NIL OPPORTUNITIES
ARRIVAL/ELIGIBILITY
- Transferred to UTC from Pepperdine ahead of the 2023-24 season... graduate transfer who exhausted final year of eligibility in 2023-24.
2023-24 (Chattanooga)
Southern Conference Sixth Man of the Year
Southern Conference All-Tournament Second Team
- Appeared in all 33 games while making 24 starts... averaged 21.4 minutes per game... tabbed SoCon Sixth Man of the Year.
- Surpassed 1,200 career points while mearing a UTC uniform... finished career with 1,264 (10.0) in 126 total appearances in the Division I ranks.
- Averaged 11.9 points (392), 3.4 rebounds (111) and 1.2 assists (38) per game... finished the season shooting 48.3% FG (128-265), 34.6% 3PT (47-136) and 82.4% FT (89-108).
- Reached double figures in 21 games including the final four of the season... six 20-plus scoring efforts... three 25-plus performances.
- Scored 26 points on 7-of-12 FG (11-of-12 FT) and added six rebounds in SoCon Tournament semifinal defeat to ETSU on March 10... followed a 13-point, five-rebound game in SCT quarterfinal win over Wofford on March 9.
- Scored 25 points on 11-of-13 FG (3-of-4 3PT) and added six rebounds in UTC debut during win over Covenant on November 6... scored season-high 27 points on 8-of-11 FG (4-of-5 3PT, 7-of-8 FT) in win over Gardner-Webb on December 19.
- During the team's historic six-game SoCon road win streak, scored 21 points (8-of-11 FG) at ETSU on January 21 and 20 (6-of-12 FG, 4-of-9 3PT) at Western Carolina on January 31.
2022-23 (Pepperdine)
- Played in 27 contests his senior season and averaged 7.3 points off the bench for the Waves while pulling down 2.2 rebounds per contest.
- Recorded a season-high 22 points against LMU (2/25) where he went 4-for-4 from the three point line.
- Was instrumental in the Waves’ win over BYU (2/9), drawing attention inside, finishing with 14 points and five rebounds as well as going 60% from beyond the arc.
2021-22 (Pepperdine)
Southern California Challenge All-Tournament Team
- Finished second on the squad, and 14th in the WCC, with a 13.3 scoring average as a junior... also averaged 3.7 rebounds in 28.9 minutes while starting all 29 games in which he played.
- Upped his scoring average to 14.7 points in league play (12th in the WCC)... was third in the league in free throw percentage (88.1%).
- Scored in double-figures 23 times and had five 20-point games... had a season-high 28 at Loyola Marymount (1/20) in 45 minutes.
- Other season highs were seven rebounds (five times), four assists (twice), two steals vs. Gonzaga (2/16) and four three-pointers (twice).
- Named to the Southern California Challenge All-Tournament team after averaging 18.5 points against Fresno State (11/22) and TCU (11/24).
2020-21 (Pepperdine)
- Appeared in 22 games and made seven starts.. was third on the team at 9.4 points as a sophomore... also averaged 3.5 rebounds in 21.4 minutes.
- Was third on the team in three-pointers made with 37, and ranked eighth in the WCC at 1.7 three-pointers per game.
- Scored in double-figures 11 times... posted a season-high 26 points at San Diego (2/27) and made eight three-pointers, one shy of the school record.
- Had two double-doubles: 11 points and 11 rebounds vs. Saint Mary’s (2/13) and 13 points and 10 rebounds in the WCC quarterfinals vs. Santa Clara (3/6).
- Other season highs were three assists vs. Concordia (12/16), two steals vs. Gonzaga (1/30) and 39 minutes at Santa Clara (2/20).
2019-20 (Pepperdine)
- Had a promising freshman season cut short due to a season-ending hand injury... averaged 5.5 points in 10.6 minutes over 15 games.
- Scored in double-figures three times, including a season-high 16 vs. Providence (12/1)... had 10 points vs. Northern Arizona (12/21) and scored 11 at Gonzaga (1/4) in his final game of the season.
- Made nine three-pointers in his final five games.
- Other season highs were five rebounds (12/28 at San Jose State), two assists (twice), three three-pointers (1/4 at Gonzaga) and 26 minutes (12/6 vs. Idaho State).
CZECH REPUBLIC
- Invited to the Czech Republic National Team camp in the lead-up to Olympic qualifying in summer 2021 (one of two U.S. collegiate players who went).
- Represented his home country at the 2016 U16 and 2018 U20 European Championships... was part of their U20 camp in summer 2019.
- Took part in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
CLUB
- Played with BK Wolves Radotin during the 2018-19 season, which won the championship in the Czech Republic’s second division.
- Began playing with USK Praha (Prague) at the age of 9 and stayed with that club throughout his junior career.
HIGH SCHOOL
- Graduated from Gymnazium Oty Pavla, located in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2019.
PERSONAL
- Born in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Born December 13, 1999.
- Son of Jiri Zidek and Martina Zidkova... has three siblings: Martin, Ela and Tim.
- Father won a national championship playing for UCLA in 1995... then was a first-round NBA Draft pick of the Charlotte Hornets and played three seasons in the NBA before returning to Europe.
- Grandfather, Jiri, starred for USK Slavia Prague in the 1960s and 1970s.
- His father and grandfather became the first father-and-son combination ever to both play in the EuroLeague Finals.
