Ibon Navarro could have stayed at Unicaja, where he had another year on his contract and is the most decorated coach in the club's history. He could even have waited for Barcelona, which was strongly linked. He chose Belgrade. Red Star Belgrade paid the €300,000 release clause, and the Vitoria-born coach faces his first experience outside Spain at age 50, on a bench that shows no mercy.
The Starting Point
Last season Red Star finished tenth out of twenty with twenty-one wins and seventeen losses, which gave them access to the play-in. It's not a bad record, but it's insufficient for a club of their size and budget, and the bench paid the price: Sasa Obradovic left in late May and Milan Tomic took over on an interim basis until Navarro's arrival.
The mandate is explicit: get the team to the playoffs.
An Office with Big Names
Navarro's move didn't come alone. Days earlier, the club had announced Milos Teodosic as the new general manager. That a legend of Serbian and European basketball assumes the general manager role and then brings in a Spanish coach with seven recent titles says a lot about the project's ambition.
What's Arriving
Eight signings, with two names that Spanish fans will recognize instantly.
David Krämer arrives from Real Madrid, where he spent the final stage of his career, and brings what his presentation announces: outside shooting. And Andrej Bjelic also comes from the white house, in his case from the academy, a common move in recent years between Madrid and Balkan clubs.
Chris Jones arrives in the backcourt from Hapoel, and on the perimeter the most significant signing is Nick Weiler-Babb, openly presented as the player who makes the difference on defense. He comes from Anadolu Efes. They're joined by Nikola Djurisic, a 6'8" small forward with recent NBA experience, and Patrick Baldwin, a 6'11" power forward from the Stockton Kings.
In the paint come Johnathan Motley, arriving from Hapoel Tel Aviv, and young Vojin Medarevic.
Those Who Stay
The continuity core is broad and mixes Serbian veterans with American-profile players. Staying are Jared Butler, renewed, Tyson Carter—whom Navarro already coached in Málaga—Stefan Miljenovic and Jovan Bikic on the perimeter; Semi Ojeleye, Ognjen Dobric, Jordan Nwora, Chima Moneke and Dejan Davidovac at small forward; and Ebuka Izundu in the paint, with his contract extended two years. Aleksej Nedeljkovic also continues, signed long-term after standing out in the NextGen.
The Keys
Navarro's style, put to the test. The club itself defined it in its presentation statement: very fast basketball, high intensity and deep rotations. That's exactly what he did in Málaga with enormous success. The question is whether that model, which works wonderfully in the BCL and ACB, can withstand the grind of a 38-game EuroLeague season.
A demanding locker room. Red Star has been changing coaches frequently for years and competing under environmental pressure that has little to do with Málaga's. The Aleksandar Nikolic and Stark Arena are magnificent venues when things go well and very complicated when they don't.
Depth yes, hierarchy to be seen. The roster has seventeen players and many interchangeable profiles, but no star who can decide a game on their own. With Navarro's style of deep rotations that can be a virtue; in the playoffs, it's usually a limitation.
The Weiler-Babb factor. He's the signing that best fits the coach's idea: versatile defender, capable of taking on the uncomfortable matchup every night. If he adapts, he could be the player who changes the team's profile.
The Forecast
The stated objective is the playoffs and the roster is good enough to fight for them. Red Star has spent three seasons moving between tenth and sixteenth place, and both the coach's and general manager's names indicate the club wants to break that dynamic.
For Spanish fans there's an added bonus: for the first time they'll be able to follow Ibon Navarro week by week in Europe's top competition, with his own bench and without the label of mid-tier club coach.
Full Roster
Point Guards and Shooting Guards: Chris Jones (6'2"), Jared Butler (6'3"), Tyson Carter (6'4"), Stefan Miljenovic (6'4"), Andrej Bjelic (6'4"), Nick Weiler-Babb (6'4")
Small Forwards: Chima Moneke (6'5"), Semi Ojeleye (6'6"), David Krämer (6'6"), Ognjen Dobric (6'7"), Jovan Bikic (6'7"), Aleksej Nedeljkovic (6'7"), Dejan Davidovac (6'8"), Jordan Nwora (6'8"), Nikola Djurisic (6'8")
Power Forwards and Centers: Vojin Medarevic (6'9"), Johnathan Motley (6'9"), Ebuka Izundu (6'10"), Patrick Baldwin (6'11")