Becirovic, back home to Olimpija

Star guard Sani Becirovic will return to his roots this season after signing with Union Olimpia. Becirovic (196, 28) played two seasons for Olimpija early in his career and was the Euroleague runner-up in scoring when he averaged 20.7 points per game with the club in the 2000-01 season. He arrives from Virtus Roma, where he proved himself to be one of the elite guards on the continent after injuries had previously derailed his career. Becirovic averaged 14.8 points and 3.8 assists over 25 minutes in 13 Euroleague games last season. His excellent start to the season earned him Euroleague MVP of the Month honors for November. Before that spent two seasons with Panathinaikos, where he was a starter when the Greens won the 2007 Euroleague title. Becirovic began his professional career at Pivovarna Lasko in his native Slovenia before moving to Olimpija as an 18-year-old. After two seasons, Becirovic moved to Virtus Bologna and helped that team reach the title game at the 2002 Final Four. A serious knee injury limited Becirovic to just two Euroleague games with Krka Novo Mesto of Slovenia over the next three seasons, but he returned to full-time status with Fortitudo Bologna in 2005-06, averaging 11.1 points over 17 games, before moving on to glory at Panathinaikos. Among his career highlights are winning the Slovenian League once and the Greek League twice, a total of five domestic cups in Slovenia, Greece and Italy and leading the Slovenian national team to the gold medal at the Under-20 European Championships in 2000. "I am extremely happy to reach this agreement. I had some offers but opted to get back to my country and a club with a lot of tradition, that works hard and plays in the Euroleague," Becirovic said. "I believe that Olimpija has a good team and will be strong in all competitions."