Founder of the camp
Željko pavličević
He was born on March 26, 1951, in Zagreb. He graduated from the Faculty of Chemical Technology and the Faculty of Kinesiology in Zagreb and holds a diploma as a Senior Basketball Coach.
He possesses a FIBA coaching license.
Željko Pavličević began playing basketball in 1969 with KK Lokomotiva, starting in the junior team and later joining the senior team. Due to academic obligations, he later played for KK Mladost. His interest in coaching emerged early on, and he initially coached children at Marin Držić Elementary School, later moving on to coach the cadets and juniors of KK Lokomotiva, achieving excellent results with them.
In 1975, with the arrival of Mirko Novosel and the renaming of KK Lokomotiva to KK Cibona, Željko Pavličević became the assistant coach and contributed to the creation of one of the best basketball teams in Europe. During this period, as an assistant coach, he won his first Champions Cup in Athens against Real Madrid. In 1985, he became the head coach of KK Cibona and secured his second Champions Cup in Budapest against Žalgiris.
SPORTS CAREER
After his time with Cibona, he moved to Spain and returned to Croatia in 1991 at the invitation of KK Jugoplastika (later POP 84). In a brilliant season, despite losing three starting players (Dino Rađa to the Boston Celtics, Duško Ivanović abroad, and Goran Sobin to Aris), he won all three trophies.
Notably, he secured the Champions Cup in Paris in the final match against Barcelona, with Božo Maljković as the coach, achieving the club’s third Champions Cup.
A victory in the final match against Partizan in the former Yugoslavia further confirmed KK POP 84’s dominance.
The following year, Željko Pavličević left Split at the invitation of Panathinaikos and began building one of the giants of European basketball.
In 2003, at the invitation of the Japanese Basketball Federation, he started assembling a team for the 2006 World Championship.
In total, he worked in Japan for 14 years, becoming one of the few coaches with such a long career in the country.
His last professional contract was in Hong Kong, where he finished the season by winning the East Asian League – ASEAN and was named Coach of the Year.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
1975–1984: Assistant Coach, KK Cibona
1984–1985: Head Coach, KK Cibona
1985–1986: Head Coach, KK Cibona
1986–1987: Head Coach, Ferrol, Spain
1987–1990: Head Coach, TAU Vitoria, Spain
1990–1991: Head Coach, POP 84, Split
1991–1994: Head Coach, Panathinaikos, Greece
1996–1997: Sports Director of the Croatian National Team (Atlanta Olympics)
1998–1999: Head Coach, KK Split
2003–2007: Head Coach, Japan National Team
2008: Head Coach, KK Zagreb
2010–2013: Head Coach, Shimane Susanoo Magic, Japan
2014–2015: Head Coach, Wakayama Trians, Japan
2015–2016: Head Coach, Chiba Jets, NBL Japan
2017–2018: Head Coach, Bambitious Nara, B-League Japan
2018–2019: Head Coach, Al Ittihad, Libya
2019–2020: Head Coach, Al Muharraq, Bahrain
2020–2023: Head Coach, Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions, Hong Kong
Željko Pavličević has coached some of the best European and world players during his sports career. As one of the few coaches, he has worked with four players inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame (the highest honor in basketball).
They are:
- Krešimir Ćosić – KK Cibona
- Dražen Petrović – KK Cibona
- Toni Kukoč – KK POP 84, Split
- Nikos Galis – KK Panathinaikos
Additionally, he coached numerous other globally successful players:
- Aleksandar Volkov – CSKA, NBA, KK Panathinaikos
- Stojko Vranković – Zadar, NBA, Aris, KK Panathinaikos
- Žan Tabak – Jugoplastika (POP 84), NBA
- Ante Tomić – KK Zagreb, Barcelona
- Krunoslav Simon – KK Zagreb, Efes Pilsen
RESULTS
1975–1984: As Assistant Coach of KK Cibona, participated in winning:
Yugoslav Cup: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
Yugoslav Championship: 1982
Cup Winners’ Cup: 1982
Champions Cup: 1985
HEAD COACH
1984/1985: KK Cibona
Won Yugoslav Championship
Won Yugoslav Cup
1985/1986: KK Cibona
Won Yugoslav Cup
Champions Cup winner against Žalgiris in Budapest
1990/1991: KK POP 84, Split
Won Yugoslav Championship
Won Yugoslav Cup
Champions Cup winner in Paris against Barcelona
1992: KK Panathinaikos
Won Greek Cup
2003–2007: Japan National Team
Head Coach at the 2006 World Championship in Japan
Won Kirin Cup twice
2008: KK Zagreb
Won Croatian Cup – the club’s first trophy in 40 years
Named among the top 20 coaches in FIBA’s 50-year history
2010–2013: KK Matsue, Japan
Playoff participant every year
2014/2015: KK Wakayama, Japan
Finalist in the Japanese NBL professional league
2019/2020: KK Al Muharraq, Bahrain
League playoffs
2023: Hong Kong Eastern
Winner of the East Asian League (ASEAN)
Named Coach of the Year in the ASEAN League
AWARDS
- Honorary lecturer at the Faculty of Kinesiology
- Recipient of the highest honors from KK Cibona and KK POP84 (Split)
- Award from the Japanese Olympic Committee in 2004
- Member of coaching associations in multiple countries (Croatia, Japan, Spain, etc.)
- Lecturer for coaches in dozens of countries (Croatia, Spain, Greece, Hong Kong, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Libya, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Panama)
- In Japan, he held a seminar attended by 898 coaches, which remains the largest seminar with the most participants in the country.
In 2025, Željko Pavličević will celebrate fifty years of professional coaching career.