After the defeat at Syntainics MBC, EWE Baskets Oldenburg have parted ways with head coach Pedro Calles. With Mladen Drijencic, an old acquaintance is now taking over until the end of the season.
EWE Baskets Oldenburg have reacted to their poor start to the season and fired head coach Pedro Calles. The club from Lower Saxony announced the news on Monday afternoon. Oldenburg had previously lost 77:92 at MBC on Sunday – after being knocked out of the cup by newly promoted Frankfurt and suffering a bitter defeat against Alba Berlin, this is already the third painful defeat in the young season.
Managing director Herrmann Schüller explains the decision to part ways with the Spaniard, who was brought from Hamburg to the Hunte in 2022, as follows: “Pedro is a very ambitious coach who is fully committed to his task. That’s why this step is not easy for us. However, we have concerns about the development. The cup exit in Frankfurt and how this defeat came about hit us hard. With the exception of the semi-final victory at the Top Four 2023, we weren’t there when it mattered in a few knockout situations,” explained Schüller, adding: ‘That’s why we’ve come to the conclusion that we need to give the team new momentum. The season is still young and we can still achieve a lot because the team has the potential.’
Drijencic led Oldenburg to the cup victory
His successor is also one of his predecessors: Mladen Drijencic was already head coach of the club in Lower Saxony until spring 2022, when he had to resign after a series of defeats. The former youth coach took over the Oldenburg team for the first time in 2015 and led them to cup victory and to the final of the BBL during his approximately seven-year term of office.
After most recently working in Bayreuth and returning to the Oldenburg youth program before the season, he will now take over the BBL team again until the end of the season: “We asked Mladen if he can and wants to help us. His main task will now be to inspire the players emotionally. Mladen has a wealth of basketball expertise, a wealth of experience and he knows how to reach the players,” says Schüller, explaining the decision in favor of the old acquaintance. He will be on the sidelines for the first time next Sunday, when the team plays against Niners Chemnitz.