Serbian coach Nenad Hrvoic joins Ric Bucher and Greg Stolt on Pacific Rims for a wide-ranging look at how basketball is evolving across China, Asia, Europe and the NCAA. Hrvoic explains what has changed in the CBA after 15 years in China, why foreign players and coaches face a steep adjustment, and how the Nanjing Monkey Kings’ J. Cole experiment became a global marketing moment.

He also breaks down why Serbia keeps producing elite basketball talent, why China needs more players and coaches gaining experience abroad, and how NIL money is pulling young international talent toward college basketball — sometimes at the risk of long-term development. Plus: Ric and Greg discuss Chinese prospects in the NCAA, Wei Lin’s move from Nanjing to Oregon, and whether Stanley Johnson’s Nagasaki Velca can challenge Japan B.League power Utsunomiya.

Time Stamps:

00:48 — Introducing Nenad Hrvoic and New Air Club

02:15 — How Chinese basketball has changed over 15 years

03:15 — Adjusting from Serbia to Jordan, Cyprus and China

07:19 — Why Jordan was Hrvoic’s most rewarding coaching project

08:33 — What China must do to climb globally

09:49 — How CBA import rules have changed

11:34 — Inside J. Cole’s one-game run with Nanjing

13:43 — Why Serbia produces elite basketball players

16:27 — Serbia’s youth-development rules: no zone, no early ball screens

18:09 — Rising basketball markets in Asia

19:21 — Coaching men vs. women

20:22 — Best CBA cities and life in Nanjing

21:00 — Nanjing vs. Jiangsu: explaining the Monkey Kings

22:40 — NIL’s impact on European and Asian basketball

25:00 — Wei Lin’s move from Nanjing to Oregon

30:40 — Will NIL change Asian basketball pathways?

34:45 — Can Nagasaki Velca beat Utsunomiya in the B.League playoffs?

Hashtags:

#PacificRims #CBA #NanjingMonkeyKings #ChineseBasketball #SerbianBasketball #NIL #CollegeBasketball #J Cole #WeiLin #BLeague #NagasakiVelca #UtsunomiyaBrex #GlobalBasketball #RicBucher #GregStolt

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