Aleksandar Petrović (basketball)
Aleksandar "Aco" Petrović, commonly known as Aco Petrović,[1][2][3] (born 16 February 1959) is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for the Brazil national team.
 Petrović coaching Lietuvos rytas in 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 16 February 1959 Šibenik, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Croatian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 86 kg (190 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1974–1991 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard / Shooting guard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1991–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974–1976 | Šibenka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976–1987 | Cibona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | Victoria Libertas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Cibona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Novi Zagreb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Racing Luxembourg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1995 | Cibona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Croatia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Sevilla | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Cibona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Croatia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Włocławek | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Lleida | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Scafati | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Zadar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Cedevita | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Cedevita | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Lietuvos rytas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Croatia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–present | Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As player
As head coach
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Medals
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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
Between 1991 and 1995, Petrović started his club head coaching career with Cibona. Between 1995 and 1997, he coached the Spanish ACB League club 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 in Spain with Caprabo Lleida. In 2006 he took over at the Italian League club Carifac Fabriano, before switching to Eurorida Scafati. In the 2007–08 season, he took over the Croatian club Zadar. He then became the 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 the Croatian 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]
National team coaching career
In February 2012, Petrović was appointed as the head coach of the senior men's Bosnia and Herzegovina national team,[7] leading them at EuroBasket 2013 held in Slovenia. In November 2013, the Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (KSBiH) sacked him.[8]
Petrović has coached the senior Croatian men's national team on three occasions: in 1995, when they finished third in Eurobasket, between 1999 and 2001, when they finished 7th in EuroBasket 2001, and during Croatia's run to the Olympics in Rio 2016.
On 23 March 2016, Petrović was named the head coach for the senior men's Croatia national team for the third time in his head coaching career.[9] In August 2016, Croatia reached the 2016 Olympic tournament by surprisingly winning an Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Torino. At the tournament, Croatia beat Spain, but lost in the quarterfinal of the tournament from Serbia. On 15 September 2017, following a loss to Russia in the round of 16 at Eurobasket, Petrović resigned.[10]
In October 2017, a month after leaving Croatia, he was named the head coach of the Brazil national team,[11] which he led at the 2019 World Cup held in China.
Personal life
Petrović was born in Šibenik as the first child in the family of Jovan "Jole", and Biserka (née Mikulandra) Petrović. His father, of Serb ethnicity, was born in 1939 in Trebinje, then Kingdom of Yugoslavia, present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her mother, of Croat ethnicity, was born in 1941, in the village of Bilice, a municipality based few kilometers away from his hometown. His younger brother Dražen, born in 1964, was also the professional basketball player who died in a car accident in June 1993, in Denkendorf, Germany.
Petrović's cousin is the prominent Serbian former professional basketball player Dejan Bodiroga. Aleksandar's paternal grandfather and Bodiroga's paternal grandmother were siblings.[12]
References
- "'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 doesn't have a guard or a center, but he did the best he could.'] (in Croatian).
- "UPOZNAJTE ŠIBENČANE KOJE POZNAJETE: Biserka Petrović, žena kroz koju živi uspomena na Dražena" (in Croatian).
- "ACO PETROVIĆ KONAČNO PROGOVORIO, OTKRIO I KOBNI DATUM KADA JE SA ŠARIĆEM SVE KRENULO PO ZLU 'To što govori Dino Rađa je suludo...'" (in Croatian).
- "Eurocupbasketball.com 2010-11 Eurocup Coach of the Year: Aleksandar Petrovic, Cedevita Zagreb". eurocupbasketball.com.
- Prišljin, Josip. "Aleksandar Petrović nasljeđuje Božidara Maljkovića u Cedeviti". Sportnet.hr. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- Korać, Branimir. "Aco Petrović podnio ostavku nakon poraza od Partizana i ispadanja iz igre za Final Four". Sportnet.hr. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- "Aco Petrović novi izbornik reprezentacije BiH". net.hr (in Croatian). 1 February 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- "BiH izigrala Acu, Petrović više nije izbornik". www.tportal.hr (in Croatian). 7 November 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- "Aleksandar Aco Petrović i službeno novi izbornik Hrvatske". sport.hrt.hr (in Croatian). 23 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- SLUŽBENO Aco Petrović više nije izbornik naših košarkaša! (in Croatian)
- BIVŠI HRVATSKI IZBORNIK PREUZEO REPREZENTACIJU BRAZILA Aco Petrović vodi Selecao prema Kini i Japanu: 'Sve je prošlo OK' (in Croatian)
- "Dražen Petrović i Dejan Bodiroga – bliski rođaci". rtvbn.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01.