Dragan Raca
Dragan Raca (born 3 March 1961 in Bosansko Grahovo, Yugoslavia) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former coach of the Lebanon national basketball team.
Raca has spent his professional career in Cyprus, Lebanon and China. This includes stints with Cypriot sides AEL Limasol and APOEL Nicosia and Lebanese side Hekmeh.[1] He has also coached the Lebanon national basketball team at both the FIBA Asia Championship 2007 and FIBA Asia Championship 2009, leading the team to a silver medal in 2007.[2] Despite the team's disappointing fourth-place finish in 2009, they were later awarded a wild card to the 2010 FIBA World Championship.[3]
Contents
Dragan Raca titles
THE BEST ROOKIE FIBA COACH EUROPE - nominated by FIBA in 2003.
THE BEST EUROPEAN FIBA COACH -officially nominated by FIBA in Munich (June2004)
THE BEST COACH OF THE YEAR EUROBASKET ALL LEAGUE (2004)
COACH OF THE EUROPEAN TEAM ( All star game) Europe vs. Rest of the world -Kiev 2004
COACH OF THE EUROPEAN TEAM ( All star game) Europe vs. Rest of the world -Nicosia 2005
WINNER OF SUPER LEAGUE FIBA ASIAN 2005/2006.
THE BEST COACH OF SUPER LEAGUE FIBA ASIAN 2005/2006
His method for physical preparation is officially approved by INDIANA UNIVERSITY in USA.
Education
Basketball University of Belgrade (Highest Level)
University of mathematics and natural science in Belgrade.
Languages: English, Russian, Greek,
Ex-Yugoslav republic languages
Playing career
Cyprus Aris, AEK, Keravnos, AEL
National team of Cyprus (after gaining naturalization) 1994-1999
Achievements:
Three times best scorer of former Yugoslavia A1
Four times best scorer of Cyprus A1 and the best scorer in the history of Cyprus basketball
Coaching career
Cyprus
AEL (A1) 2002-2003
AEL (A1) 2003-2004
AEL (A1) 2004-2005
Greece
Iraklis (A1) 2005
Lebanon
Sagesse (A1) 2006
Cyprus
Apoel (A1) 2007
Greece
Olimpias Patra (A1) 2008
Cyprus
AEL (A1) 2009
China
Guangzhou FREE MAN NBL, (2010)
Guangzhou FREE MAN NBL, (2011, 2012)
Chongqing FLY DRAGONS, (2013, 2014 )
Achievements
As coach of Eka-AEL (Cyprus)
-Champion of Cyprus (Eka - AEL)-club won the title after 15 years
-Winner Championship season 2002/2003-best defensive team(average 62 points)
-Winner Championship season 2003/2004-best defensive team(average 65 points)-best offensive team (86 points)-only one lost game in season
-Winner Championship season 2004/2005-best defensive team (average 68 points)
-Winner of the National Cup-after 18 years Season 2003/2004-no lost game
-Winner of Super cup Season 2003/2004+ FIBA Euroleague-best defensive team(average 61 points)
-Winner of FIBA Euro Challenge Cup Season 2002/2003 (10 straight victories in 10 games - unbeaten record)
-Nominated for the Coach of the year in all sports in Cyprus in 2003, 2004, 2005
-Nominated for The best basketball coach in Cyprus in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009.
As coach of SAGESSE (Lebanon) -Sagesse (Lebanon) (13 games - 11 victories), best defensive team season 2005/2006
-National cup finalist and finalist of Championship
As coach of APOEL NOCOSIA (Cyprus)
-Finalist of Championship Season 2007
-best defensive team (average 65 points)
-WINNER SUPER CUP 2008/2009
-WINNER NATIONAL CUP 2008/2009
-AEL PROTEAS EKA - 1st Place after regular season
-best defensive team (average 67 points)- regular season
-best offensive team (average 88 points)- regular season
Coaching career - National Teams
-HEAD COACH OF NATIONAL TEAM OF CYPRUS 2004-2005
Won THE GOLD MEDAL on the B Olympics European Championship in Andorra (June 2005, NO GAME LOST)
-HEAD COACH OF NATIONAL TEAM OF LEBANON 2007, 2009
- 2007. Winner of the SILVER MEDAL on the Asian Championship in Japan ( won the rights to take a part in FIBA Olympic Qualification Beijing - China 2008.) between 16 team.
(Lebanon,Iran,Korea,China,Qatar,Jordan,Philippines,Kazakhstan,Taiwan,Japan,Syria,Indonesia,India,Kuwait,Hong Kong,United Emirates)
-Winner of the SILVER MEDAL on Williams Jones Cup International tournament (China 2007)
(between :Lebanon,Jordan,Iran,Qatar,Korea,Usa,Philippines,Japan,Kazakhstan,Chinese Taipei)
-2009. Asian Championship in China 2009. qualification on World Championship in Turkey.
Other achievements
CONCELOR, PROFESOR AND INSTRUCTOR IN THE COACHES SCHOOLS
-Supervisor and organizer of the FREMA international camp 2004
(Europe - Cyprus, Asia -Lebanon, S.America -Brazil)
-Instructor of the national program for sport infrastructure support (E.S.Y.A.A. Greece,Cyprus) for four consecutive years
-Instructor of the coaches School China Basketball Federation National.
Previews coaches are Dell Harris and Pat Riley.
Books
Wrote several books about basketball: his first one "Basketball" (1998) was translated on eight languages and sold in 68.000 copies. All proceeds from the book Dragan Raca donated to chairity, international organization "SOS VILAGE",children without parents.
- Scouting (1999)
- Physical preparation of professional teams(2000)
- Basic of Basketball (2001)
- Offence technical analysis (2008)
- Defense technical analysis (2008)
- Scouting analysis (2008)
- Basketball Analysis (2013 god)
- Basketball Camp (2013 god)
- MTM Basketball Defense (2014 god)
Dragan Raca books are now used as school books on Sport Universities.
References
- Dragan Raca and Chongqing FLY DRAGONS - Video link
- Serbian coach leads the Chinese “Fly Dragons” - Link
- DRAGAN RACA TO LECTURE CHINESE BASKETBALL FEDERATION COACHES CLINIC - Link
