Baskonia · Paolo Galbiati · Velimir Perasovic · EuroLeague

Baskonia sacked Galbiati at 3-0 in Spain. Europe's 95.6 points a night explain why

By the Data Desk · Published 15 OCT 08:30

Baskonia are top of the Liga Endesa with three wins from three, and on Wednesday they sacked the coach who won them their first Copa del Rey in 17 years. The reason the club did not give is on the EuroLeague table: 1-4, 20th of 20, and 478 points conceded in five games, so Velimir Perasovic returns for a fourth spell and coaches at Virtus Bologna on Friday.

Galbiati, appointed in August 2025, leaves after 87 official games; in February he beat Real Madrid 100-89 in the Copa del Rey final, Baskonia's seventh Copa and first since 2009.
In the EuroLeague Baskonia concede 95.6 points a game and score 85.2; four of their five opponents reached 92, and they are 1-3 at home (EuroLeague).
Perasovic signs until June 2028; he has coached Baskonia in 253 games, second in club history, and arrives from five seasons at UNICS Kazan.

Why it mattersBaskonia sacked a trophy-winning coach less than a month into the season, and the fixture list gives his successor no time: Virtus away on Friday, with Spanish league games around it. For a club that has played Final Fours, last place in the EuroLeague after five rounds was not an option.

The last straw was Tuesday's 93-79 home defeat to Dubai, Baskonia's fourth in five EuroLeague games after losses to Olympiacos (89-106), Valencia (88-111) and Besiktas (84-92); the only win came against Milan, 86-76. MARCA broke the news at 16:25 UTC, the club confirmed it within the hour, and it gave no reason, EFE notes. On Perasovic, the statement said only: «Se trata de un técnico con experiencia y pasión por el club azulgrana» (he is a coach with experience and passion for the club).

Behind the scenes, the same afternoon brought a second exit. Markus Howard, the EuroLeague and ACB top scorer in 2023-24, left for Zenit after 244 official games for the club; he played in the first three rounds and not in the last two. Former Baskonia centre Mamadi Diakite, who scored 11 for Dubai in Vitoria on Tuesday, wrote on Instagram, as quoted by BasketNews: "Since you got them out, you guys better find somebody elite that can win the Euroleague for you."

Perasovic knows the building. He led Tau Cerámica to the 2006 Copa del Rey and the 2006 and 2007 Final Fours, came back in 2015-16 to reach another Final Four, and had a third spell in 2018-19. At home the team he inherits is fine: 309 points scored and 248 conceded in three ACB games, top of the table.

What happens next: Perasovic lands in Vitoria on Thursday and his first game is Virtus Bologna, 3-2, at the PalaDozza on Friday at 18:30 UTC.

Our take

Baskonia changed coach for its defence, not its results

Our editorial team reads this as a defensive verdict. Baskonia concede 82.7 points a game in Spain and 95.6 in Europe, and no amount of Copa goodwill covers a 13-point gap like that in a 38-round league. A coach who arrives on Thursday cannot rebuild a defence by Friday, so judge Perasovic on the next five games, not the first. If Virtus score 90 again, the problem was the roster as much as the man on the bench.

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Updates

17 OCT 08:30Confirmed Virtus Bologna 86, Baskonia 78 in Perasovic's first game back (EuroLeague box score). Virtus led 24-12 after the first quarter and 46-34 at half-time; Marcus Carr scored 20 in 22 minutes. Baskonia shot 25 of 70 from the field, 36%, and 10 of 33 from three; A.J. Lawson led them with 13 and Tadas Sedekerskis had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Our take said to judge Perasovic on five games, not one, and that a Virtus 90 would point at the roster: they scored 86, and Baskonia have now conceded 564 points in six EuroLeague games, 94.0 a night, at 1-5. Next: Panathinaikos away on Thursday, 22 October, at 18:15 UTC, then Real Madrid at home on 27 October.

Sources