Aleksandar Petrović
Petrović coaching Lietuvos rytas in 2014
Personal information
Born (1959-02-16) 16 February 1959
Šibenik, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia
NationalityCroatian
Listed height1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Listed weight86 kg (190 lb)
Career information
Playing career1974–1991
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
Coaching career1991–present
Career history
As player:
1974–1976Šibenka
1976–1987Cibona
1987–1988Victoria Libertas
1988–1989Cibona
1989–1990Novi Zagreb
1990–1991Racing Luxembourg
As coach:
1991–1995Cibona
1995Croatia
1995–1997Sevilla
1997–1999Cibona
1999–2001Croatia
2001–2002Włocławek
2004–2005Lleida
2006Scafati
2007–2008Zadar
2010–2011Cedevita
2012–2013Bosnia and Herzegovina
2012–2013Cedevita
2013–2014Lietuvos rytas
2016–2017Croatia
2017–2021Brazil
2021Victoria Libertas Pesaro
2022–2023Croatia
Career highlights and awards
As player

As head coach

Medals
Men's basketball
Head Coach for  Croatia
EuroBasket
Bronze medal – third place1995 Greece
Representing  Yugoslavia
Summer Olympics
Bronze medal – third place1984 Los Angeles
FIBA World Cup
Bronze medal – third place1982 Colombia
Bronze medal – third place1986 Spain
EuroBasket
Bronze medal – third place1987 Greece
Universiade
Gold medal – first place1987 Zagreb
Silver medal – second place1979 Mexico City
Bronze medal – third place1981 Bucharest
European Championship for Juniors
Gold medal – first place1976 SpainUnder-18
European Championship for Cadets
Bronze medal – third place1975 GreeceUnder-16

Aleksandar "Aco" Petrović (pronounced [aleksǎːndar at͡so pětroʋitɕ]; born 16 February 1959)[1][2][3] is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the Croatia men's national team.

Playing career

A point guard or shooting guard, Petrović had achieved prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The pro clubs he played for included: Šibenka, Cibona, Scavolini Pesaro, Novi Zagreb and Racing Luxembourg. He was among the 105 player nominees for the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors list.

Coaching career

Petrović coaching Cedevita in 2011

Petrović started his club head coaching career with Cibona in 1991. Between 1995 and 1997, he coached the Spanish ACB League team Caja San Fernando, 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 as head coach in Spain, that time with Caprabo Lleida. In 2006 he took over the Italian Serie A team Carifac Fabriano, before switching to Eurorida Scafati. In the 2007–08 season, he took over the Croatian A-1 Liga team Zadar. He then became head coach of Cedevita. He was named the EuroCup Coach of the Year in 2011.[4]

Following the departure of Božidar Maljković, Petrović once again took charge over Cedevita on 26 November 2012.[5] After Cedevita was eliminated from the EuroLeague and national cup and left without any chance of qualifying for the ABA League final four, Petrović offered his resignation to the club, which was accepted on 3 March 2013.[6]

On 16 December 2013, Petrović was named head coach of the Lithuanian team Lietuvos rytas.[7] Following a 91–92 national cup final game loss to Prienai, he was sacked on 31 March 2014.[8]

On 16 July 2021, Petrović was named head coach for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Italian Serie A.[9]

National team coaching

In February 2012, Petrović was appointed head coach of the senior men's Bosnia and Herzegovina national team,[10] guiding them at the 2013 EuroBasket in Slovenia. In November 2013, the Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina sacked him.[11]

Petrović had coached the Croatia men's national basketball team (the big fart) )on three occasions; in 1995, when Croatia finished third in EuroBasket, from 1999 to 2001, when they finished seventh in the 2001 EuroBasket and from 2016 to 2017.

On 23 March 2016, Petrović was named head coach of the senior men's Croatia national team for the third time in his head coaching career.[12] In August 2016, Croatia managed to reach the 2016 Summer Olympics tournament surprisingly winning qualifying tournament in Turin. At the Olympic finals, Croatia lost in the quarterfinal game of the tournament from Serbia. On 15 September 2017, following a defeat to host Russia in the round of 16 at EuroBasket, Petrović resigned from Croatia bench.[13]

In October 2017, a month after leaving Croatia, Petrović was named head coach of the Brazil men's national basketball team,[14] which he led at the 2019 World Cup in China, but failed to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics tournament through the qualifying tournament in Split.[15]

On 24 October 2022, Petrović was named interim head coach of the Croatia men's national team, being appointed to that role for the fourth time in his coaching career.[16]

Personal life

Aleksandar Petrović was born in Šibenik as the first child in the family of mother Biserka (née Mikulandra),[1][2] and father Jovan "Jole" Petrović.[17] His father, of Serb ethnicity, was born in 1927 in Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina.[17] His mother, of Croat ethnicity, was born in 1941 in the village of Bilice, Croatia, a municipality based few kilometres west from Aleksandar's hometown of Šibenik.[1][2] His younger brother, Dražen, who died in a June 1993 car accident, was also a professional basketball player.[17][18]

Petrović's cousin is the prominent Serbian former basketball player and current executive Dejan Bodiroga. Aleksandar's paternal grandfather Jovan and Dejan's paternal grandmother Gospava were siblings.[19] Petrović's wife is Jadranka, whom he married in 1985.[20] The couple have two children: a daughter Lina and son Marko, who is also a professional basketball player.[21]

Aleksandar's father, Jovan, died in April 2021 after a long illness.[22][17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "'Rekla sam Aci prije prvenstva da nema beka ni centra, no znam da je dao sve od sebe'" [I told Aco before the championship he does not have a guard or a center but he did the best he could]. vijesti.rtl.hr (in Croatian).
  2. 1 2 3 "UPOZNAJTE ŠIBENČANE KOJE POZNAJETE: Biserka Petrović, žena kroz koju živi uspomena na Dražena" (in Croatian). Šibenik News.
  3. ↑ "ACO PETROVIĆ KONAČNO PROGOVORIO, OTKRIO I KOBNI DATUM KADA JE SA ŠARIĆEM SVE KRENULO PO ZLU 'To što govori Dino Rađa je suludo...'". Sportske novosti (in Croatian).
  4. ↑ "Eurocupbasketball.com 2010-11 Eurocup Coach of the Year: Aleksandar Petrovic, Cedevita Zagreb". eurocupbasketball.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012.
  5. ↑ Prišljin, Josip. "Aleksandar Petrović nasljeđuje Božidara Maljkovića u Cedeviti". sportnet.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  6. ↑ Korać, Branimir. "Aco Petrović podnio ostavku nakon poraza od Partizana i ispadanja iz igre za Final Four". sportnet.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  7. ↑ "Aco Petrović novi trener Lietuvos Rytasa". Sport Klub. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  8. ↑ Korać, Branimir (31 March 2014). "Aco Petrović dobio otkaz u Lietuvos Rytasu nakon neočekivanog posrtaja u Kupu". sportnet.rtl.hr. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "Prosciutto di Carpegna e VL insieme per la terza stagione. Coach Aza Petrovic: "Vogliamo far divertire i nostri tifosi"" [Prosciutto di Carpegna and VL together for the third season. Coach Aza Petrovic: "We want to make our fans fun"]. www.victorialibertas.it (in Italian). 16 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  10. ↑ "Aco Petrović novi izbornik reprezentacije BiH". Net.hr (in Croatian). 1 February 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  11. ↑ "BiH izigrala Acu, Petrović više nije izbornik". Tportal.hr (in Croatian). 7 November 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  12. ↑ "Aleksandar Aco Petrović i službeno novi izbornik Hrvatske". sport.hrt.hr (in Croatian). 23 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  13. ↑ "SLUŽBENO Aco Petrović više nije izbornik naših košarkaša!". 24sata (in Croatian). Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  14. ↑ "BIVŠI HRVATSKI IZBORNIK PREUZEO REPREZENTACIJU BRAZILA Aco Petrović vodi Selecao prema Kini i Japanu: 'Sve je prošlo OK'". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  15. ↑ "Kings of the fourth: Germany silence Brazil in Q4, book a ticket to Tokyo". FIBA.basketball. 4 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "Aco Petrović imenovan vršiteljem dužnosti izbornika reprezentacije, odmah objavio širi popis kandidata za reprezentaciju" (in Croatian). Croatian Basketball Federation. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "LJUBAVNA PRIČA DRAŽENOVIH RODITELJA: Kako su se zavoleli Srbin Jovan i Hrvatica Biserka i dobili košarkaškog Mocarta?!". Kurir.rs (in Serbian). 28 April 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  18. ↑ Radičević, Vlado (22 October 2020). "Aco Petrović prisjetio se na poseban način svog brata Dražena otkrivši nam što su mu o njemu priznali velikani Michael Jordan i Magic Johnson" [Aco Petrović remembered his brother Dražen in a special way, revealing to us what the greats Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson admitted to him]. tportal.hr (in Croatian). Tportal. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  19. ↑ "Dražen Petrović i Dejan Bodiroga – bliski rođaci". rtvbn.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
  20. ↑ Radičević, Vlado (29 September 2019). "Aco Petrović uživa radeći u Brazilu, ali i dalje pati za Hrvatskom: Bahato i olako ušli smo u kvalifikacije za SP". tportal.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  21. ↑ Grgić, Eva (12 October 2019). "Draženov nećak: Čuvam dres Šibenke, a Baldekin je emocija". 24sata (in Croatian). Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  22. ↑ Index Sport (27 April 2021). "Umro otac Dražena i Ace Petrovića". Index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2 July 2021.
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