On the surface level, BGSU men’s basketball assistant coach German Srulovich seems like the hundreds of other assistant coaches around the country; however, the son of two Russian immigrants and speaker of three languages stands out from the crowd when you dig a little deeper.

Srulovich has not had a straight line to success as a basketball coach, bouncing around different jobs, leagues and countries.

His story begins at the University of San Francisco, where he started as a volunteer and manager after graduating, serving as an assistant video coordinator from 2012-15.

Srulovich then got a crack at the NBA, earning an analytics coordinator position with the Golden State Warriors from 2013-15, later circling back to the league and spending a year with the Sacramento Kings as a video intern.

“I got a chance to work with the Golden State Warriors in the analytics room for them,” Srulovich said. “It was kind of when analytics just started in 2013, and I was really fortunate to be there for two years; I got a ring in 2015 when we won that championship.”

In between his two stints in the NBA, Srulovich was a head coach overseas at GBA Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic at just 23 years old. He would later return to Europe as an assistant coach at Hapoel Jerusalem, which revolutionized his career.

“I was in Israel for Hapoel Jerusalem and worked with three head coaches there in two seasons. Was a phenomenal experience for myself of learning the league. We played in three different leagues out there, EuroCup, Israeli and the Champions League,” Srulovich said. “It was one of the best times I’ve had in my life, and I think it changed my career. As a human being, you learn a lot about yourself and the way the game is coached out there.”

While many would continue to pursue coaching professional basketball, Srulovich took a different path, returning to college basketball as an assistant at the College of Central Florida, a junior college.

“You get in what they call the mud; it’s a very pure element of basketball,” Srulovich said.

He returned to the collegiate ranks because he wanted to help develop the next generation of players.

“The impact I can make on an 18 to 22-year-old’s life in terms of who they are as a man, who they are as a person, what’s their skillset, what’s their confidence like, what’s their mental health like; you can make such a colossal impact, really in six months with a player, let alone two, three, four seasons with them,” Srulovich said. “I was drawn to college and development I think I can help make.”

A few years later, Srulovich watched one of BGSU men’s basketball head coach Todd Simon’s Zoom virtual coaching clinics when he was at Southern Utah, getting in contact with him after the livestream. Over the following months and years, Srulovich strengthened his relationship with Simon through recruiting and mutual connections before eventually joining his staff in Cedar City.

“I knew about him, so I was like, I’m going to watch his, I’m going to watch his zoom live…Guess what I did? Emailed him and asked him a question,” Srulovich said. “Got in touch, stayed in touch, and during that year, said, ‘Hey, we got some players in JUCO,’ and just built our relationship.”

Proving the world is small, Simon and Srulovich also had a mutual connection that stretched across the Atlantic Ocean.

“But [Simon] had a player that he coached at UNLV, that I coached in Israel, Ben Carter. Ben played for him two years before that. Coincidentally, he played with Tum Tum at Michigan State the year before,” Srulovich said. “So, I coached Ben in Israel, and two years later, I was like, ‘Ben, I’m trying to go work for Todd.’ He’s like, ‘I’ll call him right away.’ There were a few different elements that helped connect me to coach Simon.”

Simon has had a firsthand view of Srulovich’s evolution as a coach, from a special assistant and director of operations at Southern Utah to an assistant coach at Bowling Green.

“I’ve kind of seen his evolution from the entire circle of what it takes to be a part of a program, and his humility and ability to understand all aspects of a program from starting at the bottom is something I really value, so it’s fun to see his evolution as he continues to grow and flourish as a coach,” Simon said.

After five seasons working together at Southern Utah and Bowling Green, Srulovich’s relationship with Simon has continued to grow stronger.

“We’ve been together for quite a while now, the amount of time we spend working in the office and on the road together recruiting, you name it,” Simon said. “I definitely see him as more than just a coworker. He’s like family to me. He’s just a special person, and he’s done an unbelievable job for us.”

Most of BGSU’s coaching staff have been together for numerous years and are more of a family than normal staff.

“We are all on the exact same page, whether it’s doing a scouting report or preparation or how we do our skill work or things that we value everything’s locked step. There’s not a lot of questions at this point anymore because we all already know, we can kind of finish each other’s sentences, we know the values of our program, we know the sayings, we know how we’re teaching things, and so, it just speeds up your teaching process,” Simon said. “But importantly too, a comfort level in the relationship that we all have allows us to communicate very openly without worry of ego or stepping on each other’s toes; we know everything we talk about is coming out of a place of love, a common mission, but that security of understanding our relationship is very important.”

After a winding journey in the coaching world, Srulovich was finally honored this year as one of the 75 selections for the Silver Waves Media Elite 75 Future Head Coach Power Lunch, held the day before the NCAA Tournament Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.

The event features coaches who have separated themselves from the pack and have the potential to become future Division I head coaches.

“I know a lot of those people, and I’ve always looked up to them. It’s a very elite group of people, and I feel honored,” Srulovich said. “So, when I found out, I called my mom first, so she knew because that’s an important thing, and I called my dad. I was very honored but I knew what it means for my career and where I’ve been with the opportunities, places, situations, all those things have been a lot of the journey, but I’ve enjoyed a lot of it.”

Srulovich accidentally ran into the event last year while picking up other tickets, marking a full-circle moment for him.

“Last year, I had to go pick up tickets to an event that was happening at the Final Four…Next door, coincidentally, was that Power Lunch of last year,” Srulovich said. “Fast forward, you know, 10 months later, I find out about it.”

Last year, 10 of the 50 honorees became head coaches the next season.

“I’ve given eight guys their first jobs as assistants in my nine years as a head coach, and a lot of the guys like German embraced it, and he’s one of the guys that has made a name for himself and has been a part of many winning since he’s been a part of our program,” Simon said.

The major characteristic that sets Srulovich apart from the rest is his relentless energy, both on and off the court.

“He’s super high energy, he cares, he’s passionate…His energy’s infectious,” Bryce Martin, Bowling Green assistant coach and the director of operations at Southern Utah before Srulovich, said. “But his energy that he brings into the gym every day, into the office every day, into any room, is, I think, what really makes him special.”

Srulovich’s attitude and approach fit perfectly with what Simon is looking for in his coaching staff.

“With him, it’s his energy. I love guys who, sometimes, the cup will overflow, but I don’t want a half-empty cup,” Simon said. “He’s consistently bringing the juice, and he’s a personality that gives, you know, his cup is full. I love to have that around our program. Nothing great can be done without great energy, and that consistency of energy is something that’s a real asset to our program.”

Another strength of Srulovich’s is the consistency he demonstrates every day.

“He’s shown me what consistency is all about. German is very consistent, whether that’s having high energy all the time, being consistent with hard work; he’s going to teach you all those important things and pour that into you,” sophomore forward Wilguens Jr. Exacte, who Srulovich recruited, said. “I think he’s somebody that has a lot of empathy, and he’s very dependable. Anytime I need help, whether that’s getting shots up in the morning or just little things, he’s always there, he’s always showing up.”

Srulovich does not take days off, always showing up with 100% effort.

“He puts his heart and soul into everything he does and that passion, he never cheats a day. You know he’s going to give everything he has, and he wants to be great,” Simon said. “That combination with integrity and aptitude for what he’s doing certainly lends to his success.”

Something that guided Srulovich throughout his coaching career and entire life is religion, as he is a member of the Jewish community.

“What it’s taught me is just the perseverance. I think I look back to what Judaism is for me and what my people have done, and it’s just perseverance,” Srulovich said. “Perseverance is a great thing to have, and I’m proud to be Jewish. It’s something I’m very fortunate to have these lessons that have guided me, and I think it’s who I’ve been shaped as a man.”
Srulovich is a member of the Jewish Coaches Association, which was founded in 2005 by Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl and Bobby Schwartz.

“When you talk about the Jewish Coaches Association, it’s a tightknit community, and for the last five, six years, it’s grown an extreme amount, and it’s great to see these coaches feeling proud about being Jewish, talk about being Jewish,” Srulovich said. “We have Zooms a few times a year; we just kind of get together, talk when there’s antisemitic things going on.”

A major lesson Srulovich has learned throughout his coaching career is that all the players are just humans in the end.

“These are most time kids; like you’re at the ages between 18 to 22, and I think it really helped when I was 23, I was a head coach in Europe, and half of my team was older than me, and you realize these are just human beings and they just want to be coached,” Srulovich said. “But the biggest lesson, I would say you try to have a relationship with your players…Try to have a little bit more of a transformational understanding of who they are as people, and I think it might help you open up and help them open up in those situations.”

Srulovich’s ultimate career goal is to become a successful collegiate basketball head coach.

“Obviously, I have aspirations and dreams of being a Division I head coach, being successful in those elements and obviously replicate what coach Simon has done at these two universities and how he’s done that,” he said. “That’s the plan that I’m envisioning and manifesting for.”

Simon sees a successful future for Srulovich and is thrilled to see where his journey ends up going.

“German’s going to be a phenomenal head coach… I’m really excited to see where his future ends up and be able to follow him,” he said. “Philosophically, I can sum up what I like to do is watch small fish become big fish, and I think he’s going be a big fish one day.”