Two-time NBA champion Beno Udrih, head coach of the Wisconsin Herd, spoke with Ric Bucher and Bostjan Nachbar on the Fullcourt Passport podcast about his coaching journey and philosophy.
“Even when I was playing I always wanted to be a… I knew I want to be a coach,” Udrih said, adding that his goal is to become the first European-born ex-NBA player to serve as an NBA head coach.
Udrih reflected on the transition from player to coach, explaining, “Being a head coach is like… managing the medical, you manage the coaching staff, you talk to the GM… couple times a day. My wife’s actually jealous because I talk to my GM more than I talk to her.” He noted that roster changes in the G League make daily communication essential.
Building relationships with players is a top priority for Udrih. He said, “Communication is always the key… a lot of people think communication is just talking to players, but it’s actually listening too. I try to talk to them, bring them to one-on-one meetings… and just like, ‘Hey, what’s going on? What are your expectations?’”
He emphasized teaching players that scoring alone will not secure an NBA call-up: “Historically, whoever is MVP of the G League or the leading scorer… doesn’t get a call up. So… they just need to play the right way.”
Udrih described his style of offense as fast but structured. “I try to put like the offense that it’s kind of a flowing offense, just continuous movement… everybody gets to touch the ball,” he said, adding that spacing and teamwork are central to his approach.
He also highlighted mid-range shooting as an overlooked skill: “My whole thing is… when you come on pick and roll… the first initial thought has to be, I’m getting to the rim… and take what the defense gives you. A lot of time, what the defense gives you is the mid-range.”
The coach also credited his own mentors for shaping his approach. “I had one coach that… took me under the wing and taught me all those little details… and then I just expanded onto that,” he said, recalling formative experiences with Bostjan Kuhar and Zmago Sagadin. He also drew on his time with Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, and Stan Van Gundy as foundational in learning how to communicate with players and manage a team.
Udrih said he remains patient about his career trajectory but stays focused on development. “I hope it comes, you know, sooner rather than later because I really, like, feel like being here for three years in the G League… I figured out how to manage everybody… and in the NBA you even have more help than you do here in G League because you have a bigger staff.”
Looking back at his playing career in Europe, Udrih highlighted a season with Zalgiris Kaunas that ended with a trip to EuroLeague Final Four. “The experience was great… the fans are amazing, they’re involved from an hour before the game… just to be a part there, was great,” he said. He credited the team’s success to attention to detail and late-game execution: “We won so many close games because of our ATOs… that got us in a position to be good.”
