Following the news of Vladimir Jovanovic becoming the new head coach of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, the club also announced another addition to the coaching staff.
Marko Simonovic, a player for Zvezda during the past two years, has announced his retirement and will now continue his career as an assistant coach on the team.
"Honestly, I am not sure that I have organized all the impressions in my head. Everything happened literally overnight, I came back from vacation, and the very next day I sat down with people from the club and we talked," Simonovic talked with Mozzart Sport about the decision.
"They offered me the opportunity to become an assistant, which I accepted without much thought when it was presented to me what my role in the team would be and that I would be an active participant in the work," the former player said.
Simonovic became the first official assistant coach to Vladimir Jovanovic. Talking about the pairing, the newly-appointed staff member was positive.
"We talked and I can say right away that he is a great man. It's not a courtesy, but an honest opinion," Simonovic explained. "We have collaborated before on the Serbian national team with Igor Kokoskov. We also talked a lot about basketball there and he already knew some of my ideas."
Crvena Zvezda recently signed Nemanja Nedovic from Panathinaikos OPAP Athens after paying a buyout. The club also recently announced the addition of Hassan Martin.
| Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade | |
Position | Player | Status |
PG | Aleksa Uskokovic | Signed until 2024 |
PG | Nikola Ivanovic | Signed until 2023 |
PG | Stefan Markovic | Signed until 2023 |
PG/SG | Nemanja Nedovic (story) | Signed until 2025 |
SG | Ognjen Dobric | Signed until 2023 |
SG | Filip Radakovic (story) | Signed until 2026 |
SF | Nikola Kalinic | Signed until 2022 +1 |
PF | Aaron White | Signed until 2023 |
PF/C | Luka Mitrovic | Signed until 2023 |
C | Hassan Martin (story) | Signed until 2024 |
C | Ognjen Kuzmic | Signed until 2023 |
C | Nik Popovic | Signed until 2024 |
C | Maik Zirbes | Signed until 2022 +1 |
Coach | Vladimir Jovanovic (story) | |
Expired contract | Dejan Radonjic (will not return), Nate Wolters (will not return), Nikola Ivanovic, Branko Lazic, Austin Hollins (will not return), Stefan Lazarevic, Marko Simonovic (will not return), Dejan Davidovac (will not return), Alesa Radanov | |
Rumored to leave | Maik Zirbes (story), Nikola Kalinic | |
Interested |