Jovana Popovic is a Husky! | The Boneyard

Jovana Popovic is a Husky!


Jovana Popovic (PG) from Serbia. She participated in the last Nike Hoop Summit and turned 18 last month. Last summer, she had a good European U18 championship. Attached are her contact details and the quarterfinal game against Spain, the team that won the tournament. She is a combative player, a bit like Nika, but she is more focused on offense.
 
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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
 
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
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.

Pretty much all the numbers are impressive. A lot of assists like a PG, incredible scoring and shooting like a shooting guard, enough rebounds to be impressive as a 3, lots of steals, not many fouls. Blocked shots so so and maybe slightly high on turnovers are the only stats that are not excellent.

Have no idea about the level of competition, but her stats suggest a well rounded game, and the potential to perhaps be a three position player at 1-3 despite her size.
 
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.
 
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 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.
 
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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.
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.
 
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.
 
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.
Cancel that scholarship!! ☺️
 
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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.
 
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.
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.

Mega Mis has no international players (outside Europe); the best international players play in the Euroleague or Eurocup. Attached is the European top 100 ranking, with Jovana's Mega Mis team in 57th place, but the ranking is based on a points system and can be misleading.

In my opinion, the best leagues in Europe can be recognized first and foremost by the number of qualified teams that play in parallel in the EuroLeague, which is the strongest competition, followed by the EuroCup, which is the second strongest. No team from the Serbian league plays in the EuroLeague and only one plays in the EuroCup.

The leagues in Turkey, France, and Spain each have three teams in the EuroLeague, while Italy has two. In the Eurocup, Spain has five teams, France and Italy have three, and Turkey has two. The Czech Republic has one team in the EuroLeague and four in the EuroCup, but things are looking grim for the bottom teams in this league, which have suffered seven defeats, with the team playing in the EuroLeague scoring more than 110 points against them. Jovana is still having a great season, though.


Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
 
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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.
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.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
 
If the first link didn't work, this one should.

A VERY worthwhile highlight video of Jovana
Popovic leading her team in the bronze medal
game. She is the PG, she passes to the open
teammate for the multiple 3s, she steals the
ball and drives the court for the coast to coast
play. Note: A three-level scorer Jovana makes
lovely assists and can beat her defender off
the dribble or step back for the three pointers.
AND... in this film she was a youngster on
the Serbian team. This is not club play, but
good international competition. Take
10 minutes + to get behind the numbers that
most of Jovana's posts describe == SEE THE
ACTION! She'll be in Storrs soon!! Z
 
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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.
 
If she can learn to keep her opponent in front of her, she’ll play a lot. Good passer, drives into the paint willingly and hits the three.
 
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.
One basic answer to this: "In Geno, I Trust". But, Jovana has
been playing in FIBA events since 2021! She has played in
the NIKE HOOP SUMMIT in Portland, Oregon on the WORLD TEAM
vs TEAM USA (good competition there!) April 12, 2025. Jovana is 1.75 m or
approximately 5 foot 8.8976378 inches (sorry, maybe she has
grown!) Her birthday is October 5, 2006, = 19 years old. Jovana is right-handed with use of the left when scoring. She started BB at 9 years old after
starting out with swimming. She currently plays with ZKK ART
Basket in Belgrade, the First League in Serbia. She may or may
not fall into any of your categories. But SHE IS GOOD (IMHO).
About that "FRENCH BIG", do you mean Alicia Tournebez, 6'7"?
She has already signed by Dawn Staley and is PLAYING at USC for
the last few games. Alicia is rather good and another "BIG" in the
tradition of Gamecock WBB.
I look to two possible Foreign POIs as possible final
additions: Sara Okeke, the Spanish star, 6'3" now playing in
TEXAS. Then there is EMMA CECHOVA, 6'5", a 21-year-old year old, date of
Birth 7/12/2004. If interested in more on EMMA see/ google:
"The Rising Stars Who Shone at FIBA's WOMEN's EUROBASKET,
2025" (from July 3 ,2025). There is a chance that EMMA may go
directly into the WNBA. I think she could be a one (or more)
year player with Geno as a transition to the development of Olivia Vukosa.
So, the real question in my mind is 1. Does Geno "need" another
player for the freshman class, or 2. Does Geno go for a 6'3" player like
Okeke (who might need some grooming at UCONN before playing), or
3. Does Geno go for the seasoned 6'5" EMMA as the one or multiple
year player to continue his string on NCAA National Championship?
I am hopefully expecting #13 this Spring.
Aren't you glad you asked about Jovana, BLAKEON18??? Z
 
I have more info...and of course that has led to more confusion on my part...that was expected.
So Z,,,I am glad I asked. Can't wait to hear reports from The Horde when they see her in practice...shooting/passing/
ball handling/ defending/getting hugged/getting yelled at...the whole 9 yards.
 
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.
If Allie is not starting or getting a lot of minutes something will be wrong.
 
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in a way, next year's rotation will be trickier to break into than this year...
With Azzi, Serah and CD graduation and Olivia and Jovana added and with the getting back to health of Morgan and Ice, the team will be stacked.
Who starts? who is in the rotation? i see 10 players who can claim they should start/be in the rotation: Sarah, KK, Ash, Blanca, K9, Allie, Jana, Olivia, Morgan and Ice.
That leaves Yanna, Kellis, Jovana and Gandy as the end of the bench players.
So basically, I see Jovana having a limited role the coming season but the season after with KK and Ash graduating, she'll have a prominent role in the rotation.
 
If the first link didn't work, this one should.

I think I've already seen this game before. And just for the record, I'm not particularly worried about Popovic's left hand. I'm just trying to get a sense of her. But really, I think she's pretty awesome.

What I'm thinking about is how her adjustment to D1 US basketball, and especially UConn basketball, might go. I find myself imagining comparisons to Ash and Nika. She's not as quick-footed as KK, but she doesn't need to be. KK and Kelis will provide that quickness. Nika wasn't super quick either, but she didn't have Jovana's offensive skill set. But she made up for it by excellent passing skills. Jovana doesn't seem to have Nika's defensive ferocity, but she looks to be a good passer, and may become a great one. Is she as feisty as Kayleigh?

The more fitting comparison may be Ash at least on the offensive side. Jovana has similar skills to Ash all three levels, and especially that midrange game. Is she ready to run as hard as Ash? That's a good question. In this game, she doesn't appear to be quite as energetic as Ash was in high school. She takes the occasional play off. On the other hand, she will push the ball hard when there's an opening, and she will scrap for a rebound.

I'm not sure how much this game against Israel really shows. They started hot and took an early lead. But they soon ran out of gas and Serbia ran away with the game. To be sure, Jovana engineered the win, which is pretty awesome for a 16 year old playing with older players. I don't doubt for a second that she will relish the challenge Geno and CD and all her teammates will pose for her. And I really look forward to watching how she expands her game in response.

Above all, what strikes me is that she is used to being special -- she plays above her age, she directs older players, and she knows coaches trust her. When she arrives in Storrs, the first thing she'll discover is that she's not special on her new team. KK, Ash, Kayleigh Allie and Kelis will challenge her to be better. And she'll play with better bigs than she's ever had a chance to do -- Sarah Blanca Jana Olivia Morgan Ayanna and (hopefully) Ice will demand the ball from her, and when she figures out how to get it to hem, they'll do more with it than she's probably used to. I hope she rises to the occasion.
 
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.
 
Blanca hasn't been in starting line up by design not by talent. Geno uses her to change tempo and intensity. Similar to Gabby her freshman year. Blanca could and would start probably anywhere if the decision was made on talent. If Jovanna has similar skills, which we shall see, she may or may not be in the starting lineup next year depending upon what team dynamics are. JMHO.
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.
 
The reason Blanca hasn’t cracked the starting lineup isn’t because of talent. It’s because the current starting lineup is a perfectly functioning machine. Talent alone has never been enough for Geno. Everyone on the roster is loaded with talent. To crack this lineup you need to play as a unit and that means knowing where to be and what to do at every moment in a read and react scheme. In Geno’s lingo, you have to be a ‘basketball player’ not just an athlete who plays basketball.

Blanca isn’t quite there yet. Neither is Kayleigh. But they’re well on their way. Allie is perhaps closest of these three, though her skill set doesn’t have an opening in the starting lineup yet. Kelis is still very far from being ready to start. But if she’s patient this too may come for her.

Where might Jovana fit in next season? She’s clearly a talented athlete with a lot of basketball smarts. She looks to be a three-level scorer and a decent defender. She’s used to running an offense and finding her teammates. She can score 25-30 if needed but she’s even better at helping teammates score. This is a skillset Geno knows how to work with. Above all, she looks like she prefers winning. That’s why she chose UConn.

But as good as Jovana is now, next season’s lineup is going to be loaded with talent competing for the same 5 (or 8) spots. KK Ash Kayleigh Allie will have a huge leg up on Jovana. Probably Kelis too. It could be very different in her sophomore year when the path to a spot in the rotation will look much clearer. She and Kelis could well be the backups for Kayleigh and Allie. Of course, Kaleena could change things a bit if she decides to come.
 
The above two posters reinforced my point about Blanca. Blanca's talent would get her in the starting lineup almost everywhere else. Geno has two all Americans that allows him to put "do the dirty work Ash" who doesn't need to score. Obviously, the lineup works very well together.

Blanca will start next year not because she drastically improves. There will be a spot for her.
 
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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)

 
It will be interesting to see how much Jovana plays next season. Coming from a European background where offensive systems and passing play a larger role during player develop than they do in the US should give her an advantage in coming into UConn over someone like Kelis.

But as currently constructed the UConn roster is rather deep. It was easy to have 15 this season as Geno was not counting on large contributions from Carol, Ayanna, Ice, Morgan, or the freshman. Plus, he was trying to factor in injuries a bit. So the players have gotten their time on the court -- but with Jana and Ayanna returning to health and form that is starting to become less true.

Next year, there aren't going to be a lot of placeholder spots on the roster and a lot of people deserving minutes.
 
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)


Dear "From Canada", Very helpful, thanks for the correction. I think
I made a transcription error the FIBA WEB PAGE. GO Jovana!, GO Aaliyah!,
and "Oh (GO), CANADA! (I have family in Toronto!) Z
 

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