BRATISLAVA - The task of steering the Slovak Basketball Association (SBA) into calmer waters and to a more prosperous era has been handed to new President Pavel Bagin.

He was inaugurated at last weekend's General Assembly of the Federation, which took place in the Slovak Republic capital of Bratislava.

Receiving the overwhelming support of delegates, Bagin was given 78 of the 100 votes and a clear mandate to lead the SBA through some of their recent and still present challenges.

The ex-head coach of former team Matador Bratislava brings direct experience of the game and is also a successful entrepreneur in the business world where he runs his own company.

Upon his appointment, Bagin told the assembled media that he would be focusing on a number of priority projects during the initial phase of his time in office.

He explained that he is intent on seeing the modernisation of  the organisation which may require some re-structuring, encouraging greater transparency and placing a specific onus on supporting the youth teams and their development.

His mission is set against the backdrop of some economic challenges for the SBA, with Bagin very clear that there is still much work to do in order to secure a brighter financial future.

In terms of on-court priorities, while the men lost all six games in their failed bid to qualify for EuroBasket 2015, the women successfully punched their ticket for EuroBasket Women 2015 in Hungary and Romania.

FIBA