LOS ANGELES — Mick Cronin has added some international flavor to his coaching staff, hiring Ivo Simovic as his newest assistant Friday in a move intended to sustain UCLA's recent history of robust player development while also bolstering its recruiting efforts overseas.
Simovic, 43, has extensive experience in the college, European and NBA ranks, having served as an international scout for the San Antonio Spurs. Most recently, he was an assistant coach at Loyola University Maryland for the last four seasons, recruiting power forward Santi Aldama from Spain. After two seasons at Loyola, Aldama became the first player from the school selected in the first round of the NBA draft.
A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Simovic (pronounced sim-oh-VITCH) also made coaching stops at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Hartford. He replaces Michael Lewis, who left after the end of last season to become the head coach at Ball State.
