Aleksandar Petrovic (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Aleksandar "Aco" Petrović (born February 16, 1959 in Šibenik
, SR Croatia
, SFR Yugoslavia
) is a Croatia
n professional basketball
coach and former professional player. Petrović is also the older brother of the late Dražen Petrović
.
and achieved prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The pro clubs he played for included Šibenka, Cibona Zagreb, Scavolini Pesaro, Novi Zagreb
and Luxembourg
.
on two occasions, in 1995, when they finished third in the EuroBasket 1995
, and between 1999 and 2001, when they finished 7th in the EuroBasket 2001
.
Between 1991 and 1995, Petrović started his club coaching career with Cibona Zagreb. Between 1995 and 1997, he coached the Spanish ACB League club San Fernando Sevilla, before returning to Cibona for the 1997–98 season.
In the 2001–02 season, he went to Poland to coach Anwil Włocławek. In 2004, he was again in Spain with Caprabo Lleida. In 2006, he took over at the Italian League
club Carifac Fabriano
, before switching to Eurorida Scafati
. In the 2007–08 season, he took over the Croatian club Zadar
. He then became the head coach of Cedevita.
He was named the Eurocup Coach of the Year
in 2011.
Šibenik
Šibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...
, SR Croatia
Socialist Republic of Croatia
Socialist Republic of Croatia was a sovereign constituent country of the second Yugoslavia. It came to existence during World War II, becoming a socialist state after the war, and was also renamed four times in its existence . It was the second largest republic in Yugoslavia by territory and...
, SFR Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
) is a Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach and former professional player. Petrović is also the older brother of the late Dražen Petrović
Dražen Petrovic
Dražen Petrović was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s before joining the American NBA in 1989...
.
Playing career
Petrović played as a shooting guardShooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
and achieved prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The pro clubs he played for included Šibenka, Cibona Zagreb, Scavolini Pesaro, Novi Zagreb
KK Zagreb
Košarkaški klub Zagreb is a professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. It competes in the Croatian League, the Adriatic League and in the 2011/12 season for the first time in ULEB Euroleague...
and Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
.
Coaching career
Petrović has coached the senior men's Croatian national teamCroatia national basketball team
The Croatian national basketball team represents Croatia at international tournaments. It is organized by the Croatian Basketball Federation...
on two occasions, in 1995, when they finished third in the EuroBasket 1995
EuroBasket 1995
EuroBasket 1995 final tournament stage was XXIX European basketball championship and was held in Athens, Greece from 21 June to 2 July, 1995. This European championship was the first one that saw the successful return of Lithuania national basketball team to the tournament, since its last triumph...
, and between 1999 and 2001, when they finished 7th in the EuroBasket 2001
EuroBasket 2001
The EuroBasket 2001 was the 32nd EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Turkey, began on 31 August 2001 and concluded with the final on 9 September 2001. Yugoslavia won the gold medal,...
.
Between 1991 and 1995, Petrović started his club coaching career with Cibona Zagreb. Between 1995 and 1997, he coached the Spanish ACB League club San Fernando Sevilla, before returning to Cibona for the 1997–98 season.
In the 2001–02 season, he went to Poland to coach Anwil Włocławek. In 2004, he was again in Spain with Caprabo Lleida. In 2006, he took over at the Italian League
Serie A (basketball)
Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
club Carifac Fabriano
Fabriano Basket
Fabriano Basket, also known for sponsorship reasons as Indesit Fabriano, is an Italian professional basketball team from the town of Fabriano....
, before switching to Eurorida Scafati
Scafati Basket
Scafati Basket, also known for sponsorship reasons as Harem Scafati, is an Italian basketball club from the town of Scafati, Campania. The club plays in LegADue, the second level of Italian basketball; it was relegated from Lega Basket after finishing last in the 2007-08 season...
. In the 2007–08 season, he took over the Croatian club Zadar
KK Zadar
KK Zadar is a Croatian professional basketball team from the city of Zadar playing in the A-1 Liga.Zadar is the place where Croatian basketball was born in 1930. Zadar's reputation has been of a basketball hotbed with a team that can capture trophies at any given moment...
. He then became the head coach of Cedevita.
He was named the Eurocup Coach of the Year
ULEB Eurocup Awards
The Eurocup Basketball Awards are the awards given to the top individual performers of each season's edition of Eurocup Basketball, which is Europe's second-tier level continental professional basketball competition...
in 2011.