Report: Toronto Raptors Hiring UCLA Assistant Coach Ivo Simovic
After just one season in Westwood, the harbinger of the Bruins' international recruiting push is on his way to the NBA.
The Toronto Raptors are adding UCLA men's basketball assistant coach Ivo Simovic to their new-look coaching staff, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Monday morning. 247Sports' Bruin Report Online later confirmed the initial report.
Simovic joined the Bruins just 12 months ago, replacing Michael Lewis soon after he left to become to head coach at Ball State.
UCLA and coach Mick Cronin brought Simovic in to kickstart the program's efforts on the international recruiting trail, and the move paid dividends during the ultimately brief partnership.
Simovic, who is from Serbia, coached in his home country from 2001 to 2007. He then took over as the sports director for CB Espacio Torrelodones in Spain from 2007 to 2015. During that period, Simovic was also an international scout for the San Antonio Spurs, and he helped coached the Spurs in the NBA Summer League in 2013 and 2014.
From 2015 to 2022, Simovic got his feet wet in the American college hoops scene, picking up assistant positions at Hartford, Charlotte and Loyola Maryland.
Simovic arrived at UCLA in June 2022, and he reeled in his first international signee two months later in Italian swingman Abramo Canka. The Bruins were also set to add Turkish big man Ege Demir not long after, but he was unable to enroll in time for the season.
Cronin, Simovic and the Bruins doubled down on their international recruiting efforts this past cycle, earning commitments from French guard Ilane Fibleuil, Slovenian guard Jan Vide and Serbian Utah transfer guard Lazar Stefanovic. UCLA has reportedly been attempting to seal the deal with Spanish center Aday Mara and Turkish forward Berke Buyuktuncel to add to the 2023 recruiting class as well.
Instead of trying to get those additions to the finish line, Simovic will be taking his talents to the bench up in Toronto. The Raptors are bringing in an entirely new staff after firing Nick Nurse in April, with Serbia native Darko Rajakovic getting named the franchise's new head coach on June 13.
Cronin and the rest of his staff, meanwhile, will be left to either pivot back to the tradition high school recruiting model or find a new international recruiting savant, just as the technique was starting to pay off.
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