Dusan Sakota
Encyclopedia
Dušan Šakota is a Greek
professional
basketball player of Serbian
descent, the son of former player and coach
Dragan Šakota
.
A cornerman
who possesses the height of a center
(2.11 m, 6 ft 11 in) and the shooting ability of a guard
, Šakota has enjoyed two triple crowns
despite his relatively young age. He currently plays in the Belgian League
for Telenet Oostende.
at the age of 4, when his father was given the head coaching job
with PAOK Thessaloniki. In the early 00's he played in junior competitions for AEK, his father's club at the time.
's Panathinaikos. A bench player because of his very young age, Šakota played for the Athenian
powerhouse until 2007 and lifted every possible trophy, including the prestigious triple crown in his last year: 4 Greek Championships
(2003-04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07), 3 Greek Cups
(2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07) and 1 Euroleague title (2006-07). He was also selected to the All-World Team Roster at the 2005 Nike Hoop Summit
.
In 2007 he was loaned for the whole 2007-08 season to the league minors Panionios in order to gain more first-team experience. He was instrumental in helping the club finishing 3rd in the playoffs, thus qualifying for a place in the Euroleague; the first time in 12 years that Panionios had qualified for the top European basketball competition.
In 2008 he returned to Panathinaikos for his second triple crown. Again as bench player, but this time with a more active role in the rotation, he made 22 appearances in the Greek League averaging 5.3 points per game. He also appeared in 9 Euroleague matches during the early stages of the competition, with an average of 8:08 min and 3.2 points; in the Berlin Final Four he was a member of the squad, but finished both matches as an unused substitute.
Unfortunately, his career in Italy
ended some matches before the conclusion of the 2009-10 season
in a shocking way. On 25 April 2010, Šakota suffered a superficially light injury
during a match versus Teramo
. Following a wrong initial medical diagnosis
which led to an equally wrong surgery
the next day, he fell into a coma
caused by septicæmia
. Finally the doctors managed to save his life, but he had to pull out of action for a long period.
club Telenet Oostende.
, although (according to the press) his father preferred to see him with Serbia & Montenegro
.
Between 2003-2006 he represented Greece at junior level in a total of 59 matches averaging 13.5 ppg. He was a member of the squad that won the bronze medal at the 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championship
.
He hasn't played with the Men's National Team yet.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
professional
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
basketball player of Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
descent, the son of former player and coach
Coach (basketball)
Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behaviour of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as well as overall physical conditioning.Coaching is...
Dragan Šakota
Dragan Šakota
Dragan Šakota ; born June 16, 1952 in Belgrade) is a Serbian former professional basketball player and current coach...
.
A cornerman
Cornerman (basketball)
Cornerman is a term used in basketball to denote a player who can play both the small forward and power forward basketball positions. "Cornerman" is sometimes interchangeably used with the term "forward" , but generally refers to players that can play both forward positions. They usually fit two...
who possesses the height of a center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
(2.11 m, 6 ft 11 in) and the shooting ability of a guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
, Šakota has enjoyed two triple crowns
Triple Crown in Basketball
The Triple Crown is a term in European professional club basketball that refers to a club winning their country's top tier national domestic league, primary national domestic cup, and the top tier European continental level competition in the same season. It is the highest accomplishment that a...
despite his relatively young age. He currently plays in the Belgian League
Basketball League Belgium
The Basketball League Belgium , also known as the Ligue Ethias or Ethias League, is the highest professional basketball league in Belgium.-Teams:* Antwerp Giants* Belgacom Liège Basket* Dexia Mons-Hainaut* Generali Okapi Aalstar...
for Telenet Oostende.
Career
Dusan was born in Belgrade but moved along with his family to GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
at the age of 4, when his father was given the head coaching job
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
with PAOK Thessaloniki. In the early 00's he played in junior competitions for AEK, his father's club at the time.
Panathinaikos - Panionios
In 2003 he signed his first professional contract with Željko ObradovićŽeljko Obradovic
Želimir “Željko” Obradović is a Serbian professional basketball coach and a former professional basketball player...
's Panathinaikos. A bench player because of his very young age, Šakota played for the Athenian
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
powerhouse until 2007 and lifted every possible trophy, including the prestigious triple crown in his last year: 4 Greek Championships
A1 Ethniki
The Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...
(2003-04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07), 3 Greek Cups
Greek basketball Cup
The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup is an annual pro basketball national cup competition. It is organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation .-History and format:...
(2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07) and 1 Euroleague title (2006-07). He was also selected to the All-World Team Roster at the 2005 Nike Hoop Summit
Nike Hoop Summit
The Nike Hoop Summit is a basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select team of international players. The players demonstrate their skills and hope to attract attention from either NBA scouts or...
.
In 2007 he was loaned for the whole 2007-08 season to the league minors Panionios in order to gain more first-team experience. He was instrumental in helping the club finishing 3rd in the playoffs, thus qualifying for a place in the Euroleague; the first time in 12 years that Panionios had qualified for the top European basketball competition.
In 2008 he returned to Panathinaikos for his second triple crown. Again as bench player, but this time with a more active role in the rotation, he made 22 appearances in the Greek League averaging 5.3 points per game. He also appeared in 9 Euroleague matches during the early stages of the competition, with an average of 8:08 min and 3.2 points; in the Berlin Final Four he was a member of the squad, but finished both matches as an unused substitute.
Scavolini Pesaro and the accident
In 2009 he joined Scavolini Pesaro of the Italian Serie A, seeking a more important role in the play,.Unfortunately, his career in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
ended some matches before the conclusion of the 2009-10 season
Lega Basket Serie A 2009–10
Serie A FIP 2009–10 was 88th edition of Italian basketball top league.-Format:The participating 16 teams disputed the regular season based on home-and-away matches...
in a shocking way. On 25 April 2010, Šakota suffered a superficially light injury
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
during a match versus Teramo
Teramo Basket
Teramo Basket is a professional basketball club that is based in Teramo, Italy and plays in the Italian League. For sponsorship reasons, it is also known as Bancatercas Teramo. For past club sponsorship names, see the list below.-History:...
. Following a wrong initial medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
which led to an equally wrong surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
the next day, he fell into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
caused by septicæmia
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
. Finally the doctors managed to save his life, but he had to pull out of action for a long period.
Telenet Oostende
In 2011, after a whole year of recovery, Šakota joined the Belgian LeagueBasketball League Belgium
The Basketball League Belgium , also known as the Ligue Ethias or Ethias League, is the highest professional basketball league in Belgium.-Teams:* Antwerp Giants* Belgacom Liège Basket* Dexia Mons-Hainaut* Generali Okapi Aalstar...
club Telenet Oostende.
Greek National Team
Šakota holds dual citizenship; Serbian (former Yugoslav) by birth, and Greek because he 's been permanently living in the country since his childhood. In 2003 he declared his eligibility for the Greece national teamGreece national basketball team
The Greece national basketball team is the representative for Greece in international men's basketball competitions, organized and run by the Hellenic Basketball Federation. Traditionally, Greece is considered among the world's top basketball powers; they were runners-up in the 2006 FIBA World...
, although (according to the press) his father preferred to see him with Serbia & Montenegro
Serbia national basketball team
The Serbian national basketball team represents Serbia in international basketball matches....
.
Between 2003-2006 he represented Greece at junior level in a total of 59 matches averaging 13.5 ppg. He was a member of the squad that won the bronze medal at the 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championship
FIBA Under-19 World Championship
The FIBA Under-19 World Championship is a men's under-19 only basketball competition organized by FIBA. From its inauguration in 1979 until 2007 it was held every four years...
.
He hasn't played with the Men's National Team yet.
Awards and achievements
- Won the bronze medal at the FIBA Under-19 World ChampionshipFIBA Under-19 World ChampionshipThe FIBA Under-19 World Championship is a men's under-19 only basketball competition organized by FIBA. From its inauguration in 1979 until 2007 it was held every four years...
(2003) - Won 5 Greek ChampionshipsA1 EthnikiThe Greek Basket League , commonly referred to as the Greek Basketball League or Greek Basketball Championship, is the highest professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by HEBA...
(2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009) - Won 4 Greek CupsGreek basketball CupThe Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup is an annual pro basketball national cup competition. It is organized by the Hellenic Basketball Federation .-History and format:...
(2005, 2006, 2007, 2009) - Nike Hoop SummitNike Hoop SummitThe Nike Hoop Summit is a basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select team of international players. The players demonstrate their skills and hope to attract attention from either NBA scouts or...
All-World Team (2005) - Won the Greek All Star GameHEBA Greek All Star GameThe Greek HEBA All-Star Game, also known as the Greek ΕΣΑΚΕ All Star Game is the All Star Game of the HEBA Greek basketball association for men, was founded and organized by GUS SARIANIDES which features players from the top Greek pro basketball league the HEBA A1 Division. The game is played in a...
3 Point Shootout Contest (2006) - Won 2 EuroleagueEuroleagueEuroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
Championships (2007, 2009) - Won 2 Triple CrownsTriple Crown in BasketballThe Triple Crown is a term in European professional club basketball that refers to a club winning their country's top tier national domestic league, primary national domestic cup, and the top tier European continental level competition in the same season. It is the highest accomplishment that a...
(2007, 2009) - Won the World Military Basketball Championship (2009)
External links
- Euroleague.net Profile
- Pesarosport.com Profile
- Panathinaikos BC Profile
- Eurobasket.com Profile
- NBA.com NBA Draft Profile
- NBADraft.net Profile
- Draftexpress.com Profile
- Basketpedya.com Profile
- Οutrageous refusal from Dusan Sakota (in Greek), newspaper EleftherotypiaEleftherotypiaEleftherotypia is a daily newspaper published in Athens . It is one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the country. Eleftherotypia also publishes a Sunday edition Kyriakatiki Eleftherotypia . It was first published in 1975. Breaking the trend of Greek press, it was originally owned by its...
, 11th Feb 2003.