Klubi i Basketbollit Trepça is a professional basketball club based in Mitrovica, Kosovo. The club competes domestically in the Kosovo Basketball Superleague and Kosovo Cup and internationally in the Fiba Europe Cup. It is one of the most successful clubs in Kosovo, Trepça has won seven National Championships, nine Kosovo Basketball Cups, three Kosovo Supercups, one Liga Unike and one Liga Unike Supercup.
History
Early years and successes in Yugoslavia (1940–1992) The origins of Trepça can be traced back to the 1940s when basketball started gaining popularity in Mitrovica. However, it wasn't until 1947 that the club was officially established. Initially, KB Trepça competed in local leagues and tournaments, gradually developing its reputation as a competitive team.
In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Trepça experienced its golden era. The club achieved numerous successes. Trepça won several regional titles and made their debut in the First B Federal Basketball League, the country's second-tier basketball competition, in the 1980s. The team consistently performed well and became known for its strong roster of talented players like Ferit Zekolli, Blerim Vuniqi, Vesko Pajović, Naim Hajrizi, Nusret Qubreli or George Dikeoulakos, and skilled coaching staff. In 1982–83, Trepça reached the eightfinals of the Yugoslav Basketball Cup but lost against Borac Čačak 85–91. In 1988–1989, Trepça once again reached the eightfinals but lost against Red Star Belgrade.
Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and the subsequent conflicts in the Balkans, Kosovo went through a turbulent period. KB Trepça, like many other institutions in the region, faced significant challenges and disruptions. The club's activities were severely impacted, and it took several years for basketball to regain stability in Kosovo.
Establishment of the Kosovo Basketball Federation (1992–1999) With the establishment of the Kosovo Basketball Federation in 1992, KB Trepça started competing in the Kosovo Basketball Superleague. KB Trepça won their first league title in the 1992/1993 season against KB Peja. The following year, Trepça reached the final once again but lost against Peja.
Years of dominance (1999–2002) Trepça won the Kosovo Basketball Superleague in 2000 and 2001. Furthermore, Trepça won the Kosovo Cup in 1999. The coach was Ahmet Behrami and notable players during this period were Ilir Selmani, Naim Hajrizi, Brahim Veseli, Artan Mehmeti, Eroll Pepiqi, Besim Braha, Fikret Hanxhiq, Edmond Raqa and many others. In the 2002 season Trepça lost the final against KB Prishtina.
New successes and rivalries (2002–2012) Trepça continued to be one of the dominant forces in Kosovan basketball by always reaching the play-offs and by winning the Kosovo Cup in 2004 with notable players like Igor Miličić, Haashim Simmons, Ylber Jusufi, Besim Braha, Fikret Hanxhiq, Ilir Selmani, Naim Haxha, Brahim Veseli etc. Trepça lost the finals in 2007 and 2010 against KB Prishtina. The 2010–11 season was a special season for Trepça where they played two local derbies against KB Mitrovica and KB Bambi who both were from Mitrovica. The following season Trepça won the Superleague 3–2 against Prishtina in the finals. In addition to that Trepça won the Kosovo Cup the same year. The roster was made by players like Jaleel Nelson, Drilon Hajrizi, Gazmend Asllani, Besnik Azemi, Fikret Hanxhiq, Arian Tahiri, Valdrin Haxhiu, Imer Tahiri, Emir Zimic and Luard Halili. Drilon Hajrizi became the MVP of 2011–12 Superleague season. During this period and especially after the 2012 finals the rivalry with Prishtina intensified.
Trepça's debut in a European competition and struggle for the play-offs in the Superleague (2012–2019) From 2012 to 2019 Trepça constantly placed 4th or 5th fighting for the play-offs in the Superleague. In 2014, 2016 and 2017 they reached the semi-finals but did not manage to go further. In 2016, Trepça made their debut in the Balkan International Basketball League where they won against Karpoš Sokoli, Feni Industries and Sutjeska. Nevertheless, they finished 5th, not making it into the play-offs.
Downfall and revival (2019–2023) In the 2019-20 Superleague season Trepça almost relegated after finishing 7th for the first time in their history. Trepça won against AS Prishtina in the play-out. The following season Trepça once again placed 7th. This time they faced Istogu in the play-out winning 193–155 in aggregate. Notable players were Drilon Hajrizi, Burim Zekiqi, Dino Butorac, Valdrin Haxhiu and Stavros Toutziarakis. Trepça started a reorganization in 2021 by signing several players like Andrew Gordon, Samir Zekiqi and Amin Hot. The new coach was Lumbomir Minchev. Trepça won the Kosovo Cup in 2022 after one decade by beating KB Bashkimi 76–62 in the final. On 3 March 2022 they signed former NBA-player Rodney Purvis who later became a key player. Trepça reached the final in the 2021-22 Superleague season but failed to win against Ylli.
In 2022–23, Trepça had a turbulent season and finished only fourth in the regular season, but managed to win the Kosovo Cup once again and secured another runners-up in the Superleague.
(2023–present) In 2023, Adis Bećiragić was appointed head coach of Trepça, marking a turning point in the club's modern history. Under his leadership, Trepça qualified for the FIBA Europe Cup regular season for the first time, representing a significant milestone for the club. In the group stage, Trepça competed against ZZ Leiden and BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque, but did not advance further.
The team's resurgence followed a remarkable transformation: Trepça had narrowly survived relegation for the first time in its history during the 2020–21 season, through the play-out rounds. Since then, the club reached four consecutive Kosovo Superleague finals, won back-to-back league championships (2023–24 and 2024–25), and secured all major domestic trophies. Players like Kevin Bracy-Davis, Drilon Hajrizi, Jordy Tshimanga etc. and especially Darnell Edge, the M.V.P. of 2024 Liga Unike and 2024 Kosovo Superleague, contributed to this huge success.
During this period, Trepça won four consecutive Kosovo Cup titles, including the 2025 edition, and captured the Kosovo Supercup in 2023 and 2024, marking two consecutive wins. The club also claimed the Liga Unike title for the first time in 2023–24, completing an unprecedented clean sweep of domestic and regional competitions.
Trepça has now competed for three seasons straight in European Competitions like FIBA Champions League and FIBA Europe Cup. Trepça became the first team from Kosovo to progress past a qualifying stage in the FIBA Champions League, defeating the Cypriot club Keravnos 82–79 in the 2024–25 season. This year marked the club's third consecutive season in European competitions.
Supporters & rivalries The main supporters of Trepça are Torcida Mitrovicë. The group is recognized for creating a strong home-court atmosphere at the club's home matches in Mitrovica. Founded in 1984, they are the oldest ethnic Albanian ultras.
Sigal Prishtina One of the most notable rivalries for Trepça is with Sigal Prishtina, another basketball club from Kosovo. Matches between Trepça and Sigal Prishtina often generate a lot of excitement and anticipation among fans. These two teams have a long-standing rivalry, and their matches are highly competitive and intense. The rivalry was the reason for several incidents between Trepça's supporters' group Torcida 1984 and Prishtina's supporters' group Plisat including violence and hooliganism.
KB Peja Another significant rivalry for Trepça is with KB Peja, another prominent basketball club from Kosovo. Matches between Trepça and Peja have historically been fierce and have attracted a lot of attention from fans. Both teams have had successful seasons and have often been in direct competition for titles and championships.
Arena
Trepça plays its home games at Salla e Sporteve Minatori, located in Mitrovica.
The arena currently has a seating capacity of approximately 4,500 spectators after several renovations from the club, including latest addition of retractable seats, and the arena serves as one of the most prominent basketball venues in Kosovo. In addition to domestic league and cup matches, the arena has hosted Superleague finals and European competition games.
The venue is widely noted for its intense atmosphere during high-profile matches, particularly in playoff and rivalry games.
European record Season Competition Round Club Home Away 2022–23 FIBA Europe Cup BG Göttingen 62–762023–24FIBA Europe Cup Qualifying round Tindastóll 77–69 Pärnu Sadam 77–67 Regular season Leiden 54–84 76–80 Gravelines-Dunkerque 76–68 49–83 2024–25 Champions League Keravnos 82–79 Nymburk 78–842024–25FIBA Europe CupRegular season Riesen Ludwigsburg 57–70 54–87 Caledonia Gladiators 76–80 20–0 Dijon 84–89 73–1182025–26Champions League Heroes Den Bosch 68–802025–26FIBA Europe CupRegular season PAOK 75–77 74–85 Löwen Braunschweig 70–84 70–80 Anwil Włocławek 87–97 78–96
Players
Current roster
Depth chart
Honors and titles Domestic Kosovo Superleague Winners (7): 1992–93, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2011–12, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26 Runners-up (6): 1993–94, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2021–22, 2022–23
Kosovo Cup Winners (9): 1993, 2000, 2004, 2012, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Runners-up (2): 2005, 2010
Kosovo Supercup Winners (3): 2002, 2023, 2024 Runners-up (2): 2021, 2022
Regional Liga Unike Winners (1): 2023–24
Liga Unike Supercup Winners (1): 2022
Season by season KB Trepça (2015–2025) SeasonsDivisionPos.Play offsKosovo CupLiga UnikeKosovo SupercupEuropean competitions2015-1614thSemifinalsQuarterfinals———2016-1714thSemifinalsSemifinalsBalkan League2017-1815th—Quarterfinals—2018-1915thQuarterfinalsQuarterfinals2019-2017thPostponed—2020-2117th Play Out(Win) Quarterfinals2021-2212ndRunner-up Champion -Runner-up2022–2314thRunner-upChampionPostponedRunner-up FIBA Europe Cup QF 2023–2411stChampionChampionChampionChampion Champions League QF/FIBA Europe Cup RS2024–2512ndChampionChampionDid not participateChampion Champions League QF/FIBA Europe Cup RS
Notable players
Herion Faslija Klein Strazimiri Ersid Lucaj Sammy Hunter Kregg Jones Jasenko Elezović Edin Nurkanović Dinko Pelto Nedžad Spahić Marko Zorz Charles Manga Jordy Tshimanga Davor Halbauer Davor Kurilić Jure Lonzančić Igor Miličić Devon van Oostrum Mustapha Amzil Gazmend Asllani Besim Braha Drilon Hajrizi Naim Haxha Valdrin Haxhiu Fikret Hanxhiq Esat Ibrahimi Dardan Kapiti Erjon Kastrati Musab Mala Besim Maxhuni Artan Mehmeti Eroll Pepiqi Edmon Raqa Vigan Raqa Ilir Selmani Bekim Syla Arian Tahiri Besnik Tupella Burim Zekiqi Samir Zekiqi Amin Hot Mikaile Tmusiq Ylber Jusufi Muhamed Thaçi Shawn Jones Dime Tasovski Axel Mpoyo John Gardiner Junior Madut Álvaro Calvo Jan Orfila Jamel Artis Ken Brown Will Daniels Darnell Edge Darren Fenn Rodney Purvis Jaleel Nelson Dennis Mims Vesko Pajović Nusret Qubreli Blerim Vuniqi Ferit Zekolli
Coaching history
CoachYears active Ferit Zekolli1991–1993 Ahmet Behrami1999–2001 Senad Spuzanin2001–2003 Čedomir Perinčić2003–2004 Ahmet Behrami2004–2006 Naim Hajrizi2006–2008 Aleksander Sarkanj2008–2009 Saša Katalinić2009–2010 Ilir Selmani2011–2012 Neven Plantak2012–2013 Mika Turunen2013 Panče Milevski2013 Israel Martín2013–2014 Izet Tahiri2014–2015 Neven Plantak2015–2016 Dimitris Papadopoulos2016–2017 Ilir Selmani2017–2019 Serhat Sehit2020–2021 Lyubomir Minchev2021–2022 Aleksandar Jončevski2022–2023 Engin Gençoglu2023 Adis Bećiragić2023–present
See also KF Trepça (football) KH Trepça (handball)
Notes and references Notes
References
External links KB Trepça - Profile Eurobasket.com KB Trepça official Facebook