Source: regiony.zoznam.sk archive
SVIT – The sports scene is in mourning. At the age of 91, on December 19, basketball legend Rudolf Vaniak left her forever. He was also inducted into the Slovakian Basketball Hall of Fame.
Rudolf Vraniak was a former Czechoslovakian basketball player, 1961 Czechoslovakian champion and youth and men’s coach. His former colleagues and teammates from the BK Iskra Svit basketball club announced the sad news of his eternal departure on their Facebook page.
“Svit’s basketball hall was a second home for Mr. Vraniak”, written by injured athletes.
In the Czechoslovakian basketball league he played for the clubs VSS Košice and Iskra Svit, with whom he won the title of champion of Czechoslovakia, the title of vice-champion, two third places and three fourth places. He has played a total of 15 league seasons and has scored 2421 points since league stats were introduced.
Rudolf Vaniak and his team also made it big in European matches. With the Iskra Svit club he played in the 1961-1962 European Champions Cup and in the quarterfinals Svit was eliminated by the CSKA Moscow team.
Between 1980 and 1988 he was coach of the championship team Chemosvit Svit for six seasons, with which he won the title of vice champion of Czechoslovakia in 1985 and fourth place in 1987. With the Chemosvit Svit team he made his debut in the Cup Cup of the Cups in 1986, and in the 1st round, Svit was eliminated by the Turkish team Fenerbahce Istanbul and in the round of 16, Svit lost to the French team Stade Francais BC Paris.
In 2022, Rudolf Vraniak was inducted into the Slovak Basketball Hall of Fame.
