Nihad Izić

Nihad Izić (Turkish: Nihat İziç; born 20 June 1959) is a Turkish-Bosnian professional basketball coach and former player.

Nihad Izić

Personal information
Born	(1959-06-20) 20 June 1959 (age 66) Bijeljina, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
Nationality	Bosnian / Turkish
Listed height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Career information
NBA draft	1981: undrafted
Playing career	1976–1987
Position	Point guard
Number	8, 5
Coaching career	1990–present
Career history
Playing
00	Radnik Bijeljina
1977–1982	Bosna
1982–1983	İstanbul Bankası Yenişehir
1983–1987	Galatasaray
Coaching
2000–2001	Fenerbahçe
2007–2012	Tofaş
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Yugoslavia European Championship for Juniors 1978 Italy U18 Team Head Coach for  Turkey FIBA U20 European Championship 2006 Turkey U20 Team FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship 2005 Serbia U18 Team 2004 Spain U18 Team Assistant Coach for  Turkey FIBA World Cup 2010 Turkey National team

Playing career

Izić started to play basketball in his hometown team Radnik Bijeljina.^[1] Afterwards, he joined Bosna where he won an EuroLeague title for the 1978–79 season.^[2][3] Izić won two Yugoslav Leagues and a Yugoslav Cup with Bosnia, alongside Mirza Delibašić, Ratko Radovanović, and Žarko Varajić.

In 1982, Izić moved to Istanbul, Turkey where he played for İstanbul Bankası Yenişehir and Galatasaray.^[4] He retired as a player with Galatasaray in 1987.

National team career

Izic was a member of the Yugoslavia Juniors team that won the bronze medal at the 1978 European Championship for Juniors held in Italy. Over six tournament games, he averaged 14.9 points per game.^[5]

Coaching career

Izic coached Fenerbahçe during the 2000–01 TBL season.

Izic won the 2nd-tier Turkish First League in 2009 with Tofaş.

Turkey national teams

In 1994, the Turkish Basketball Federation added Izic to youth coaching staff.^[6]

Izic was the head coach of the Turkey under-18 team that won two silver medals at FIBA Europe Under-18 Championships.^[7][8] At the 2004 Championship in Spain, he had a 89–71 lost to Spain in the Final.^[9] At the 2005 Championship in Serbia and Montenegro, he lost in the tournament final to the host team.

Izić was the head coach of the Turkey under-20 team that won the silver medal at the 2006 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship in İzmir, Turkey.^[10] He also led the team at the 2007 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship.^[11]

Between 2007 and 2013, Izić was an assistant coach for the Turkey national team, under Bogdan Tanjević.

In January 2017, the Turkish Basketball Federation parted ways with Izic.^[6][12]

Career achievements and awards

As player

• EuroLeague champion: 1 (with Bosna: 1978–79)
• Turkish Super League champion: 2 (with Galatasaray: 1984–85, 1985–86)
• Yugoslav League champion: 2 (with Bosna: 1977–78, 1979–80)
• Yugoslav Cup winner: 1 (with Bosna: 1977–78)
• Turkish President's Cup winner: 1 (with Galatasaray: 1985)

As head coach

• Turkish First League (2nd-tier) champion: 1 (with Tofaş: 2008–09)