Martin Knezevic
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikitia's general notability guideline. |
| |||
| Cantho Catfish | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Head coach | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Born | June 27, 1979 | ||
| Nationality | Serbian-American | ||
| Career information | |||
| College | University of California | ||
| Coaching career | 2014–present | ||
| Career history | |||
| As coach: | |||
| 2014–2015 | San Diego Surf | ||
| 2015 | Tijuana Zonkeys | ||
| 2015–2016 | Texas Legends | ||
| 2016 | Hoops Club | ||
| 2016–2017 | Moncton Miracles | ||
| 2017–2019 | Caballeros de Culiacan | ||
| 2019–2020 | Tianjin Pioneers | ||
| 2020 | Halcones de Ciudad Obregon | ||
| 2021 | Cantho Catfish | ||
Martin Knezevic (born June 27, 1979) is a Serbian-American professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Cantho Catfish. He has also coached in the NBA G League and the Chinese Basketball Association.
Coaching career
A native of Southern California, Knezevic began his coaching career as a coach for the 2014 NBA G League combine organized by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in Los Angeles. Soon afterwards, he was offered the head coach position with the San Diego Surf of the American Basketball Association. Knezevic led the team back to the playoffs after finishing in last place the previous year. After a strong showing against the Tijuana Zonkeys in a postseason exhibition match, the defending champions offered him their head coach position for the 2015 season.
Later that year, Knezevic was signed as head coach in the new AmeriLeague which started in Las Vegas. The controversial league which had signed dozens of recent NBA players folded right before the season as the identity of the commissioner was revealed to be Cerruti Brown, former NCAA star turned fraudulent businessman.
The Texas Legends offered Knezevic an assistant coach position for the 2015-16 season. Serving under former NBA All-Star Nick Van Exel, he helped lead the Legends to their best record at the All-Star break in franchise history. While in Dallas, he coached former NBA stars Josh Childress and Chris Douglas-Roberts.
Following the NBA G League season, Knezevic took the head coach job with Hoops Club in Lebanon. Later that season, he joined the Moncton Miracles as lead assistant coach. Coaching under former Dallas Mavericks coach Paul Mokeski, Knezevic gained more valuable experience from the NBA level.
In the Fall of 2017, Mexico came calling again. The Caballeros de Culiacan were looking to make a splash and wanted a coach with NBA G League experience. As head coach, Knezevic recruited former NBA guard Ben Uzoh to join him in Culiacan. The Cabs led the league that season in pace, steals, and fast-break points. They finished with a 21-17 record, a 9-game improvement from the year before. Knezevic led the franchise back to the playoffs, losing to his former team the Tijuana Zonkeys in six games. Following a two-year run in Culiacan, Knezevic took his career to Asia.
In May of 2019, the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association offered Knezevic their assistant coach position. This role consisted of preparing the team for the upcoming season. Then, in November, he signed on as lead assistant coach with the Tianjin Pioneers of the CBA. While there, Knezevic coached former NBA star Julian Wright and current NBA player Chasson Randle. When the COVID-19 epidemic forced the CBA to suspend its season, he left China and took a head coach position with Halcones de Ciudad Obregon. Two months later, the pandemic caused that league to be cancelled as well.
In January of 2021, Knezevic accepted the head coach position with the Cantho Catfish of the Vietnam Basketball Association.
Martin Knezevic is also a classically-trained pianist and percussionist. He attended the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Bavarian Music Academy in Marktoberdorf Germany. Knezevic was also principal timpanist of the San Diego Youth Symphony for 8 years.
References
External links
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