Jovana Popovic Commits to UConn | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Jovana Popovic Commits to UConn

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Serbian and Croatian are actually not two separate languages, but two dialects of the same language (language books usually lump them together as Serbo-Croatian). Not identical, but definitely mutually intelligible. The primary difference is that Serbian is written in Cyrillic like Russian, while Croatian is written in the Latin alphabet.
 
victor64 said:
Three questions.

Did anyone notice in the tape that she beat Okeke off the dribble against Spain?

Those with opinion, how does she compare to Robinson or Bjorn?

Did anyone else notice the facial resemblance to Caitlin Clark?
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IMO, a comparison really can't be made. Completely different games. Bjorn is a wing and Robinson is a SG. This kid is a classic combo guard and I haven't seen one better other than Bueckers and Clark coming out of HS in the last 5 or so years. Her ballhandling, court vision, shooting mechanics, ability to create separation, and particularly her unselfishness are elite. Her 5-9 size isn't a problem either for the same reason it wasn't for Kelsey Plum, that uncanny ability to create separation. She could play fulltime PG easily if needed and I believe that along with Kate Harpring, would be the top CG in the 2026 US class. And she might be a better passer.
 
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Charliebball said:
Geno clearly likes these international players who seem to have strong work ethics and are less caught up in all of the hype......that should keep him a bit more stress free........unless they're all like Nika...... ☺️
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I'm guessing that internationals are easier to recruit when you get closer to retirement. A 16-yr old kid might have more questions/concerns about if Geno will be there when they graduate. A foreign kid could probably stay where they are and go pro -- they're coming to the US to get as much top-notch coaching as possible. And when it runs out, they can go back home.
 
Charliebball said:
My understanding is that Croats and Serbs share similar languages and understand each other.........I guess that means that Olivia and Jovana will be able to complain about Geno together in secret..... 😊
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Lived in each country for three years. Pretty much the same language except for a few differences that are mostly political statements - a little more different than British versus American English. They should have no problem complaining about Geno at a very sophisticated level.
 
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MilfordHusky said:
I think Jovana is about average-sized for a PG. She's listed at 5'8" and 5'9". She's smaller than Paige, but decidedly bigger and taller than Moriah and Crystal.
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Yes, taller than MoJeff and Crystal. But I don't think she's as tall as you say here. The only listing I've seen shows her as 5'8". But in the videos I've come across, she looks more like 5'7". Of course, that's just based on camera angles and is not very reliable. But I don't think she's as tall as KK or Ash or Kayleigh.
 
Bone Dog said:
Yes, taller than MoJeff and Crystal. But I don't think she's as tall as you say here. The only listing I've seen shows her as 5'8". But in the videos I've come across, she looks more like 5'7". Of course, that's just based on camera angles and is not very reliable. But I don't think she's as tall as KK or Ash or Kayleigh.
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FIBA Eurobasket listed her height as 175cm which is almost exactly 5foot9. It's possible that she appears somewhat shorter because she has a fairly slim build for now.

www.fiba.basketball

Jovana Popovic - Serbia - Player Profile - FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 | FIBA Basketball

All detailed statistics, points, assists and rebounds of Popovic - Serbia from FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025
www.fiba.basketball www.fiba.basketball
 
Stronga12 said:
FIBA Eurobasket listed her height as 175cm which is almost exactly 5foot9. It's possible that she appears somewhat shorter because she has a fairly slim build for now.

www.fiba.basketball

Jovana Popovic - Serbia - Player Profile - FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 | FIBA Basketball

All detailed statistics, points, assists and rebounds of Popovic - Serbia from FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025
www.fiba.basketball www.fiba.basketball
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Interesting. I think I'm glad to hear that, though I do like the idea of having a true 'little' on the roster.
 
Skeets said:
Ahh, I understand that they might have played together, but historically Serbs and Croats have had a checked history (many decades before either of these two young ladies were born). At this point in history, it's probably more like driving in Tennessee with a UConn bumper sticker on your car.
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They are teammates on the Nike Summit game in April. Popovic had a great game; Olivia did not.
 
ucmiami2 said:
Not a verbal - she signed her LOI and Geno has openly commented about her (doesn't happen without a LOI in hand.)

I do like this signing - I think foreign players have better team skills based on spending their time practicing and playing on stable teams and not having the AAU circuit with pick-up all-star teams that seldom actually practice as a team. And while the skill level overseas isn't as great as in US HS/AAU play for pre-college, the experience playing against older professional players is a positive.
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Thank.you for the clarification... your answer helped me understand. So this means we still have a shot at Jerzy and even the other guard from California, Kaleena Smith
 
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NYCHUSKIES said:
Thank.you for the clarification... your answer helped me understand. So this means we still have a shot at Jerzy and even the other guard from California, Kaleena Smith
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Jerzy is Class of 2026. Kaleena Smith (Special K) is class of 2027. I think we are looking at a few guards in 2027, including #1 Special K and #2 Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka.
 
oldude said:
Here’s why I struggle with that. Clearly, the Big O had an offer for some time, and Jovana’s offer didn’t happen in the past few days. That only leaves one other potential offer between Bjorn, Robinson & Okeke.
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Apparently there’s also photos of Jovana when Blanca visited and Morgan has been following her for a while now. I think they’re recruiting quietly to be honest.
 
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Sluconn Husky said:
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I've noticed, in this and other highlight films, that
Jovana (a right-handed shooter) has the capacity to
switch to her left for a bucket (watch for a drive to
the basket in this highlight reel). And... the foot
speed! I also had the idea that Jovana could
be a shooting guard (in Azzi's role), though she
will probably be one of the handful of combo
guards on the team. Does anyone have thoughts about
her role: PG, Combo Guard, Shooting guard?
 
BobbyJ said:
IMO, a comparison really can't be made. Completely different games. Bjorn is a wing and Robinson is a SG. This kid is a classic combo guard and I haven't seen one better other than Bueckers and Clark coming out of HS in the last 5 or so years. Her ballhandling, court vision, shooting mechanics, ability to create separation, and particularly her unselfishness are elite. Her 5-9 size isn't a problem either for the same reason it wasn't for Kelsey Plum, that uncanny ability to create separation. She could play fulltime PG easily if needed and I believe that along with Kate Harpring, would be the top CG in the 2026 US class. And she might be a better passer.
Expand ...
In addition to the combo guard way she is being described, she also had rebounding numbers in the U18 tournament that makes me think she could be considered in spots as the 3 in a small ball lineup, kind of like Ash now, but of course also has versatility to be a point, or shooting guard.

The jury might still be out, but it appears Geno may be comfortable using KK and Kayleigh together, and that might be true with Popovic with either as well.
 
www.google.com

Get to know Serbian teenager Jovana Popovic, a budding women’s basketball star

Get to know the 17-year-old guard, who just led her team to its first championship in Serbia.
www.google.com www.google.com

Vana speaks! I’m not sure if this article will show up as a link, but you techs out there should be able to find your way to the interview. Vana sounds like she has graduated from the CD interview training course. More importantly, she has the UConn mindset. It is apparent why Geno made her an offer.
 
Zarathustra said:
I've noticed, in this and other highlight films, that
Jovana (a right-handed shooter) has the capacity to
switch to her left for a bucket (watch for a drive to
the basket in this highlight reel). And... the foot
speed! I also had the idea that Jovana could
be a shooting guard (in Azzi's role), though she
will probably be one of the handful of combo
guards on the team. Does anyone have thoughts about
her role: PG, Combo Guard, Shooting guard?
Expand ...
Yes, she's a combo guard. That means she can play either PG or SG at any time, whatever is needed.
 
Smart move by Geno. It seems like the European players are very fundamentally sound and they appear to learn team basketball from a young age. If you look at the NBA they have hit an all-time high in 2025-2026 in international players (135) and within that group they hit a record high with 71 European players. Geno is simply following the talent and it is growing both internationally as well as in Europe.
 
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