Pallacanestro Reggiana announce that it has reached a two-year deal with Dimitris Priftis, who will take on the role of head coach of the Red and White first team.
Born in Athens in 1968, the Greek has gained significant experience on the bench throughout his career both in his country and in Europe. His first stints as head coach come in Greece: in Kavala in 2010, then with Ikaros Kallitheas and Kolossos Rodi until he became head coach of Aris Thessaloniki in 2014. Here he stays until 2017 and in 2016 he won the award for the best coach of the Greek championship. In the summer of 2017, he signed in Russia with Unics Kazan, where he teams with current red-and-white GM Claudio Coldebella. He will stay for four seasons, always taking part in the Eurocup and qualifying for the Euroleague in his last year. In July 2021, he returned to his homeland by signing for Panathinaikos, playing in the Euroleague and winning the Greek Super Cup. Last season, until January, he was the coach of Tofas Bursa’s Turkish team and also took part in the Basketball Champions League.
These are the words of the red and white GM Claudio Coldebella: “I am very happy to welcome coach Priftis as the new coach of Pallacanestro Reggiana. I had the pleasure of working with him at Unics Kazan: it was three positive seasons full of satisfaction. I am sure that he is the ideal character for the new Reggio Emilia project: he will be the central lynchpin of our technical area, sharing all aspects of squad building and evaluating the most interesting prospects in our youth sector.”
New Pallacanestro Reggiana coach Dimitris Priftis commented: “I’m really grateful to join one of the most traditional organizations in the Italian league. I would like to thank President Bartoli and her partners San Pietro and Sassi and the club’s management for their trust. A new chapter in my career begins in a competitive and stimulating environment. I have a lot of respect for Italian basketball and its coaches, they produce top quality basketball and have tactical intelligence. This chance would not have been possible without the work of a great coach and a great person like Dragan Sakota. To our fans I say that together we will do our best to build the best possible team. And trying to get the satisfaction that the club, the city and the fans deserve. I will wait for you at PalaBigi!”
