Post by valpo04 on Aug 24, 2005 3:22:18 GMT -5
NWI Times
Croatian native to help Crusaders recruit in Europe
BY STEVE HANLON
shanlon@nwitimes.com
219.462.5151
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 12:12 AM CDT
MEN'S BASKETBALL
There are a lot of tall, strong, physical post basketball players in Croatia and the rest of Europe. There's only one on the current Valparaiso University roster.
Ivan Vujic, welcome to the Crusaders coaching staff. Your links to your homeland will be needed.
Vujic, who played for coach Homer Drew from 1998-2000, was announced on Tuesday as the replacement for Greg Tonagel, who recently took the head coaching position at Indiana Wesleyan. The 6-foot-11 inside force will work with the Crusaders' big men.
"I'm really excited for the new opportunity," Vujic said. "Hopefully, I bring some good players from Croatia. Right now I will work with the big guys, try to make them bigger and stronger."
In 1999, Vujic was named to the Mid-Continent Conference's All-Newcomer team after a two-year stint at Vincennes Junior College. During his two years in brown and gold, Vujic averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds. He also was known for his physical play.
During a game against Western Illinois, the Leathernecks' coach screamed at Drew, calling Vujic a dirty player. While he would never accept such a term, it didn't mean he didn't know how to use his elbows and backside to get position.
With Kenny Harris out, Dan Oppland and Moussa Mbaye are left in the middle. Freshmen Urule Igbavboa and Arden Skoglund are probably a year away from helping in the paint.
"I've watched a couple of tapes, (Harris) is a big loss for the team," Vujic said. "But with hard work, it will be OK. (Injuries) are part of sports. You just try to handle it and try to recover."
Vujic played four years of professional basketball in Europe and Puerto Rico. He's coached the Croatian Junior National Team the past two years, along with the club team B.C. Dubrava-Zagreb.
"With Ivan's size and experience, he knows and understands how to play inside at this level of basketball," Drew said. "We're very excited to have him come back to Valparaiso and we know that he's going to help us return to what we've done in the past."
BY STEVE HANLON
shanlon@nwitimes.com
219.462.5151
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 12:12 AM CDT
MEN'S BASKETBALL
There are a lot of tall, strong, physical post basketball players in Croatia and the rest of Europe. There's only one on the current Valparaiso University roster.
Ivan Vujic, welcome to the Crusaders coaching staff. Your links to your homeland will be needed.
Vujic, who played for coach Homer Drew from 1998-2000, was announced on Tuesday as the replacement for Greg Tonagel, who recently took the head coaching position at Indiana Wesleyan. The 6-foot-11 inside force will work with the Crusaders' big men.
"I'm really excited for the new opportunity," Vujic said. "Hopefully, I bring some good players from Croatia. Right now I will work with the big guys, try to make them bigger and stronger."
In 1999, Vujic was named to the Mid-Continent Conference's All-Newcomer team after a two-year stint at Vincennes Junior College. During his two years in brown and gold, Vujic averaged 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds. He also was known for his physical play.
During a game against Western Illinois, the Leathernecks' coach screamed at Drew, calling Vujic a dirty player. While he would never accept such a term, it didn't mean he didn't know how to use his elbows and backside to get position.
With Kenny Harris out, Dan Oppland and Moussa Mbaye are left in the middle. Freshmen Urule Igbavboa and Arden Skoglund are probably a year away from helping in the paint.
"I've watched a couple of tapes, (Harris) is a big loss for the team," Vujic said. "But with hard work, it will be OK. (Injuries) are part of sports. You just try to handle it and try to recover."
Vujic played four years of professional basketball in Europe and Puerto Rico. He's coached the Croatian Junior National Team the past two years, along with the club team B.C. Dubrava-Zagreb.
"With Ivan's size and experience, he knows and understands how to play inside at this level of basketball," Drew said. "We're very excited to have him come back to Valparaiso and we know that he's going to help us return to what we've done in the past."