MALIBU, California – Nearly 25 years ago, Lorenzo Romar helped coach George Zidek to a national championship at UCLA. Now, he'll coach his son, as Romar and the Pepperdine men's basketball program announced the signing of Jan Zidek to a grant-in-aid today.
 
Zidek, a 6-foot-9 forward, hails from Prague, Czech Republic, and most recently played with BK Wolves Radotin in the 2018-19 season. The club won the championship in the Czech Republic's second division. He began playing with USK Praha (Prague) at the age of 9 and stayed with that club throughout his junior career.
 
He represented the Czech Republic at the 2016 U18 European Championship and the 2018 U20 European Championship. He is scheduled to be part of their upcoming U20 camp. He took part in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
 
"George had contacted us and sent us some video of Jan," said Romar, who was an assistant coach on the 1995 UCLA squad that won the NCAA title with the elder Zidek at center. "The video wasn't clear, but he looked like a player. We stayed in touch and got some more video. Because of the relationship that George and I have, we were very transparent with each other. Eventually we got Jan here on a visit and were able to see him up close, and we were very impressed with him.
 
"He's a big guy at 6-foot-9, but he can shoot the ball extremely well. He has a good overall skill set. He understands how to play. He brings a level of physicality that we need. He's not just a perimeter shooter, though, he can be a physical player inside with a post-up game. Along with his ability, he has great character as well as a great work ethic."
 
Zidek said: "I cannot imagine a more beautiful place than the Pepperdine University campus. I am looking forward to attending a university that features such a favorable student-to-professor ratio. I felt real interest from the whole coaching staff from the first moment. I saw great chemistry between the coaches and I can't wait to start working with them on getting better in every aspect of my game.
 
"My father's input in choosing a college to attend and to play basketball surely played a role in my decision. I was aware of the fact that my father stayed in touch with Coach Romar throughout the years since UCLA. I believe they have mutual respect for each other and my father is happy for me to play and develop under Coach Romar."
 
After graduating from UCLA, George Zidek was picked in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He played in the NBA for three seasons before returning to Europe. Jan's grandfather, Jiri, was also a basketball standout, starring for USK Slavia Prague in the 1960s and 1970s. Jiri and George became the first father and son combination ever to both play in the EuroLeague Finals.