.jpg) Zdovc withSlovenia in 2015 | |
| PAOK | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| League | GBL FIBA Europe Cup |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1966-12-13)13 December 1966 (age 58) |
| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 1988:undrafted |
| Playing career | 1984–2003 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Coaching career | 1997–present |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1984–1991 | Smelt Olimpija |
| 1991–1992 | Knorr Bologna |
| 1992–1993 | Limoges |
| 1993–1996 | Iraklis Thessaloniki |
| 1997 | PSG Racing |
| 1997 | Tofaş |
| 1998–2000 | Union Olimpija |
| 2000–2001 | Panionios |
| 2001–2002 | Union Olimpija |
| 2002–2003 | Slovan |
| 2003 | Split CO |
Coaching | |
| 1997–1998 | Comet Slovenske Konjice (assistant) |
| 2003 | Krka (assistant) |
| 2003–2004 | Split |
| 2004 | Geoplin Slovan |
| 2005–2006 | Iraklis Thessaloniki |
| 2007–2008 | Bosna |
| 2008–2011 | Union Olimpija |
| 2008–2009 | Slovenia |
| 2011–2013 | Spartak Saint Petersburg |
| 2014–2015 | Slovenia |
| 2013–2015 | Royal Halı Gaziantep |
| 2014–2016 | Slovenia |
| 2015–2017 | AEK |
| 2017–2018 | Cedevita |
| 2019–2020 | Petrol Olimpija |
| 2020–2021 | Metropolitans 92 |
| 2021–2022 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 2023–2024 | Bursaspor |
| 2025–present | PAOK |
| Career highlights | |
As a player:
As a head coach:
| |
| FIBA Hall of Fame | |
Jurij "Jure"Zdovc (born 13 December 1966) is a Slovenian former professionalbasketball player andcoach. He is currently the head coach of theGreek Basketball League (GBL) and theFIBA Europe Cup.[1] As a player, he was a 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) tallpoint guard, who began his professional playing career with theYugoslav Second Division clubSmelt Olimpija.
During his playing career, he was a three-time member of theFIBA European Selection, in the years 1990 and 1991 (twice), and aFIBA EuroStar selection, in 1996. He also represented both the seniorYugoslav national team, and the seniorSlovenian national team. He was inducted into theSlovenian Athletes Hall of Fame in 2015. He was inducted into theFIBA Hall of Fame in 2020.
As a basketball coach, Zdovc received theEuroCup Coach of the Year award in 2012, while he was the head coach of the Russian clubSpartak Saint Petersburg.
As a junior level player, Zdovc began his playing career with CometSlovenske Konjice. He also played for the junior teams of Smelt Olimpija. During his senior men's proclub career, he played for the following teams: the senior men's team ofSmelt Olimpija,Knorr Bologna,Limoges CSP,Iraklis Thessaloniki,Helios Suns,PSG Racing,Tofaş,Panionios Athens,Geoplin Slovan, andSplit CO.
With the French clubLimoges CSP, Zdovc won theEuroLeague's1992–93 season championship, and he was voted to theEuroLeague All-Final Four Team. He also won theFrench League's 1992–93 season championship, while playing with Limoges. In 1997, as aParis Racing player, he also won the French League championship.
While playing with Union Olimpija, Zdovc won twoSlovenian Premier League championships, and threeSlovenian Cups. With the same club, he also won the2001–02 season's championship of theAdriatic League, and he was voted the 2002Adriatic League Final Four MVP. WithSplit Croatia, he won the 2003Croatian Premier League championship.
Zdovc was a member of the seniorYugoslavia National Squad.[2] With Yugoslavia, he won the silver medal at the1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.[3][4] As a member of Yugoslavia's national selection, he also won gold medals at the1989 EuroBasket, the1990 FIBA World Championship, and the1991 EuroBasket.
As a member of the seniorSlovenian national team, Zdovc played at the following majorFIBA international tournaments: the1992 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament,[5] the1993 EuroBasket, the1995 EuroBasket, the1997 EuroBasket, and the1999 EuroBasket.[6]
Zdovc first worked as a basketball coach in the 1997–98 season, with Comet Slovenske Konjice, where he worked as an assistant. That was still during his active playing career, but during a time in which he was not playing, due to a long-term injury that he suffered while he was playing with theTurkish Super League clubTofaş. After he retired from playing professional club basketball in 2003, Zdovc started his full-timebasketball coaching career as thehead coach of theCroatian Premier League clubSplit Croatia. He stayed the head coach of Split Croatia until 2004, and led the team to a first-place finish in theCroatian Cup. In the 2006–07 season, he was the sports director ofUnion Olimpija.
Zdovc also won theBosnia and Herzegovina League championship withBosna in 2008. In 2009, he won theSlovenian Premier League championship with Union Olimpija. Zdovc also won theSlovenian Cup title three times in a row with Union Olimpija, in the years 2009, 2010, and 2011. He also led Union Olimpija to the top Top-16 stage of theEuroLeague's2010–11 season.
Zdovc was named theEuroCup Coach of the Year in 2012.[7] On 20 December 2015, he signed a three-year contract with theGreek Basket League clubAEK Athens.[8] He was dismissed in the role by AEK Athens, in March 2017, after his team lost a2016–17 FIBA Champions League game against theFrench Pro A League clubAS Monaco.[9]
On 14 June 2017, Zdovc was named as the head coach of the Croatian clubCedevita Zagreb, as he replacedVeljko Mršić in that role.[10] He was later sacked by the club on 6 June 2018.[11]
On 7 May 2020, Zdovc signed on to be the head coach of theMetropolitans 92 of the FrenchLNB Pro A.[12] Zdovc worked withŽalgiris Kaunas in the 2021–2022 season, though had a very tumultuous season, resigning in April. With Žalgiris, Zdovc won the 2022King Mindaugas Cup.
On 7 July 2023 he signed withBursaspor of the TurkishBasketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[13] On 16 January 2024 Zdovc andBursaspor parted ways.[clarification needed][14]
In 2009, Zdovc was named the head coach of the senior men'sSlovenian national team. He guided Slovenia to a fourth-place finish at the2009 EuroBasket. In 2014, Zdovc returned to coach Slovenia, after signing a three-year contract to coach the team.[15] He coached Slovenia at the2014 FIBA World Cup, and the2015 EuroBasket.
| Legend | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win-loss % | ||
Note: TheEuroLeague is not the only competition in which the team played during the season. He also coached in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Olimpija | 2008–09 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Eliminated in regular season |
| 2009–10 | 10 | 1 | 9 | .100 | Eliminated in regular season | |
| 2010–11 | 16 | 7 | 9 | .438 | Eliminated in Top 16 stage | |
| Žalgiris Kaunas | 2021–22 | 28 | 8 | 20 | .286 | Eliminated in regular season |
| Career | 56 | 16 | 40 | .286 | ||
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