Beno Udrih
From Hoopedia
Beno Udrih (born July 5, 1982 in Celje, Slovenia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) is a Slovenian professional basketball player, currently with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. Udrih made his professional debut with a brief stint in the Slovenian secondary league in 1997, followed by three seasons in that country's premier league. He was named the 2000 Slovenian League Rookie of the Year, and has played for the Slovenian National Team since that same year. Udrih played for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2002-2003 season, and split the 2003-2004 season among Avtodor Saratov (Russia) and Breil Milano(Italy).
Prior to his NBA debut, he appeared in the Southern California Summer Pro League for the Spurs, and also appeared in 3 games with the Spurs squad in the 2004 Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue while averaging 10.3 PPG, 5 APG, 4.7 RPG, 1.33 SPG, 24.7 MPG, and shooting .542 (13-24).
Udrih signed with the Spurs in the summer of 2004 after being drafted with the 28th overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft, signing a 3-year, $2.4million contract, and served as a key backup for point guard Tony Parker. In Udrih's rookie season, he won the Rookie of the Month award. Following that achievement, he was selected for the Rookie Team for the Got Milk?Rookie Challenge during All Star Weekend. However, Udrih's playing time dropped significantly in the 2005-06 season with the Spurs signing Nick Van Exel during the off-season, but has increased since the All-Star break due to injury to Van Exel's elbow. His 2006 playoff minutes were very limited, and will most probably compete with Jacque Vaughn for the backup point guard position in the coming season.
Udrih is left-handed, and comes from a family of basketball players. His father Silvo played for Lasko, and brother Samo is currently playing in Europe. He currently wears the number 14 with the Spurs, but has worn both 9 and 6 in the past. He also admits to having originally wanted the number 9 (worn by Tony Parker), as it's tradition in his family.
Udrih struggled in much of the 2005 NBA playoffs, but stepped up his play in the Finals series vs. Detroit.
Currently, Udrih is coming back from an injury this off-season and is competing with Jacque Vaughn for the back up point guard spot behind Tony Parker. Udrih has just been given an option that is worth $1.747 million and prevents him from becoming a restricted free agent next summer.
