Who are the most successful coaches in modern EuroLeague Women history?

MUNICH (Germany) - Having confirmed the EuroLeague Women all-time leaders on the court, it's time to turn to the leading modern era EuroLeague Women coaches.

Starting from the 1996-97 season, the playcallers have been ranked on what matters most - the number of titles won, followed by appearances in the Final of the competition and then their number of visits to Final Four.

You can also see the full list of coaches who have stepped out with their teams at the prestigious event and won the title in our table below.

10. Pokey CHATMAN 

Birth Date: June 18, 1969
Nationality: USA

Titles Won: 1 
Final Appearances: 2
Final Four Appearances: 2

Final Four Record: Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje - 1st (2010); Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje - 2nd (2011)

The American took the famous Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje to the last of their epic four consecutive titles in 2010, when the club eased past Final Four hosts Ros Casares in front of almost 8,000 fans. Janel McCarville weighed in with a big double-double to help get the job done for the juggernauts. A year later, Chatman took her team back to the Final, but couldn't make it five straight for the Russians, as they lost to Avenida. Although in the defense of the coach, they had seen some significant changes to the roster, including the departure of Diana Taurasi. Chatman is also known for her extensive WNBA career with both the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever.

9. Igor GRUDIN

Birth Date: June 15, 1945
Nationality: RUS

Titles Won: 1 
Final Appearances: 2
Final Four Appearances: 3

Final Four Record: VBM-SGAU 1st (2005); BC Volgaburmash - 2nd (2006); BC Volgaburmash - 3rd (2007)

It was almost a sensational double for Grudin back in 2005 when the incumbent Russian national team coach oversaw VBM-SGAU get crowned EuroLeague Women champions for the first time. That joy was almost doubled a couple of months later, when despite a couple of early bumps in the road in the tournament, he took Russia to the Final of the FIBA Women's EuroBasket. Only they were ultimately pipped by Czech Republic. The EuroLeague Women trophy was facilitated by a stacked roster including Maria Stepanova, Ann Wauters, Edwige Lawson-Wade and Ilona Korstin. The following season, Grudin and BC Volgaburmash were unable to defend their title as they unexpectedly lost to Gambrinus Brno.

9. Jan BOBROVSKY

Birth Date: March 29, 1945
Nationality: CZE

Titles Won: 1 
Final Appearances: 3
Final Four Appearances: 4

Final Four Record: Gambrinus Brno - 4th (2001); Gambrinus Brno - 3rd (2003); Gambrinus Brno - 2nd (2005); Gambrinus Brno - 1st (2006)

The veteran coach handed Gambrinus Brno their finest hour in 2006, when they completed their quest to finally take the title after previously coming fourth, third and second in the previous years. Bobrovsky was able to call upon the Czech duo Hana Horakova and Eva Viteckova to lead the way in the Final against a star-laden BC Volgaburmash, but it was perhaps the unlikely source of Nykesha Sales off the bench that proved the difference on a glorious night for the club. The success came less than a year after Bobrovsky had taken an unbeaten Czech Republic to the top of the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2005 podium to overcome Russia and Igor Grudin in what was a classic 72-70 contest.

7. Roberto INIGUEZ

Birth Date: September 5, 1967
Nationality: ESP

Titles Won: 1 
Final Appearances: 5
Final Four Appearances: 6

Final Four Record: Ros Casares - 1st (2012); Fenerbahce - 2nd (2013); Fenerbahce - 2nd (2014); Nadezhda - 2nd (2016); Sopron Basket - 2nd (2018); Sopron Basket - 4th (2019) 

Even if winning one of five Finals might appear slightly underwhelming, the fact he has taken two underdog teams to the title game in the tournament tells a story. That was Nadezhda in 2016 and perhaps even more of a surprise, Sopron Basket two years later. An expert EuroLeague Women navigator, Iniguez was unsuccessful twice in the Final with Fenerbahce, but did famously lead Ros Casares to their first ever winners' trophy in 2012 at what was also a first ever Final Eight. It was a combination of Ann Wauters, Silvia Dominguez and Sancho Lyttle that catapulted Ros past fellow Spanish side CB Rivas in the Final.

6. Miguel MENDEZ

Birth Date: March 2, 1967
Nationality: ESP

Titles Won: 2
Final Appearances: 3
Final Four Appearances: 3

Final Four Record: CB Rivas - 2nd (2012); UMMC Ekaterinburg - 1st (2018); UMMC Ekaterinburg - 1st (2019) 

Had the coronavirus not put a premature end to the 2019-20 season, then the UMMC playcaller may well have found himself taking second spot in the list and becoming only the second person in modern history to register a third title. We will never know, but that will be the aim of the favorites and holders as usual, when the next campaign gets underway. The Spanish coach is also searching for three in a row, having recorded his first title in 2018 by beating Sopron as Emma Meesseman showed her class against Sopron. On the same court 12 months later, UMMC defended their title by beating Dynamo Kursk. Mendez originally made his mark in the competition by taking CB Rivas to the 2012 Final against all expectations. 

=4. Olivier HIRSCH 

Birth Date: March 17, 1964
Nationality: FRA

Titles Won: 2
Final Appearances: 3
Final Four Appearances: 4

Final Four Record: Bourges Basket - 1st (1997); Bourges Basket - 2nd (2000); Bourges Basket -1st (2001); Bourges Basket - 4th (2003) 

The greatest nights for the famous French club Bourges Basket came when Hirsch was in situ. His first of two trophies came in 1997 when he had to step up from Assistant for the Final Four to cover for Vadim Kapranov who sadly had to depart due to a family tragedy. Bourges beat German outfit Goldzack Wuppertal in what was the first Final of the 'Modern Era', with a one-two punch from Cathy Melain and Isabelle Fijalkowski. Kapranov returned to ensure that Bourges made it back to back titles in 1998 and in 2001, Hirsch took the baton and landed his second title. There was something extra sweet too, since Bourges beat big domestic rivals US Valenciennes Olympic 73-71 in a thriller. Melain starred again, with a nice cameo from Nicole Antibe.

=4. Lucas MONDELO

Birth Date: July 28, 1967
Nationality: ESP

Titles Won: 2
Final Appearances: 3
Final Four Appearances: 4

Final Four Record: Halcon Avenida - 1st (2011); Dynamo Kursk - 1st (2017); Dynamo Kursk - 3rd (2018); Dynamo Kursk - 2nd (2019) 

Lucas Mondelo masterminded one of the biggest surprises in tournament history during 2011. He took Halcon Avenida to the title on Russian soil to prevent the powerhouse Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje from extending their historic winning streak to five titles in a row. That team was led by Alba Torrens, Silvia Dominguez and Sancho Lyttle in the Final on what is still the most famous and memorable day in the history of the Salamanca based club. Six years later, Mondelo took Dynamo Kursk to a maiden title, with Angel McCoughtry, Nneka Ogwumike and Epiphanny Prince all instrumental in taking down Fenerbahce in the Final. Meanwhile Mondelo has combined his EuroLeague Women success with a string of titles and historical firsts while holding the coaching reins of the Spanish national team.

3. Olaf LANGE

Birth Date: March 30, 1972
Nationality: GER

Titles Won: 2
Final Appearances: 3
Final Four Appearances: 5

Final Four Record: UMMC Ekaterinburg - 1st (2013); UMMC Ekaterinburg - 3rd (2014); UMMC Ekaterinburg - 2nd (2015);UMMC Ekaterinburg - 1st (2016); UMMC Ekaterinburg - 3rd (2017) 

There will be those who might push the case for the German playcaller to have underachieved and that two titles was not the required return for a club that invested so heavily in its roster during the time Lange was at the helm. However, it is also fair to point out that UMMC had only managed one previous title in their history and he ended an agonizing decade-long drought. The team of 2013 handed the legendary Maria Stepanova another title, with Candace Parker and Sandrine Gruda immense in the Final as UMMC swept aside Fenerbahace. Losing the title on their home court in 2014 was painful and so was being shocked by Praha in the 2015 title game. They were almost stung by Nadezhda in 2016 in Istanbul, but UMMC and Lange got it done and scraped a hard-fought win off the back of typically stellar work from Diana Taurasi.

2. Laurent BUFFARD

Birth Date: August 29, 1963
Nationality: FRA

Titles Won: 2 
Final Appearances: 4
Final Four Appearances: 6

Final Four Record: US Olympic Valenciennes - 2nd (2001); US Olympic Valenciennes - 1st (2002); US Olympic Valenciennes - 2nd (2003); US Olympic Valenciennes - 1st (2004); US Olympic Valenciennes - 3rd (2006); UMMC Ekaterinburg - 3rd (2008) 

The French coach propelled US Olympic Valenciennes to four appearances in the Final of the competition, with his side winning two and losing two. The team that handed him his first silverware in 2002 was founded on someone still playing to this day in the shape of Ann Wauters, while there was also brilliance from Allison Feaster-Strong and Edwige Lawson-Wade. Two years later, Buffard had another trophy in the cabinet and with Wauters outstanding again, Sandra La Drean and Audrey Sauret-Gillespie stepped up in a big way to help their team stroll past Pecs.

1. Natalia HEJKOVA

Birth Date: April 7, 1954
Nationality: SVK

Titles Won: 5
Final Appearances: 5
Final Four Appearances: 11

Final Four Record: SCP Ruzomberok - 3rd (1997); SCP Ruzomberok - 1st (1999); SCP Ruzomberok - 1st (2000); SCP Ruzomberok - 4th (2002); Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje - 1st (2007); Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje - 1st (2008); ZVVZ USK Praha - 1st (2015); ZVVZ USK Praha - 4th (2016); ZVVZ USK Praha - 4th (2017); ZVVZ USK Praha - 3rd (2018); ZVVZ USK Praha - 3rd (2019) 

The FIBA Hall of Famer is a legend of the competition and that is obvious from her number of titles and the staggering longevity she has shown at the elite level. With two decades separating her first and most recent appearances at the Final Four, Hejkova brings a stunning record of still being unbeaten when her teams compete in the title game itself. Her first came in 1999 with SCP Ruzomberok and they defended it a year later, fuelled by what was an almost exclusively Slovakian side, led by the likes of Elena Marencikova and Zuzana Zirkova. The playcaller also delivered two of the titles won during the still unprecedented four in a row by Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje, a side containing Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Tina Thompson. While perhaps most impressively, taking Praha to success as an absolute underdog during 2015, helped by Sonja Vasic, Danielle Robinson and Final Four MVP, Kia Vaughn.. 

Modern Era Final Four Coaches: Winners

Rank	Name	Nationality	Titles	Finals	Final Fours
1.	Natalia Hejkova	SVK	5	5	11
2.	Laurent Buffard	FRA	2	4	6
3.	Olaf Lange	GER	2	3	5
=4.	Lucas Mondelo	ESP	2	3	4
=4.	Olivier Hirsch	FRA	2	3	4
6.	Miguel Mendez	ESP	2	3	3
7.	Roberto Iniguez	ESP	1	5	6
8.	Jan Bobrovsky	CZE	1	3	4
9.	Igor Grudin	RUS	1	2	3
10.	Pokey Chatman	USA	1	2	2
11.	Laszlo Ratgeber	HUN	1	1	4
12.	Ekrem Memnun	TUR	1	1	3
=13.	Vadim Kapranov	RUS	1	1	1
=13.	Zoran Visic	SRB	1	1	1

FIBA