Ioannis Diamantakos appointed Azerbaijani women's basketball coach

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

The Azerbaijan Basketball Federation (ABF) said it has signed a two-year contract with the Greek coach.

Diamantakos most recently served as head coach of Saudi Arabia's AlUla club.

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

At club level, Diamantakos has worked in Greece, Romania, Palestine and Saudi Arabia. His coaching career includes silver medals in Division B of the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup and the U18 WABA tournament, a Palestinian Basketball League title and two league championships in Greece. His teams have also reached the top eight of the FIBA Europe Cup and finished fifth at the FIBA U20 European Championship.

In addition to his basketball career, Diamantakos holds a PhD in psychology. His academic background brings a scientific approach to his coaching and leadership work.

His main objective with the senior national team will be to achieve a competitive performance in the preliminary qualification stage for the 2029 FIBA Women's EuroBasket, scheduled for November 2026 and February 2027.

The qualification campaign is also expected to provide valuable experience ahead of the FIBA U16, U18 and U20 Women's European Championships scheduled for summer 2027.