Mirko Novosel is one of the greatest coaches in international basketball history, an expert who literally developed and dreamed, lived and created basketball.

He was the one who "discovered" America, in the year 1972, in order to, either alone or with his basketball club or national teams, keep coming back to the homeland of this beautiful game since then. First he interconnected, and over the course of time, brought closer two planetary distant basketball worlds.

During the summer of 1975, he met his age mate and future great friend, Dave Gavitt. They were leading rival Yugoslavian and American national teams at a game in Buffalo, New York. They were drawn together by similar basketball views, similar development paths, similar tempers and characters, fact that Dave was, according to Mirko, an "American with European way of thinking." Gavitt became Mirko's tight bond with basketball motherland, where the Croatian coach regularly led his players on autumn "school tours" from 1977 to 1984. It is unfortunate that because of the American boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, the US team never performed part of their preparations in Mirko's home town of Zagreb, as Mirko and Dave planned. Even the time was agreed upon, but everything collapsed, and therefore a chance for Gavitt to make history as a coach of an Olympic national team also failed.

Natural born super-organizer, Novosel had the magnificent ability of leading the national team, and Cibona afterwards, to become a European champion of basketball, thus becoming one of the most remarkable basketball experts in the world. In 1985, he was officially declared the very best European coach (in the first election, in Spanish city of Cadiz).

Mirko Novosel directed some of the greatest triumphs of Zagreb's basketball club, from the first Yugoslavian champion title in 1982 to the European team champion title in 1985. Under Mirko's leadership, both on the bench or in the managerial armchair, the "Wolfs" from the city of Zagreb won 14 trophies from 1980 to 1988!

During Mirko's 14 first-league seasons in the Yugoslavian league in the role of coach, Cibona was never under fifth place at the scale. He became a phenomenon of its own kind since he led more national teams (Yugoslavian, Croatian, Belgian, and European) than basketball clubs (he only lead Cibona and first-league basketball club from Naples for two seasons) during his whole career. With Zagreb's "Wolfs" he inscribed 227 league wins and 113 defeats in 340 games.

As a chief of expert headquarters and as a sport director in Cibona, he participated in winning all six championships between 1992 and 1997.

In 1989 he made miracles even in Naples, a city obsessed with soccer because of the great soccer player Maradona; everyone started to show interest in basketball and because of that he received Oscar for the Coach of the Year in Italy.

He led the Yugoslavian national team to its first cadet title (1971, win against USSR and Italy), then youth title (1972, again win against USSR and Italy), and senior European champion (Barcelona, 1973, win against Spain). He won the silver medal at the World Championships in Puerto Rico in 1974 as a coach (win against USSR and loss to USA), and one year later, he defeated the USSR in the European championship finals in Belgrade. In Montreal, he won the Olympic silver medal and disabled great finals against the USA and USSR. He defeated Russians in the semifinals and played for a gold medal against the US.

He officially led cadet and junior Yugoslavian national team 31 times and achieved - 31 wins.

He made his debut as the lead of senior national team in the 1973, by overcoming USSR. He managed to make a "Yugoslavian complex" which was impossible up-to-then because of entire epoch of the country's defeats. Novosel in his five-year mandate coached cadet, junior, and senior national teams (from 1971 to 1976) and he never lost a game against USSR (ratio 11-0).

Mirko Novosel was also a director of the Yugoslavian national team which became Olympic champion in Moscow; then coach of the national team which won bronze medal in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles he comprised his magnificent score as a coach at the head of Yugoslavian class: 130 games, 110 wins and only 20 defeats.

As a director, he took the Croatian national team to its first Olympics in Barcelona and led them to historical finals with the original "Dream Team." He also led Croatia to its first medal at the European championships as a main coach (bronze medal in Germany, 1993), and as a national team director he significantly contributed to the very first Croatian medal at the Worlds Championships (third place in Canada, 1994).

Yugoslavian and Croatian national teams with Mirko on, or near the bench, as a coach, selector, and director, never ran out of medal contention in elite competitions, Olympics, World, or European championships.

Mirko Novosel, one of the best international figures in the long history of election for the Basketball Hall of Fame, is also special for coaching three of five European basketball players who are included in the club of everlasting legends in Springfield. Novosel coached Krešimir Cosic for 7 years, and Dražen Petrovic as well as Dražen Dalipagic for 5 years.

Mirko Novosel is one of the few European coaches about whom a book was published and on its presentation different generations of basketball heroes from all over the world were gathered, the biggest hall of the primmest Zagreb hotel was entirely fulfilled, and that event was recorded as an exceptional public event.

Mirko Novosel had pleasure and honors that his friends - members of Basketball Hall of Fame: Dave Gavitt, Borislav Stankovic, and Aleksandar Gomelski wrote a prologue for the book.

"Mirko Novosel's coaching opus is extremely impressive. On every step of club basketball, as a coach in a cadet, junior, senior national teams, he was the winner. In this matter he showed his unique abilities as for individual development of his players so for integrating their talents into team at the highest level. He isn't only one of the best European coaches; he would be as good as if he were coaching in the USA or in any other part of the world. Because of his records and achievements he deserves to be elected for the Basketball Hall of Fame. The question is not if this is going to happen, but when is it going to happen!" Dave Gavitt had no doubts.

"When we are talking about Mirko as a coach, there is one thing that should be pointed out: he created mighty Cibona. Not only as a top-grade European team, but as a great European basketball club. Cibona was first Yugoslavian team with professional relations; that kind of professionalism in sport existed only in the mightiest soccer teams. Novosel persisted on professional relations regarding basketball and that decision appears to be winning recipe even in club basketball. Cibona sealed the fate of European basketball during middle eighties of the last century, led by splendid strategist Mirko Novosel and ingenious basketball player Dražen Petrovic. They were European champions twice. Deservedly!" as Borislav Stankovic, longstanding FIBA's secretary-general, pointed out.

"Except that he was extremely courageous coach, one of rare who joined a whole group of young, unformed players into the strongest Yugoslavian national team, he was also an excellent psychologist. He had confidence in his players. Mirko forced way of play which was considerably different than Soviet's way of play, and also than up-to-than Yugoslavian basketball model. He never came up with being coach - dictator, he never discomforted players' individuality, on the contrary, he insisted on it. From old Yugoslavian school he kept only good things: thorough and excellently planned preparations! There are no top-grade results without that segment. Novosel knew that very well… I will finish this prologue with statement I never said before: Mirko Novosel is the first European coach who deserved to coach in NBA league! If you take a look of the best NBA coaches… Mirko is just like them!", deceased Aleksandar Gomelski, stated sincerely, thrilled by Mirko's reasoning, his culture, education, and not only sport knowledge.

Great Toni Kukoc set out plenty compliments for Mirko:
"Mirko Novosel was, without doubt, the greatest professional in Yugoslavian, and afterwards in Croatian basketball. He was world-class organizer: everything functioned faultlessly when Mirko was at the head of preparations, tours, and great competitions. Everything, down to the smallest detail, was planned. I saw that later only in glorious, unique Chicago Bulls, with who I won three champion NBA rings!"

Mirko Novosel - the very best choice for Basketball Hall of Fame in all respects...

Zoran Kovacevic is the author of Zlatna Kosarka Mirka Novosela.