Yes, Geno's lolWas she on anyone's bingo card?
Was she on anyone's bingo card?
Her season stats to date are pretty incredible. Looking at the link provided on the other thread about her that showed her season stats, she was averaging more than 2 points per field goal attempt. That almost seems like an impossible stat, but it isn't if you take a high numbers of threes hitting over 50%, and get fouled very often and make over 90% of those.Her stats are insane
Averaging 26.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 7.2 APG, and 3.4 SPG
Shooting 49.2% on 2s, 53.8% on 3s (14-26), and 91.2% at the line (31-34)
A couple of months ago she had
44 points (14/26 FG | 9/18 FG2 | 5/8 FG 3 | 11/13 FT)
4 rebounds
1 assist
2 steal
I don’t think people were questioning her defense. At least I wasn’t. I merely said I hadn’t seen videos that showed her defense. I guess that’s not surprising since highlights reels tend to feature offensive accomplishments. But it’s good to hear about excellent defensive stats. Thanks.In the regular thread, people were questioning her defense. This season on her professional team, she is averaging 3.4 steals per game as a 17 year old. Last year as a 16 year old she averaged 2.8
After watching a couple of full game videos this is what I've seen. Her hands and feet are very quick with good anticipation which accounts for the good steal numbers. Her on ball positioning and effort is also good. The area for improvement is probably in her physicality. Mainly because of her size she doesn't body/detour her man or attempt to block shots or challenge bigs when caught in a switch. Smart decisions because she and her coach probably recognize the value of her staying on the court out of foul trouble. Auriemma may require a more physical commitment similar to Arnold and Heckel but overall she's very capable defensively. And her offensive ceiling is high.In the regular thread, people were questioning her defense. This season on her professional team, she is averaging 3.4 steals per game as a 17 year old. Last year as a 16 year old she averaged 2.8 (I think that is correct) on her professional team and they won the championship and she was the MVP. Her defense on her European teams seems to be very good based solely on stats.
Cancel that scholarship!! ☺️The Serbian women's basketball league is not recognized as a top league in Europe. This is in contrast to the Italian league, where Blanca has been playing for the past few seasons. The leagues in Spain, Turkey, France, and Italy are top leagues, as far as I know. Russia is currently excluded from EuroCup and EuroLeague competitions, which is why it is not currently included in the leagues mentioned. However, this does not mean that the caliber of play is not interesting.
The Serbian league consists of 12 teams with a 22-game regular season schedule. The schedule runs from late September to late March. I couldn't find any information about the playoff system. The schedules of the various European leagues are somewhat similar across the continent. The reason there are so few games over such a long period is to allow teams participating in the two most competitive competitions to do so.
The EuroLeague and EuroCup are the two competitions in question. No Serbian team plays in the EuroLeague, which is the highest competition, and only one plays in the EuroCup: Crvena Zvezda. There is another competition in this part of Europe, the WABA (Women's Basketball Adriatic League), which consists almost entirely of teams from the republics of the former Yugoslavia. With the exception of Bulgaria, the teams come from Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Croatia, with seven teams participating. Partizan is the team representing Serbia.
Attached is the Top 100 ranking in Europe. You can click on the different teams to see their ranking in their league and other competitions, as well as all relevant information.
Jovana's team, Mega Mis, is ranked 40th. The scoring system used for the rankings can be found at the bottom. It seems obvious that since the team is not participating in other competitions, their ranking will be difficult to maintain. Points earned in the EuroCup and especially in the EuroLeague are more generous.
Eurobasket
www.eurobasket.com
Very impressive film. Can’t wait to see her in a Huskies uniform.Another super aggressive guard to add to the mix.......gonna be fun!
As I mentioned earlier, Serbia's women's basketball league is not considered to be one of the top leagues in Europe. It is difficult for me to make a comparison, as the team only has three players aged between 22 and 26, with the rest being younger.Just one caveat: judging from this latest video, the level of competition isn't very good. I mean, Jovana seems to be head and shoulders above everyone else on that court. ... and I don't mean in height.
Also, she can finish with either hand, as we see here. But she seems to have a strong preference for the right hand.
That sounds like Paige.Also, she can finish with either hand, as we see here. But she seems to have a strong preference for the right hand.
Here are some highlights from the bronze medal match at the 2024 European Championships. I think this might reassure you about her left hand. Jovana was only 16 at the time. I counted at least five times that she finished with her left hand at the basket, including once on an offensive rebound. She finished the game with an efficiency rating of 40. In ten minutes, we can see the full extent of her talent. She can create for her teammates and for herself and can score points at all three levels.Just one caveat: judging from this latest video, the level of competition isn't very good. I mean, Jovana seems to be head and shoulders above everyone else on that court. ... and I don't mean in height.
Also, she can finish with either hand, as we see here. But she seems to have a strong preference for the right hand.
If the first link didn't work, this one should.
One basic answer to this: "In Geno, I Trust". But, Jovana hasQuestion for all the Jovana "experts" on the Boneyard:
Next season do you see it likely that:
She will be in the regular rotation off the bench from game one
She will be in the regular rotation....first off the bench from game one
She will start at shooting guard by conference play.
She will be in the rotation by conference play.
She will only play in routs with minimal minutes.
Or...?
We need a shooter/scorer...she may take some of the minutes now that belong to Azzie.
I choose the first one listed above.
Starters:
KK/K9/Sarah/Ashlynn/Blanca
Regular rotation...quite a few minutes:
Olivia/Jana/Jovana...if others beat them out...so be it.
Would love an international big to arrive as well...the French big.
If Allie is not starting or getting a lot of minutes something will be wrong.Question for all the Jovana "experts" on the Boneyard:
Next season do you see it likely that:
She will be in the regular rotation off the bench from game one
She will be in the regular rotation....first off the bench from game one
She will start at shooting guard by conference play.
She will be in the rotation by conference play.
She will only play in routs with minimal minutes.
Or...?
We need a shooter/scorer...she may take some of the minutes now that belong to Azzie.
I choose the first one listed above.
Starters:
KK/K9/Sarah/Ashlynn/Blanca
Regular rotation...quite a few minutes:
Olivia/Jana/Jovana...if others beat them out...so be it.
Would love an international big to arrive as well...the French big.
and morganIf Allie is not starting or getting a lot of minutes something will be wrong.
If the first link didn't work, this one should.
From the video I have watched and reading your assessment, Jovana and skilled enough to earn significant minutes at all but maybe 10 schools next year.
Obviously, she chose one of those ten. Along with learning to never take a play off, she has to be patient. Allie’s patience paid off. Her nonverbals are good but no one knows for sure how Kelis is handling her limited time.
Blanca played multiple years of pro ball but can’t break the lineup. That is where UConn is presently.
Olivia and Jordana have a challenging freshmen year ahead and of them. As you noted, the challenge will be going from being the goto person to just being one of many.
I don't know if Jovana will be part of the rotation next season. However, she has a chance if Kayleigh is part of the starting five with KK. The various college basketball programs are still adjusting to the transfer portal. Last season, some of the players who were among ESPN's top 20 prospects decided to use the portal. For example, teams like USC saw Kayleigh Heckel (#13) and Avery Howell (#16) leave for UCLA, Kendall Dudley (#18) leave for Notre Dame, and Kate Koval (#5) leave for Notre Dame. Seeing a player leave via the portal, especially when you've invested in recruiting her and see her as a future leader, must be very painful. UCLA is doing well this year, with Charlisse Leger-Walker returning after a year away and Gianna Kneepkens, who is having a good season, arriving via the portal. The same cannot be said for USC and Notre Dame, who are having a difficult season so far.
Jovana may give us an idea of what to expect if she participates in this year's Nike Hoop Summit again. She is 18 years old (sorry Z) and was born on October 5, 2007 (see attachment) for this game. Basketball USA always uses high school seniors, but it's not uncommon for the world team to include a few younger players. Last year, Jovana was the second youngest player (the first being Olivia, born Sept. 5, 2008), the US team has already announced its selection. If she is present, the US team would have only three players older than her: Brihanna Crittendon, Addison Bjorn, and Maddyn Greenway. Completing the US team, who were born in 2007, are Jacy Abii, Trinity Jones, and Lola Lampley. The six other younger players who complete the team were born in 2008. The year of birth is important, however, as players born in 2007 will be eligible to enter the WNBA draft after three years of college if they wish, as they will be 22 years old in 2029, the year of the draft. It should be noted that it is rare for a player not to complete her college career. To my knowledge, the last player to declare for the WNBA draft after only three college seasons at UConn was Megan Walker.
I like to add a video to my posts. Since Jovana comes from Serbia and I have already mentioned that their league is not one of the top leagues in Europe, it is not at all the same for the men's side. Serbia was ranked second in the world by FIBA (Nov. 2025), which is quite an achievement for a country with a population of less than 7 million (smaller than Massachusetts) that has been declining since 1987. Attached, you can see a day at the games through the eyes of a foreign journalist attending a basketball game for the very first time. The atmosphere is incredible during a EuroLeague game between two local teams in Belgrade. If you have five minutes to see the difference between North Americans and this part of the world, it's worth it.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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Jovana Popovic (Serbia) - Basketball Stats, Height, Age | FIBA Basketball
Explore the career and performances of Jovana Popovic. Access all stats, latest news, photos, videos and achievements.www.fiba.basketball