Mieczysław Edwin Łopatka (born 10 October 1939) is a Polish former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. At a height of 1.96 m (6'5") tall, and a weight of 96 kg (212 lbs.), he played at the

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

position.

Club career

Łopatka was a member of the

FIBA European Selection FIBA All-Star Games were all-star basketball exhibition games, which were also known as "FIBA Festivals". The "FIBA Festival All-Star Games" were held from 1964 to 1995. The FIBA European Selection teams won most of the FIBA Festival All-Star Ga ...

, in 1969. He won 2 Polish League championships (1965, 1970), and the

Polish Cup The Polish Cup in football ( pl, Puchar Polski w piłce nożnej ) is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title. ...

(1972). He led the Polish League in scoring 4 times (1961, 1963, 1966, 1967), and he was a two time Polish League Player of the Year (1965, 1969).

National team career

As a member of the senior

Polish national basketball team The Poland men's national basketball team ( pl, Reprezentacja Polski w koszykówce) represents Poland in international basketball competitions. They are controlled by the Polish Basketball Federation (PZKosz). Poland has competed at the EuroB ...

, Łopatka competed at four

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

(

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, 1968,

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

). He won a silver medal at

EuroBasket 1963 The 1963 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1963, was the thirteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Sixteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation ...

, and bronze medals at

EuroBasket 1965 The 1965 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1965, was the fourteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Venues Results First round Group A – Moscow Group B – Tbilisi ...

, and

EuroBasket 1967 The 1967 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1967, was the fifteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Venues First round Group A – Helsinki Group B – Tampere Knocko ...

. He was a member of the

FIBA World Cup All-Tournament Team The FIBA Basketball World Cup All-Tournament Team is an award, that is given by FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Orig ...

, at the

1967 FIBA World Championship The 1967 FIBA World Championship was the 5th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Montevideo, Uruguay from 27 May to 11 June 1967. Venues Competing nations Competition form ...

, and he also led the tournament in scoring.

Coaching career

In his

coaching Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...

career, Łopatka won 8 Polish League championships (1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994), and 3 Polish Cups (1977, 1980, 1992).

External links

FIBA Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopatka, Mieczyslaw 1939 births Living people Basketball players at the 1960 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1964 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1968 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1972 Summer Olympics Lech Poznań (basketball) players Olympic basketball players of Poland Polish men's basketball players Polish basketball coaches People from Gniezno County Sportspeople from Greater Poland Voivodeship Small forwards FIBA Hall of Fame inductees 1967 FIBA World Championship players