KB Ylli, known as Golden Eagle Ylli for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Theranda, Kosovo.[1] The club currently plays in the Kosovo Basketball Superleague. Its fan club is called Xhebrailat.
| KB Golden Eagle Ylli | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Nickname | Xhebrailat | ||
| Leagues | Kosovo Basketball Superleague Liga Unike | ||
| Founded | 1975 | ||
| Arena | Salla e Sporteve 13 Qërshori | ||
| Capacity | 1,300 | ||
| Location | Theranda, Kosovo | ||
| Team colors | Yellow, Blue | ||
| Main sponsor | Golden Eagle | ||
| President | Lendrit Palushi | ||
| Vice-president | Ermir Palushi | ||
| Head coach | Endrit Elshani | ||
| Team captain | Gëzim Morina | ||
| 2024-25 position | 5th | ||
| Championships | 2 Kosovo Basketball Superleague 2 Liga Unike 1 Superkupa Mbarëkombëtare | ||
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History
editKB Ylli is one of the oldest basketball clubs in Kosovo. It was founded in 1975.[1] The club is known for its fans who support their club in especially in home games at 13 Qërshori sports hall. Their home matches are known for the fantastic atmosphere created by "Xhebrailat". Ylli means "star" in English.
In 2008 the club decided to withdraw from Kosovo Superleague due to bad financial conditions, and didn't play until 2014 when Golden Eagle, a beverage company from Theranda, decided to be the main sponsor of the team and to pay for Wild Card which returned KB Ylli in Kosovo Superleague.[2] The 2015–16 season was the second consecutive in the Kosovo Superleague. In the 2014–15 season, they finished fourth and played in playoff finals against Sigal Prishtina. In the 2018-19 season of Kosovo Basketball Superleague they finished second and lost the semi-finals of the play off against KB Rahoveci. In the 2019-20 season they lost the final of Kosovan Cup against KB Peja.
In 2021, Ylli won their first league title and the Liga Unike. In the following year, Ylli won the league title again.[1]
Honours
edit- Kosovo Superleague:
- Winners (2): 2020–21, 2021–22
- Runners-up (2): 1994–95, 2023–24
- Kosovo Cup:
- Runners-up (2): 2019–20, 2020–21
- Liga Unike:
- Winners (2): 2020–21, 2025-26
- Runners-up(2): 2021-22, 2023–24
- Superkupa Mbarëkombëtare
- Winners (1): 2021
Arena
editSeason by Season
editKB Golden Eagle Ylli (2014–2024)
edit| Seasons | Division | Pos. | Play Offs | Kosovo Cup | Liga Unike | Kosovo Supercup | European competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 1 | 4th | Semifinalist | Semifinalist | — | — | — |
| 2015-16 | 1 | 5th | — | QF | |||
| 2016-17 | 1 | 5th | — | QF | |||
| 2017-18 | 1 | 4th | Semifinalist | Semifinalist | |||
| 2018-19 | 1 | 2nd | Semifinalist | Semifinalist | |||
| 2019-20 | 1 | 3rd | Postponed | Runner-up | |||
| 2020-21 | 1 | 3rd | Champion | Runner-up | Champion | Semifinalist | |
| 2021-22 | 1 | 1st | Champion | Semifinalist | Runner-Up | Semifinalist | |
| 2022–23 | 1 | 3rd | Semifinalist | Semifinalist | Postponed | Semifinalist | Champions League QF1 FIBA Europe Cup RS |
| 2023–24 | 1 | 3rd | Runner-Up | Semifinalist | Runner-Up | Semifinalist | — |
| 2024–25 | 1 | 5th | Quarterfinalist | Quarterfinalist | Third place | Semifinalist | — |
| 2025-26 | 1 | TBD | TBD | TBD | Champion | Postponed | — |
Matches in European competitions
edit| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Champions League | QR1 |  Benfica |
67–92 | |
| FIBA Europe Cup | RS |  Hapoel Galil Elyon |
76–93 | 73–85 | |
 Brose Bamberg |
60–76 | 81–78 | |||
| Niners Chemnitz |
72–101 | 60–90 | |||
Players
editCurrent roster
editNote: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Golden Eagle Ylli roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth chart
edit| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Tyreek Smith | Lis Shoshi | |
| PF | Dustin Thomas | Gezim Morina | Artin Gashi |
| SF | Erjon Kastrati | Arian Qallaku | Demitrius Conger |
| SG | Scott Bamforth | Breon Pass | Altin Shala |
| PG | Donatas Sabeckis | Josh Gray |
Notable players
edit
Nikolla Haruni- Renaldo Kacori
- Frenki Lilaj
Ismet Sejfić
Alexis Wangmene
Will Tavares
Henrik Širko
Valon Bunjaku- Artin Gashi
- Erjon Kastrati
- Blerim Mazreku
- Ardit Pepaj
- Samir Zekiqi
- Urim Zenelaj
- Jan Palokaj
-
Gezim Morina -
Arber Berisha 
Dajuan Graf- Chris Harris
- Malcolm Armstead
References
edit- 1 2 3 "KB Ylli: Illuminating Kosovo's basketball scene". Golden Eagle KS. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ↑ "Stinori 2013-2014". topsporti.com (in Albanian). Retrieved 11 March 2024.
KB Drita përjashtohet nga Superliga për shkak të mos përmbushjes së kritereve për pjesëmarrje në Superligë për edicionin 2014/15, derisa në vend të saj në Superligë inkuadrohet KB Ylli duke e shfrytëzuar Wild Card-in.
- ↑ "Në "13 qershori" të Suharekës, më së shumti shikues". TopSporti (in Albanian). 28 March 2018.
External links
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