Vojvodina, which has won them the right to participate in the First B League, where they competed under the name KK Vršac. In 1989, Inex Hemofarm became principal sponsor and club changed its name to KK Inex.

The Hemofarm years: 1992–2012

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Under the sponsorship of the Hemofarm Group since 1992, the club went from average participants of the lower leagues in Vojvodina to one of the leading clubs in the country. In the first season under the name of KK Hemofarm, they competed in the First League of Vojvodina and from year to year, went a step forward. In the 1995–96 season, team was led by Marin Sedlaček, a young and ambitious professional, who led the team to the higher league.

Hemofarm's top league status was achieved in the 1997–98 season, under the guidance of coach Slobodan Lukić. The first season among the elite kept their survival, but the following season, 1999–2000, they finished fourth in the standings, providing a first participation in Europe – in the Korać Cup. As newcomers to the competition, the 2000–01 season, led by coach Željko Lukajić, they reached the finals, where they were stopped by Spain's Unicaja Málaga, which was headed by Božidar Maljković. That same year, the team's quality was confirmed with placement at the National Cup final tournament, which was organized in Vršac for the first time, at the opening of the Millennium Centar.

In the 2001–02 season, they played the playoff semifinal of the national championship, where they were, this time, stopped by Budućnost after five dramatic games. In the next season, they played in the final of the National Cup, where they were defeated by FMP, and in the 2003–04 season, were also close to the title, playing National League finals against Partizan. The "Black and Whites" celebrated series victory in the fourth game of the playoffs, with the uncertain final basket by Vlado Šćepanović scored with the sound of sirens for the overall final series 3–1 win.

The 2004–05 season was the most successful in the club's history. As rookies, they won the regional Adriatic League. Hemofarm finished the regular season in first place in the standings, and at the Final Eight in Belgrade, they eliminated Bosna, FMP and Partizan in the final. That same season, Vršac was again hosting the final tournament of the National Cup, but Hemofarm lost to Budućnost in the first game. In the ULEB Cup, they reached the semifinals, where they were stopped by the Greek team Makedonikos.

In the 2005–06 season, they played once again in the ULEB Cup semifinals and took part in the Adriatic League Final Eight. In 2006–07, they played in the semifinals of the National Cup and the Adriatic League semifinals.

In the 2008–09 season, the team was taken over by Stevan Karadžić who led them to the semifinals in all competitions – Radivoj Korać Cup, Basketball League of Serbia, ABA League and Eurocup. Reaching the Eurocup Final Eight in Turin was a great success for Serbian basketball, especially as Hemofarm had the youngest team in the whole competition. In the first match of the tournament in Italy the "Pharmacists" have made another surprise, defeating favored Dynamo Moscow, but are uncertain in the semifinals in a precarious lost to Lietuvos rytas, which went on to win the competition.

In the middle of the 2011–12 season, Hemofarm Group stopped to finance the club after 20 years because of the financial crisis in the company. All of the players were informed that they are free to leave the club.[1][2]

KK Vršac (2012–present)

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In the summer of 2012, the club changed its name back to KK Vršac.

A few days after the end of the 2023/2024 season, on April 16, the club announced that it had signed a title sponsorship agreement with Meridianbet.

Sponsorship naming

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

  • Hemofarm STADA (2007–2012)
  • Vršac Swisslion (2014–2016)
  • Vršac Meridianbet (2024 - )

Logos

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  • 1992–2012
    1992–2012
  • 2012–present
    2012–present

Players

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See also: Category:KK Vršac players

Current roster

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

KK Vršac roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Age
SG 0 Serbia Radovanović, Nikola 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 23 – (2001-05-29)29 May 2001
PG 2 Serbia Mićović, Ognjen 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) 24 – (2000-03-10)10 March 2000
PG 4 Serbia Dukić, Marko 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 22 – (2001-12-09)9 December 2001
F 6 Serbia Jovanović, Luka 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 24 – (2000-06-04)4 June 2000
PG 8 Serbia Jovanović, Slobodan 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 27 – (1997-02-19)19 February 1997
F 9 Serbia Agoč, Stegan 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 22 – (2002-05-27)27 May 2002
SG 13 Slovenia Jurček, Žiga 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 26 – (1998-04-22)22 April 1998
F 15 Serbia Vasiljević, Toma 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) 24 – (2000-10-07)7 October 2000
SF 16 Serbia Tomić, David 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 20 – (2004-07-14)14 July 2004
SG 17 Serbia Dimić, Miloš 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 35 – (1989-10-17)17 October 1989
PG 22 Serbia Milić, Andrija 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 22 – (2002-09-02)2 September 2002
F/C 31 Serbia Jeković, Bratislav 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) 28 – (1996-08-31)31 August 1996
SG 67 Serbia Majstorović, Mateja 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 21 – (2003-08-04)4 August 2003
PG 77 Serbia Nikolić, Miloš 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 28 – (1996-10-17)17 October 1996
C 88 Serbia Juzbašić, Dušan 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) 26 – (1998-06-08)8 June 1998
SG Serbia Simić, Stefan 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 28 – (1996-01-03)3 January 1996
PG Serbia Vasić, Lazar (L) 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 23 – (2001-01-03)3 January 2001
SG Serbia Radović, Matija 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 26 – (1998-04-25)25 April 1998
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured Injured
Updated: August 24, 2022

Players on the NBA draft

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See also: List of NBA drafted players from Serbia
Position Player Year Round Pick Drafted by
C Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Darko Miličić 2003 1st round 2nd Detroit Pistons

Coaches

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See also: Category:KK Hemofarm coaches and Category:KK Vršac coaches
Hemofarm (1992–2012)
Vršac (2012–present)

Season-by-season

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Season Tier Division Pos. Postseason W–L National Cup Adriatic competitions European competitions
Hemofarm
1996–97 2 YUBA B League 5 — 20–14 N/A —
1997–98 2 YUBA B League C — N/A N/A —
1998–99 1 YUBA League 10 Not held 7–15 N/A —
1999–00 1 YUBA League 4 Semifinalist 15–12 N/A —
2000–01 1 YUBA League 6 Semifinalist 12–15 Quarterfinalist 3 Korać Cup 2nd 11–5
2001–02 1 YUBA League 4 Semifinalist 17–13 N/A — 3 Korać Cup T16 5–5
2002–03 1 YUBA League 5 Quarterfinalist 15–10 Runners up — 4 Champions Cup 4th 14–5
2003–04 1 BLSM First League 2 Runners up 31–11 Quarterfinalist — 3 Europe League QF 11–6
2004–05 1 BLSM Super League 2 Runners up 14–6 Quarterfinalist ABA League C 25–8 2 ULEB Cup SF 9–7
2005–06 1 BLSM Super League B3 — 6–4 Runners up ABA League SF 17–11 2 ULEB Cup SF 12–4
2006–07 1 BLS Super League 1 Semifinalist 12–4 Semifinalist ABA League SF 18–10 2 ULEB Cup T16 6–6
2007–08 1 BLS Super League 3 Runners up 12–9 Runners up ABA League 2nd 19–12 2 ULEB Cup T16 7–7
2008–09 1 BLS Super League B2 Semifinalist 6–4 Semifinalist ABA League SF 19–8 2 Eurocup SF 5–3
2009–10 1 BLS Super League 2 Runners up 14–5 Semifinalist ABA League SF 17–10 2 Eurocup RS 1–5
2010–11 1 BLS Super League 2 Runners up 12–8 Quarterfinalist ABA League 6 14–12 2 Eurocup T16 5–7
2011–12 1 BLS Super League 8 — 4–10 Semifinalist ABA League 12 7–19 —
Vršac
2012–13 1 BLS First League 6 — 14–12 Quarterfinalist — —
2013–14 1 BLS First League 7 — 13–13 — — —
2014–15 1 BLS First League 5 — 13–9 Semifinalist — —
2015–16 1 BLS First League 10 — 11–15 — — —
2016–17 1 BLS First League 1 SL 7th 25–15 Quarterfinalist — —
2017–18 1 BLS First League 3 Quarterfinalist 20–18 — ABA 2nd League SF 18–8 —
2018–19 1 BLS First League 9 — 11–15 — ABA 2nd League 12 1–21 —
2019–20 1 BLS First League 12 Abd 9–17 — — —
2020–21 1 BLS First League 6 — 15–15 — — —
2021–22 1 BLS First League 11 — 14–16 — — —

Trophies and awards

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Trophies

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Notable players

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See also: Category:KK Hemofarm players

International record

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Season Achievement Notes
EuroCup
2008–09 Semifinals Eliminated by Lietuvos rytas, 68–73
2005–06 Semifinals Eliminated by Aris TT Bank, 151–153 (1–1)
2004–05 Semifinals Eliminated by Makedonikos, 172–180 (1–1)
2007–08 Top 16 Eliminated by Akasvayu Girona, 133–156 (0–2)
2006–07 Top 16 Eliminated by UNICS, 137–185 (0–2)
2010–11 Top 16 4th in Group K with Asefa Estudiantes, Pepsi Caserta, Galatasaray Café Crown, and ČEZ Nymburk (2–4)
2009–10 Regular season 4th in Group B with Power Electronics Valencia, Le Mans, and Triumph Lyubertsy (1–5)
FIBA EuroChallenge
2003–04 Quarter-finals Eliminated by UNICS, 1–2
FIBA Korać Cup
2000–01 Runners-up Eliminated by Unicaja, 116–148 (0–2)
2001–02 Round of 16 Eliminated by Maroussi Telestet, 140–156 (0–2)
FIBA EuroCup Challenge
2002–03 3rd place game Eliminated by Ventspils, 90–91

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "All the players are free to leave Hemofarm Vrsac". sportando.net. January 25, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  2. ^ "Crisis at KK Hemofarm Vrsac: Coach resigns, sponsor pulls out, six players declared free agents". ballineurope.com. January 25, 2012. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
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