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Sergio ScarioloHead coach of the Spanish national team
Date of Birth: 01.04.1961
Country:  Spain |
Content:
- Sergio Scariolo: Legendary Coach and Master Tactician
- Early Success in Italy (1989-1997)
- Triumphs in Spain (1997-2008)
- Difficult Years in Moscow, Milan, and Vitoria (2008-2014)
- NBA Champion with Toronto Raptors (2018-2021)
- Head Coach of Virtus Bologna (2021-Present)
- National Team Career
- Personal Life
Sergio Scariolo: Legendary Coach and Master Tactician
Early YearsSergio Scariolo began his coaching career in the early 1980s as an assistant coach for Basket Brescia, the team of his hometown, and Scavolini Pesaro. In 1985, he became the coach of the Italian military national team, with which he won the World Championship. Serving as an assistant to head coach Valerio Bianchini at Pesaro, Scariolo won his first Italian Serie A championship in 1988.
Early Success in Italy (1989-1997)
In 1989, with Bianchini moving on to become head coach of Virtus Roma, Scariolo was hired as Pesaro's new head coach. In the 1989-90 season, Scariolo's Scavolini won another Italian championship title, defeating Pallacanestro Varese 3-1 in the national finals. At the age of 29, Scariolo became the youngest coach to ever win the trophy. In the same season, the team also reached the final of the FIBA Korać Cup, where they lost to Joventut Badalona. The 1990-91 season saw the club finish 7th in the regular season and get eliminated in the quarter-finals of the domestic playoffs by Phonola Caserta. However, Pesaro managed to reach the Final Four of the European Champions Cup, but lost in the semi-finals 93-84 to KK Split, who went on to win the trophy. The following year, in a surprising move, he joined Aurora Desio of the Italian second division. After two seasons in which he failed to achieve promotion, he left the club.
Triumphs in Spain (1997-2008)
In 1997, he moved to Spain, a country that would leave a profound mark on his entire career. Under Scariolo's guidance, TAU Vitoria reached the Spanish Championship finals for the first time in 1998 and won the Spanish King's Cup in 1999. In 1999, Scariolo was hired by Real Madrid, one of the most important clubs in the ACB League. In his first season, he immediately led Real to a Spanish championship, defeating Real's historical rivals Barcelona 3-2 in the final; the team also reached the EuroLeague quarter-finals, where they lost to Fortitudo Bologna. However, the following season, Real was defeated by Barcelona 3-0 in the national final, and in 2001-02, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Estudiantes, leading to Scariolo's dismissal.
From 2003 to 2008, Sergio Scariolo was the head coach of the Spanish club Unicaja Málaga, which, under his guidance and the leadership of Jorge Garbajosa, experienced its so-called "golden era." In 2005, Málaga won the Spanish King's Cup against Real, and the following season, in 2005-06, claimed its first-ever Spanish league championship, by defeating TAU Vitoria 3-0 in the national finals. The club capped off its golden years with a qualification to the 2007 EuroLeague Final Four, where they lost in the semi-finals to CSKA Moscow and thus finished third in the EuroLeague. In October 2007, Unicaja faced NBA team Memphis Grizzlies in a friendly match, and they defeated the Grizzlies 102-99. It was one of the rare occasions when an NBA team lost to a foreign club.
Difficult Years in Moscow, Milan, and Vitoria (2008-2014)
From 2008 to 2010, Scariolo served as head coach of Russian club Khimki Moscow. In both seasons, he finished as runner-up, losing the national final to CSKA Moscow. In 2009, Scariolo's Khimki also lost 80-74 in the EuroCup final against Lietuvos Rytas. On December 20, 2010, Scariolo and the club agreed to terminate his contract.
In 2011, Scariolo returned to Italy, becoming the new head coach of Olimpia Milano. In the 2011-12 EuroLeague, Milan made it to the Top 16 but failed to advance past that round. Scariolo's team reached the national final but then lost to Montepaschi Siena 4-1. The following season, Olimpia failed to qualify for the EuroLeague Top 16 and again lost to Siena, this time 4-3 in the play-off quarter-finals, leading to Scariolo's resignation from his post.
In June 2013, Scariolo became the head coach of Laboral Kutxa, the club he had already coached in the late 1990s. However, after poor results both domestically and in European competitions, he was fired at the end of the 2013-14 season.
NBA Champion with Toronto Raptors (2018-2021)
In July 2018, he was hired by the Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach, helping them win their first NBA championship. Scariolo became the first Italian coach and the second Italian, after shooting guard Marco Belinelli, to become an NBA champion. On February 26, 2021, Scariolo served as the Raptors' acting head coach for a game against the Houston Rockets after head coach Nick Nurse and five of his assistants missed the game due to the NBA's health and safety protocols; Toronto won the game 122-111. Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry collected the game ball after the game and gifted it to Scariolo as a memento.
Head Coach of Virtus Bologna (2021-Present)
On June 18, 2021, Scariolo signed a three-year deal with Virtus Bologna of the Italian Serie A (LBA) basketball league. On September 21, the team won its second SuperCup in its history, defeating Olimpia Milano 90-84. Moreover, after eliminating Letelabours, Ulm, and Valencia in the first three rounds of the playoffs, on May 11, 2022, Virtus defeated Frutti Extra Bursaspor 80-67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its first EuroCup and qualifying for the EuroLeague after 14 years. However, despite finishing the regular season in first place and eliminating Pesaro and Tortona 3-0 in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Virtus lost in the national finals to Olimpia Milano 4-2.
On September 29, 2022, after eliminating Olimpia Milano in the semi-finals, Virtus won their third SuperCup, defeating Banco di Sardegna Sassari 72-69, making it back-to-back wins after their 2021 trophy. However, despite good premises, Virtus finished the EuroLeague season in 14th place, failing to qualify for the playoffs. Moreover, in the Italian Basketball Cup Final, the team was defeated by Brescia. In June, after eliminating Brindisi and Tortona 3-0, Virtus lost to Olimpia Milano 4-3 in the national final after a series that was widely acclaimed as one of the best in recent years of Italian basketball.
National Team Career
Scariolo has served as head coach of the Spanish national team twice: from 2009 to 2012 and from 2015 to the present. Under Scariolo's guidance, Spain won the gold medal at EuroBasket 2009, EuroBasket 2011, EuroBasket 2015, and EuroBasket 2022, as well as the bronze medal at EuroBasket 2017. He also won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics and the bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He also coached the Spanish national team at the 2010 FIBA World Cup. In 2019, Scariolo led Spain to victory at the FIBA World Cup.
In October 2020, Scariolo announced that he would remain the team's head coach until after the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Personal Life
Scariolo is married to Blanca Ares, a former Spanish basketball player. The couple has two children: Alessandro, who also plays basketball, and Carlota. Scariolo is an avid supporter of Inter Milan.
Sergio Scariolo made an appearance in the Netflix film "Hustle," produced by LeBron James and Adam Sandler, starring alongside Juancho Hernangómez. The film was released on June 8, 2022. In the film, Scariolo portrayed himself as the head coach of the Spanish national team.
