CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis has been named the 2016-17 VTB United League Coach of the Year. He received his award today in Moscow prior to Game 1 of the playoff semifinals against Lokomotiv-Kuban. League president Sergey Kushchenko was at the game to present Itoudis with the award.
Dimitris Itoudis led CSKA to a 1st-place regular season finish and a 22-2 record. The Army Men led the League in points scored per game (93.9) and were 2nd in points allowed (74.3).
This is the 4th season the League has recognized the top coach. Khimki’s Rimas Kurtinaitis was the first to receive the award. Other winners have included Dimitris Itoudis and Zenit’s Vasily Karasev.
– I’d like to thank the League for the recognition and award, – noted Itoudis. – This trophy is technically an individual award and bears my name, but it really belongs to many names and families beginning with management, including Andrei (Vatutin), Natalia (Furaeva) and Andrei (Shchepankov), who’ve worked with us and invited me here; all my assistants–Andreas (Pistiolis), Darryl (Middleton), Anton (Yudin), Kostas (Chatsichristos), Denis (Godlevsky) and Evgeny (Burin)–and finally, but no less important, I want to thank the players, without whom nothing would be possible. I want to thank everyone I mentioned for the role they played. Finally, thank you to the fans for their help. I look with optimism to the future. I’m confident their number will only increase.
