The NBL¡¯s Chiba Jets have hired former Japan men¡¯s national team head coach Zeljko Pavlicevic as their new bench boss, the Eastern Conference club announced on Sunday.
The 64-year-old Croatian established his name during a long coaching career in Europe. His successes include a pair of FIBA European Champions Cup titles, one with Cibona (1985-86) and the other with Pop 84 Split (1990-91), both of Croatia, and a Greek Cup championship with powerhouse Panathinaikos (1992-1993).
Pavlicevic came to Japan in 2003 to take the helm of the national team. He had the job through the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan (Japan finished 20th).
Pavlicevic has also served as head coach of the bj-league¡¯s Shimane Susanoo Magic (2010-2013) and NBL¡¯s Wakayama Trians (2013-14). He guided the Magic to the postseason in all three seasons, while he helped the Trians advance to the NBL Finals.
¡°I would like to express my appreciation to the Chiba Jets for giving me the opportunity to lead the team as its head coach,¡± Pavlicevic said in a statement. ¡°The next season will be a season for the team to take another step to the next level. I am ready. I¡¯m excited to be a part of the Chiba Jets to create their dreams and achieve them.¡±
The club parted ways with Reggie Geary earlier this month. The American became the head coach for the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins. The Jets posted a 34-20 record and were eliminated by the Hitachi Sunrockers in the playoff first round last season.
On Saturday, the Jets also signed former NBA player Brian Cook. The 34-year-old played for five NBA teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets.
Cook, who was drafted by the Lakers as the 24th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, played for Al-Riyadi in Lebanon and Aguada in Uruguay last season.
The 206-cm power forward played for the University of Illinois and was named the Big Ten Conference¡¯s Player of the Year in 2003.
Cook earned a gold medal in the FIBA Under-21 World Championship in Saitama in 2001 as a member of Team USA.
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