Shimane Susanoo Magic coach Zeljko Pavlicevic made an emotional return to his team this week following the death of his 82-year-old mother, Zora, on Oct. 28.
The veteran bench boss had gone home to Croatia, but came back to lead the club to a 70-66 victory over the visiting Kyoto Hannaryz on Saturday in the bj-league.
The Magic's hard-fought win was not sharp; the team made 22 turnovers, but had enough big plays to emerge victorious for its Croatian mentor.