Ivo Simović has joined the Loyola University Maryland men’s basketball program as an assistant coach, Greyhounds Head Coach Tavaras Hardy announced today.

A veteran coach with NBA, European and NCAA experience, Simović comes to the Evergreen campus with considerable background on several levels of the basketball landscape. Most recently, he was an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for the 2017-18 season.

Simović, who is a native of Belgrade, Serbia, was on the coaching staff at the University of Hartford from 2015-17, first as an assistant coach and then as the Hawks’ associate head coach during the 2016-17 campaign.

“I am thrilled to have Ivo and his family, join us here in Baltimore,” Hardy said. “Upon first meeting him, it was obvious that we had great synergy in terms of how we see the game philosophically. Ivo has a wealth of experience in pro and college basketball, a passion for player development and tremendous relationships internationally. Most importantly, Ivo is fully committed to our holistic approach in providing an incredible experience for our student-athletes and he’s excited to help us expand the Loyola Basketball brand to new markets.”

He was the head coach and sports director for CB Espacio Torrelodones near Madrid, Spain. He helped the organization draw some of the top Spanish talent during his eight-year run with the program. Simović was the Torrelodones’ head coach in Liga EBA from 2007-2009, and he then became the general manager and head coach of the organization’s U-18 and U-20 teams.

Simović, 39, was responsible for all basketball development in the club, including signing senior and youth players, mentoring coaches and coaching various squads. He led the Torrelodones’ U-18 team to its age group’s national semifinals on three occasions. One of the coaches he mentored, Darko Rajakovic, is now an assistant coach for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder.

“I’m very excited and thankful for the opportunity that Coach Hardy has given me,” Simović said. “We have a great chance to build something special here at Loyola, and I’m sure we will all enjoy the success of our basketball program in the future.”

During his final years in Spain, Simović also served as an international scout for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, and he was an assistant coach for the organization’s NBA Summer League Team in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2013 and 2014; he received an NBA Championship Ring after the Spurs won the 2014 title.

Simović spent the first seven years of his professional career as head coach and recruiting coordinator for the Red Star in Belgrade. There, he coached several players who played on youth and senior national teams for Serbia and Montenegro that won several European Championships.

Red Star won the 2004 Serbian Championship under Simović’s leadership. The side also finished as the runner-up in Serbia in 2007.

He graduated from Belgrade’s Union University with a bachelor’s degree in industrial economic management in 2013.

Simović and his wife, Jelena, have two children, Ema and Marko.

http://www.loyolagreyhounds.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/052218aaa.html