Košarkarski klub Zlatorog Laško, commonly referred to as KK Zlatorog or simply Zlatorog, is a Slovenian professional basketball club, which is based in Laško.
History
The club was established in 1969. During the initial years the club was competing under the name KK Laško. In 1972 they changed to KK Zlatorog Laško. In 1994, the club got name KK Pivovarna Laško. A year before that, the town Laško 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 1B Division, the club qualified to the Premier A Slovenian League. 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 them Mileta Lisica. The very first season in the league was concluded in third place, and the club qualified for the European Cup for the next season. At the beginning of the season the club acquired Ervin Dragšič and Miljan Goljović. In the 1997–98 season, the club repeated its ranking in the National Championship, and qualified in the National Cup Finals which was lost against Olimpija. In the European Cup Competition, the club competed in the group with Fenerbahçe 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 by Tofaş S.K.. 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 Playoff and the Cup finals. After the victory over AEK Athens, the club defeated the Polish champions Śląsk Wrocław and the French club Cholet Basket. This took them to the quarter finals of the Saporta Cup, where they had to yield to Aris. The 1999–2000 season was difficult for the club, but it also meant the final establishment of the club on the European scene. In the EuroLeague, the club competed in the group with the Italian championBenetton Treviso, Maccabi Tel Aviv, ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, Olympiacos Piraeus and Ülker. They defeated Olympiacos and Ülker. In the second round, the opponents were Cibona Zagreb, Fortitudo Bologna and Efes Pilsen. This was a further promotion and an important experience for the club. In the domestic league, the club displayed the best games so far, and ended the regular part of the Championship in the first place. This effective finish of the regular part of the season fuelled the hopes of Aleš Pipan and his club for the final victory in the playoffs, but in the last game before the playoffs the injuries of three key players, Mileta Lisica, Gregor Hafnar and Boštjan Nachbar, abruptly terminated the dreams about the champion title. The team lost the playoff finals against Krka. In the Cup final, the club once more played against Olimpija, but lost again. The club underwent sizeable changes at the end of the season. The head coach Aleš Pipan was replaced by Boris Zrinski, who was also the head coach of the national team. Several players left the club, among them Miljan Goljović, Gregor Hafnar, Aleš Kunc, Vid Žarković and Boštjan Nachbar. The performances of new recruitment, with the exemption of Slavko Duščak, were not satisfactory. Senior selection was also joined by a group of junior players Dejan Dunovič, Aljaž Fantinatto, Hudohmet, Ambrož and Djulović. The National Championship was concluded in fourth place, and in the National Cup, the club was eliminated in the quarterfinals. In the Saporta Cup the club did not qualify among the 16 best. Due to such modest performance, the management of the club decided to renew the team with younger players, so Lisica, Dragšič, Eržen, Udrih, Ovčina and Nakić left the club. The position of head coach was taken by Predrag Kruščić, and Ante Perica became his assistant. The captain of the team became Goran Jurak. There were also changes in the management: after 22 years of heading the club, the former president Jože Sadar handed his position over to Boško Šrot, while the new chairman of the management board became Miro Firm.
Current roster
''The numbers are established according to the official website:
