Ioannis Diamantakos appointed Azerbaijan women's basketball coach

Ioannis Diamantakos has been appointed head coach of Azerbaijan's women's basketball national team and coordinator of the country's women's national teams across all age groups.

The Azerbaijan Basketball Federation has signed the Greek coach to a two-year contract. Diamantakos most recently served as head coach of Saudi Arabia's “AlUla” club.

He previously worked as technical coordinator at the Lebanese Basketball Federation and coached Lebanon's senior women's national team as well as its U18 boys' and girls' teams. He has also led the senior men's national team of Palestine and Romania's U20 squad.

Diamantakos's club career has included teams in Greece, Romania, Palestine and Saudi Arabia. His achievements include silver medals in Division B of the FIBA Asia Cup and the U18 WABA tournament, a Palestinian Basketball League title and two league championships in Greece.

The head coach, who holds a PhD in psychology, will aim to help Azerbaijan deliver a competitive performance in the preliminary qualifying round for the 2029 Women's European Championship, scheduled for November 2026 and February 2027.