VBA bids farewell to two long-time coaches
Thursday, October 13, 2022, 09:31 GMT+7
After the end of the 2022 VBA, the Thang Long Warriors and Danang Dragons parted ways with long-time coaches Predrag Lukic and Phan Thanh Canh, respectively.
The Thang Long Warriors officially announced coach Predrag Lukic’s departure in early September after the end of the 2022 VBA season.
The Serbian coach spent five consecutive seasons, from 2018 to 2022, with the Thanh Long Warriors, during which time he led the Hanoi-based team to a second-place finish in the 2020 VBA season.
Lukic was also voted 'Best Coach' during the 2019 VBA season.
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| A farewell poster for Thang Long Warriors’ coach Predrag Lukic. Photo: VBA |
“Due to personal future plans, coach Predrag Lukic will not be able to accompany the Thang Long Warriors team in future seasons. Thank you to coach Predrag Lukic for your achievements and dedication to the club over the past seasons. We wish you a lot of health and success in the future,” the Thang Long Warriors announced on its official Facebook page.
His friends, colleagues, and fans have also lauded his dedication to the team in the past five seasons.
“Thank you for the time, effort, and passion. It is an honor to have played for Thang Long Warriors under his guidance. Hope his new journey will be full of luck,” Tim Guers, the star scorer at the 2021 VBA, said in a message to fans.
“Thank you, coach Predrag Lukic. Wish you have a good new journey,” defender Hong Gia Lan said.
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| Coach Phan Thanh Canh. Photo: VBA |
The Danang Dragons also announced that they would part ways with their coach.
The central Vietnam-based team announced earlier this year that coach Phan Thanh Canh, the only Vietnamese coach in the VBA, would be leaving the team after four successful seasons at its helm.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that, due to personal reasons, coach Phan Thanh Canh will not be able to continue accompanying the Danang Dragons on its upcoming journey. Thank you coach Thanh Canh for all that you contributed to the Danang Dragons during your tenure. We wish coach Thanh Canh luck," the Danang Dragons said in an official announcement.
“Thank you for everything and we will forever be the family of Dragons,” said Le Dang Khoa, a.k.a. Shark Khoa, the owner of the Danang Dragons, in a message of gratitude for coach Thanh Canh’s contributions over the past years.
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| A farewell poster for Danang Dragons’ coach Phan Thanh Canh. Photo: VBA |
“Thank you coach Thanh Canh for so much dedication and for the achievements made for Da Nang basketball. We wish coach Thanh Canh a happy, energetic, and successful journey ahead,” a fan wrote.
The Thang Long Warriors and Danang Dragons both had relatively unsuccessful 2022 seasons at the VBA, with both being eliminated in the group stage of competition.
Both teams are expected to continue making changes to their leadership and staff during the off-season.
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