UCLA assistant coach Nemanja “Yogi” Jovanovic just added another line to his résumé, and this one comes with a silver medal.
Jovanovic, who serves as UCLA’s Assistant Coach and Director of International Recruiting, guided Serbia to second place at the U20 European Championships, which wrapped up Sunday. Serbia fell 84-65 to Slovenia in the title game after powering through the knockout rounds with wins over Italy, Greece, and Spain. In group play, Serbia also handled Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.
The run to the final was dominant for most of the tournament. Serbia won its first five games at the U20 Euros by at least 17 points before edging Spain 72-65 in the semifinal to secure a spot in the championship game. The team finished fourth in the event, averaging 81.0 points per game.
Serbia’s numbers across the tournament were strong across the board. The team was second at the Euro U20s in field-goal percentage at 44.9 percent, sixth in three-point shooting at 28.8 percent, and led the field with averages of 48 rebounds and 5.7 blocks per game.
Jovanovic’s work with Serbia comes on top of a coaching background that stretches across both Europe and the college game in the United States. UCLA hired him in the summer of 2023 after he spent seven seasons as an assistant at SMU from 2015 through 2022, followed by a stint at DePaul in 2022-23 and another at UT-Arlington during the 2023-24 season.
His international ties have already shown up in UCLA’s recruiting. Shortly after the U17 World Cup ended, the Bruins announced the signing of 5-star Serbian prospect Nikola Kusturica. Kusturica is not eligible for the NBA Draft until 2028 and should spend at least two years with UCLA.
UCLA’s international footprint is set to grow even more. The Bruins are projected to have four international players on their 2026-27 roster, including Serbian players Kusturica, Auburn transfer Filip Jovic, and Sergej Macura from Mississippi State.
That combination of college experience and overseas connections gives UCLA another lane to keep building under Mick Cronin, especially when it comes to attracting top European talent.
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