Men's Basketball
Simovic, Ivo
Ivo Simovic
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Alma Mater:
- Union University (Belgrade) '13
Ivo Simovic enters his second season as an assistant coach at UCLA in 2023-24. He joined the Bruins’ program in June of 2022 after serving as an assistant coach at Loyola University Maryland for the previous four seasons.
Simovic (pronounced EE-voh SIM-oh-vitch) has brought a veteran coaching pedigree to Westwood, with experience in college, European and NBA circles. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Simovic has also coached at Loyola University Maryland, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Hartford.
Most recently, Simovic played an instrumental role in leading UCLA’s 2022-23 team to a 31-6 overall record. The Bruins won the Pac-12 Conference regular-season title for the first time since 2013, compiling an 18-2 mark in Pac-12 games. UCLA won the league title by four games, as Arizona and USC went 14-6 in Pac-12 play. The Bruins concluded the season by advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
The Bruins swept a number of year-end Pac-12 awards in March of 2023. Jaime Jaquez Jr. was honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Year and was later selected as the Lute Olson National Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com. Adem Bona was honored as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and Jaylen Clark was recognized as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Jaquez Jr. and Campbell secured first-team All-Pac-12 honors, while Bona and Clark were two of the five student-athletes named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. Clark was honored as the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year and the NABC Defensive Player of the Year.
UCLA’s 2022-23 squad led the Pac-12 in scoring defense (for the second straight year), allowing 60.7 points per game and ranked No. 15 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.0).The Bruins were second in the Pac-12 in scoring offense (74.1 ppg) and were ranked in every top 25 poll (AP and Coaches) during the 2022-23 college basketball campaign.
The Bruins limited their opposition to 40.8 percent shooting from the field in 2022-23, the lowest opposing field goal percentage by any UCLA team since the 1972-73 squad held its opponents to 39.6 percent shooting from the field. UCLA’s opposition shot just 31.1 percent from 3-point distance, the second-lowest opposing percentage (at UCLA) since the introduction of the 3-point arc in 1986-87.
While at Loyola University of Maryland, Simovic was instrumental in the recruitment and development of a pair of Patriot League All-Rookie Team selections from Spain – Santi Aldama and Golden Dike. In 2021-22, Loyola University produced a first-team All-Patriot League honoree in Cam Spencer, who finished the season as the conference’s leading scorer (19.1 points per game) and leader in steals (2.3 steals per game).
Spencer, Aldama and Andrew Kostecka (two-time selection) had secured NABC All-District acclaim during Simovic’s four seasons with the Greyhounds.
He arrived at Loyola University of Maryland prior to the 2018-19 season, after one year as an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2017-18. He was on the coaching staff at Hartford from 2015-17 as an assistant coach (2015-16) and as the program’s associate head coach (2016-17).
Simovic’s most notable international experience has included stops in Spain and in his native country, Serbia. He served as head coach and sports director for CB Espacio Torrelodones near Madrid, Spain. He helped the organization attract some of the top Spanish talent during an eight-year run with the program. Simovic served as the Torrelodones’ head coach in Liga EBA from 2007-09 before becoming the general manager and head coach of the organization’s U-18 and U-20 teams.
Simovic was responsible for all basketball development within the club. His responsibilities included signing senior and youth players, mentoring coaches, and coaching various squads. He led the Torrelodones’ U-18 team to its age group national semifinals on three occasions. One of the coaches that he mentored, Darko Rajakovic, was an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns before joining the staff of the Memphis Grizzlies.
During his final years in Spain, Simovic served as an international scout for the San Antonio Spurs. He was an assistant coach for the organization’s NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas in 2013 and 2014. Simovic received an NBA championship ring with San Antonio (2014) after the organization won the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.
Simovic spent the first seven years of his professional career as the head coach and recruiting coordinator for the Red Star in Belgrade (formally known as Crvena zvezda, Red Star is a professional club in Serbia that has been a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association).
He coached several players who played on youth and senior national teams for Serbia and Montenegro that won multiple European championships. Red Star won the 2004 Serbian Championship under Simovic’s leadership and finished as runner-up in Serbia in 2007.
Simovic, 44, graduated from Union University in Belgrade with his bachelor’s degree in industrial economic management in 2013. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Serbian.
Simovic and his wife, Jelena, have two children, Ema and Marko.
Simovic (pronounced EE-voh SIM-oh-vitch) has brought a veteran coaching pedigree to Westwood, with experience in college, European and NBA circles. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Simovic has also coached at Loyola University Maryland, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Hartford.
Most recently, Simovic played an instrumental role in leading UCLA’s 2022-23 team to a 31-6 overall record. The Bruins won the Pac-12 Conference regular-season title for the first time since 2013, compiling an 18-2 mark in Pac-12 games. UCLA won the league title by four games, as Arizona and USC went 14-6 in Pac-12 play. The Bruins concluded the season by advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
The Bruins swept a number of year-end Pac-12 awards in March of 2023. Jaime Jaquez Jr. was honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Year and was later selected as the Lute Olson National Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com. Adem Bona was honored as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and Jaylen Clark was recognized as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Jaquez Jr. and Campbell secured first-team All-Pac-12 honors, while Bona and Clark were two of the five student-athletes named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. Clark was honored as the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year and the NABC Defensive Player of the Year.
UCLA’s 2022-23 squad led the Pac-12 in scoring defense (for the second straight year), allowing 60.7 points per game and ranked No. 15 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.0).The Bruins were second in the Pac-12 in scoring offense (74.1 ppg) and were ranked in every top 25 poll (AP and Coaches) during the 2022-23 college basketball campaign.
The Bruins limited their opposition to 40.8 percent shooting from the field in 2022-23, the lowest opposing field goal percentage by any UCLA team since the 1972-73 squad held its opponents to 39.6 percent shooting from the field. UCLA’s opposition shot just 31.1 percent from 3-point distance, the second-lowest opposing percentage (at UCLA) since the introduction of the 3-point arc in 1986-87.
While at Loyola University of Maryland, Simovic was instrumental in the recruitment and development of a pair of Patriot League All-Rookie Team selections from Spain – Santi Aldama and Golden Dike. In 2021-22, Loyola University produced a first-team All-Patriot League honoree in Cam Spencer, who finished the season as the conference’s leading scorer (19.1 points per game) and leader in steals (2.3 steals per game).
Spencer, Aldama and Andrew Kostecka (two-time selection) had secured NABC All-District acclaim during Simovic’s four seasons with the Greyhounds.
He arrived at Loyola University of Maryland prior to the 2018-19 season, after one year as an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2017-18. He was on the coaching staff at Hartford from 2015-17 as an assistant coach (2015-16) and as the program’s associate head coach (2016-17).
Simovic’s most notable international experience has included stops in Spain and in his native country, Serbia. He served as head coach and sports director for CB Espacio Torrelodones near Madrid, Spain. He helped the organization attract some of the top Spanish talent during an eight-year run with the program. Simovic served as the Torrelodones’ head coach in Liga EBA from 2007-09 before becoming the general manager and head coach of the organization’s U-18 and U-20 teams.
Simovic was responsible for all basketball development within the club. His responsibilities included signing senior and youth players, mentoring coaches, and coaching various squads. He led the Torrelodones’ U-18 team to its age group national semifinals on three occasions. One of the coaches that he mentored, Darko Rajakovic, was an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns before joining the staff of the Memphis Grizzlies.
During his final years in Spain, Simovic served as an international scout for the San Antonio Spurs. He was an assistant coach for the organization’s NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas in 2013 and 2014. Simovic received an NBA championship ring with San Antonio (2014) after the organization won the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.
Simovic spent the first seven years of his professional career as the head coach and recruiting coordinator for the Red Star in Belgrade (formally known as Crvena zvezda, Red Star is a professional club in Serbia that has been a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association).
He coached several players who played on youth and senior national teams for Serbia and Montenegro that won multiple European championships. Red Star won the 2004 Serbian Championship under Simovic’s leadership and finished as runner-up in Serbia in 2007.
Simovic, 44, graduated from Union University in Belgrade with his bachelor’s degree in industrial economic management in 2013. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Serbian.
Simovic and his wife, Jelena, have two children, Ema and Marko.
UCLA M. Basketball Media Availability - Players (Oct. 3, 2025)
Friday, October 03
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UCLA M. Basketball Media Availability - Players (Aug. 26, 2025)
Tuesday, August 26
UCLA M. Basketball Media Availability - Coach Cronin (Aug. 26, 2025)
Tuesday, August 26
