Basketball Recruiting: Hi, I Am Sasa!
by Run Up The Score on Feb 12, 2009 9:40 AM EST
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Some good news for Penn State basketball fans who had become re-accustomed to bad news. The Lions have landed 6'9", 230 pound forward Sasa Borovnjak -- a Serbian by way of Veritas Christian in Fletcher, North Carolina.
The CDT's Jeff Rice has the story in this morning's edition:
When Sasa Borovnjak stepped off the plane 15 months ago, Veritas Christian Academy basketball coach John Jordan asked his new big man how his flight from Belgrade, Serbia, had gone. "Hi, I am Sasa," Borovnjak replied.
Jordan smiled and tried again, asking Borovnjak if he had eaten anything on the plane.
"Hi, I am Sasa," was the response. Borovnjak’s English, and his game, have come a long way since.
He's evolved into a rather prolific scorer, and has turned in some excellent performances against some of the nation's best high school teams, including Oak Hill Academy (currently ranked in the top five, nationally):
Memphis guard Doneal Mack and Clemson center Catalin Baciu also played for Jordan at Veritas.
“Both of those guys were great high school scorers,” Jordan said. “But I think Sasa is a more reliable scorer than those guys. He’s shooting 60 percent from the field.”
Borovnjak averaged about 14 points per game last season as the second option to the 7-foot-2 Baciu. But Jordan said that by the end of the season, Borovnjak had become the team’s go-to player. He scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Norcross’ Al-Farouq Aminu, now arguably the nation’s top freshman at Wake Forest.
“We spread the floor and just gave him the ball,” Jordan said. “Aminu couldn’t guard him.”
As the main option this season, Borovnjak has scored 33 points against Oak Hill, 27 against Mt. Zion and made 16 of 19 shots in a 41-point performance against Queens Grant this past Saturday.
Penn State hasn't exactly had a lot of success with its previous European basketball imports, but Borovnjak has performed very well against top American high school competition. Other programs were trying to nudge into the Sasa Sweepstakes late -- Georgetown, Wake Forest, and Gonzaga were kicking the tires -- but Penn State won out.
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Awesome, it would be tremendous to have a scorer to replace Cornley
I am impressed with Ed’s recruiting, the team is definitely on the up swing and hopefully this year (minus the last 3 games) is just the beginning.
We just needed a couple players, a couple people to buy in to the fact and we were able to do it. --A.Q. Shipley
Does
Cornley know how to dunk anymore? All he does is that baby jump hook. He needs to man up and throw that bad boy down. Even the dunk he had when no one was around looked week.
PSU Softball
The turn around jumper/hook counts for 2 points also
And I think is as impressive as a dunk for the finesse it takes. You better hope Cornley doesn’t read this because he benches like 4000 lbs.
We just needed a couple players, a couple people to buy in to the fact and we were able to do it. --A.Q. Shipley
He doesn't have that move.
He’s not big or explosive enough to just wheel around and dunk the ball on someone. It’s just not in his game.
--
Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Feb 12, 2009 10:38 AM EST up reply actions
I saw this one coming based on articles on FOS & BWI yesterday
so I took it upon myself to find the school’s website and the player profiles. Here you go:
Look at
The two kids at the bottom of the page. One of these things is not like the other . . .
Maybe it's just because they're FR and Sophs
The names Parker and Lance aren’t helping their cause though!
Maybe it's just me but
I think Devon is Tim Tebow’s illegitimate brother from NC. Give him a haircut and I think we’ve got a match.
Rivals.....
This doesn’t even have PSU offering him. It shows how accurate rivals is…
WE ARE.......PENN STATE!
Sasa had some nice offers
He’s a 3star on Rivals. He’s got nice size and it looks like he played well against good competition. Another nice sign is that his game got better as the year went on. Some of his other offers included Wake, Florida State, and Xavier. Hopefully he can contribute early and often at PSU!
Welcome to the family Sasa!
He was 4 star until PSU showed interest
Or does that only happen in football?
"The sea was angry that day, my friends." G. Costanza
Very nice!
Now, how the hell do I say his name?
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
by ReadingRambler on Feb 12, 2009 11:29 AM EST reply actions
Also
Someone needs to make up a nickname for this guy. “The Serbinator”?
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
by ReadingRambler on Feb 12, 2009 11:36 AM EST reply actions
He already has one: "Sushi"
And really, the jokes will eventually write themselves.
--
Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Feb 12, 2009 11:41 AM EST up reply actions
Right
sometimes you need to reach; you aren’t going to have to reach on this one.
Plus I can’t wait until he dunks on his first victim, and 45 people in the comment section post, “Hi, I Am Sasa!”
BSD
GREAT NEWS....
I hope he is ready to play becasue with out Cornley we are really hurting in the paint.
Peter
My favorite part of the article:
He scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Norcross’ Al-Farouq Aminu, now arguably the nation’s top freshman at Wake Forest.
"We spread the floor and just gave him the ball," Jordan said. "Aminu couldn’t guard him."
Also, “Hi, I am Sasa.”
CLASSIC.
Little known fact
When he first got off the plane he said, “Hi, I’m Sasa,” and that’s generally where the story ends, but what he realy said was, “Hi, I’m Sasa, your mom sounds hot”
For real. Serbs are not to be trifled with.
--
Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Feb 12, 2009 2:41 PM EST up reply actions
Sasa
I’m not big on European players playing in America, but this guy seems like a gamer. Peja of Penn State, maybe?
If he is as good as Jan Jagla
I will be more than happy. I remember him more than Milos. I try to forget Milos’s tenure.
Milos was deadly from 20 feet.
And helpless inside 2 feet.
--
Mr. Bob Dobalina
by Run Up The Score on Feb 12, 2009 4:19 PM EST up reply actions
We also had a good one in John Amechi
He was English and a great player. I got to be friends with him in a psychology class we took together, he was a good guy.
We just needed a couple players, a couple people to buy in to the fact and we were able to do it. --A.Q. Shipley
He definitely sounds like a good guy
especially when he stood up and became the first openly gay former or current NBA player to admit he was gay. I don’t know why sports figures are so homophobic, but it definitely had to have taken a lot to be able to come out like that.
by The JuggerNitt on Feb 12, 2009 4:41 PM EST up reply actions
I actually didn't know that, I thought he was just English.
We just needed a couple players, a couple people to buy in to the fact and we were able to do it. --A.Q. Shipley
lol, the 2 are often confused
but he’s definitely both :-p
by The JuggerNitt on Feb 13, 2009 1:24 PM EST up reply actions
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