| KK Zlatorog Laško | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Leagues | Slovenian First League | ||
| Founded | 1969; 56 years ago (1969) (asKK Laško) | ||
| Arena | Tri Lilije Hall | ||
| Capacity | 2,500 | ||
| Location | Laško, Slovenia | ||
| Team colors | White, green | ||
| Main sponsor | Laško Brewery | ||
| President | Bojan Špiler | ||
| Head coach | Nejc Kobal | ||
| Championships | 1Slovenian Cup 1Alpe Adria Cup | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Košarkarski klub Zlatorog Laško (English:Zlatorog Laško Basketball Club), commonly referred to asKK Zlatorog or simplyZlatorog, is a Slovenian basketball club based inLaško that competes in theSlovenian First League, the top flight of Slovenian basketball. The team play their home games at theTri Lilije Hall.
The club was established in 1969.[1] During the initial years the club was competing under the nameKK Laško. In 1972 they renamed asKK Zlatorog Laško, and in 1994 asKK Pivovarna Laško. A year before that, the town ofLaško started the construction of a new modern sports hall which prompted rapid expansion of basketball in the town. The management also renewed the playing potential of the club, and in the 1995–96 season, after two years of competing in the second division, the club qualified for theSlovenian top division.Aleš Pipan replaced the former coach Andrej Žagar, and on the other hand, the players headed by Matjaž Tovornik were joined by new reinforcements, among themMileta Lisica.
In the first season in the top division, the club finished in third place, and also qualified for the European Cup for the next season. At the beginning of the season the club acquired Ervin Dragšič andMiljan Goljović. In the 1997–98 season, the club once again finished third in the national league, and also reached theSlovenian Basketball Cup final, which they lost againstUnion Olimpija.[2] In the European Cup, Zlatorog competed in the group withFenerbahçe Ülker,Le Mans,Rīgas ASK,Idea Śląsk Wrocław and ICEC, and finished the qualification games in the 1/16 finals, when the team was defeated byTofaş.
The 1998–99 season was one of the most successful in the club's history. On the domestic scene, the club completely matched the potential of the leading domestic club who was already well-established in the European competitions, and qualified for both the playoffs and the cup finals. After the victory overAEK Athens, the club defeated the Polish champions Śląsk Wrocław and the French clubCholet Basket. This took them to the quarter-finals of theSaporta Cup, where they lost toAris.
The 1999–2000 season was difficult for the club, but it also meant the final establishment of the club on the European scene. In theEuroLeague, the club competed in the group with the Italian championsBenetton Treviso,Maccabi Tel Aviv,ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne,Olympiacos Piraeus andÜlker. They defeated Olympiacos and Ülker. In the second round, they played againstCibona Zagreb,Fortitudo Bologna andEfes Pilsen. In the domestic league, the club ended the regular season in first place. However, in the last game before the playoffs, the injuries of three key players, Mileta Lisica, Gregor Hafnar andBoštjan Nachbar, abruptly terminated the dreams about the national title. The team lost the playoff finals againstKrka.[3] In the cup final, the club once again played against Olimpija, and lost.[2] After the season, the club underwent sizeable changes. The head coach Aleš Pipan was replaced by Boris Zrinski, who was also the head coach of the national team.[4] Several players left the club, among them Miljan Goljović, Gregor Hafnar, Aleš Kunc, Vid Žarković and Boštjan Nachbar.
League
Cup
| Season | Tier | Division | Pos. | Postseason | National cup | International competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–92 | 3 | 2 .SKL – East | 3 | — | First round | — |
| 1992–93 | 3 | 2 .SKL – East | 4 | — | Quarterfinals | — |
| 1993–94 | 3 | 2. SKL | 1 | Promoted | Third round | — |
| 1994–95 | 2 | 2. A SKL | 3 | — | Second round | — |
| 1995–96 | 2 | 2. A SKL | 2 | Promoted | Fourth round | — |
| 1996–97 | 1 | 1. SKL | 3 | Semifinals | Fourth round | — |
| 1997–98 | 1 | 1. SKL | 3 | Semifinals | Runners-up | EuroCup round of 32 |
| 1998–99 | 1 | 1. SKL | 2 | Runners-up | Runners-up | Saporta Cup quarterfinals |
| 1999–00 | 1 | 1. SKL | 1 | Runners-up | Runners-up | Euroleague group stage |
| 2000–01 | 1 | 1. SKL | 4 | Semifinals | Quarterfinals | Saporta Cup group stage |
| 2001–02 | 1 | 1. SKL | 3 | Semifinals | Semifinals | Korać Cup semifinals Adriatic League semifinals |
| 2002–03 | 1 | 1. SKL | 3 | Semifinals | Semifinals | ULEB Cup round of 16 Adriatic League 8th |
| 2003–04 | 1 | 1. SKL | 2 | Runners-up | Winners | Adriatic League 6th |
| 2004–05 | 1 | 1. SKL | 2 | Semifinals | Runners-up | ULEB Cup group stage Adriatic League 9th |
| 2005–06 | 1 | 1. SKL | 5 | — | Runners-up | Adriatic League 14th |
| 2006–07 | 1 | 1. SKL | 4 | Semifinals | Fifth round | — |
| 2007–08 | 1 | 1. SKL | 4 | Semifinals | Quarterfinals | EuroCup elimination round 2 |
| 2008–09 | 1 | 1. SKL | 4 | Semifinals | Quarterfinals | EuroChallenge 1QR |
| 2009–10 | 1 | 1. SKL | 7 | — | Runners-up | — |
| 2010–11 | 1 | 1. SKL | 4 | Semifinals | Semifinals | — |
| 2011–12 | 1 | 1. SKL | 4 | Semifinals | Semifinals | Adriatic League 14th |
| 2012–13 | 1 | Liga Telemach | 4 | Semifinals | Fourth round | — |
| 2013–14 | 1 | Liga Telemach | 5 | Quarterfinals | Fifth round | — |
| 2014–15 | 1 | Liga Telemach | 4 | Quarterfinals | Runners-up | — |
| 2015–16 | 1 | Liga Telemach | 2 | Runners-up | Semifinals | FIBA Europe Cup group stage Alpe Adria Cup runners-up |
| 2016–17 | 1 | Liga Nova KBM | 4 | Semifinals | Semifinals | Alpe Adria Cup semifinals |
| 2017–18 | 1 | Liga Nova KBM | 10 | Promotion/relegation playoff | Quarterfinals | Alpe Adria Cup winners |
| 2018–19 | 1 | Liga Nova KBM | 8 | Quarterfinals | Fourth round | — |
