Olivia Kristjana Vukosa, UCONN class of 2026 offer, and Croatia U 16 National Team

[CajunHusky]

Olivia Vukosa is listed on Nan's August recruting target post pinned at the top of the Boneyard. FIBA has her holding dual Croatia/USA citizenship. Olivia's hometown is listed as Whitestone NY and she attends Christ the King, alma mater of Sue Bird, Tina Charles and Chamique Holdsclaw. Olivia is ranked #2 in 2026 HoopGurlz and at only 14 is in receipt of a large number of offers from several top Div I schools.

 

[awhom111]

To be clear, Vukosa is not the youngest player on the team. One of the starting guards is more than three months younger. All in all, there are five 2008 born players on the team so they are playing for the team's division status in next year's tournament as well. Only two players were eligible to return from last year's bronze medal winning squad. The top five teams in this tournament qualify for next year's U17 World Cup.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Maybe she will grow 4 more inches by the time she is 18?

Perhaps, although the average girl of her age only grows another 1/2 inch.

 

[Zarathustra]

To be clear, Vukosa is not the youngest player on the team. One of the starting guards is more than three months younger. All in all, there are five 2008 born players on the team so they are playing for the team's division status in next year's tournament as well. Only two players were eligible to return from last year's bronze medal winning squad. The top five teams in this tournament qualify for next year's U17 World Cup.

Yes, I stand corrected! Olivia's birthday is September 7, 2008 and Majstorovic's birthday was in December, 2008.
I may have been looking at an earlier version of the Croatian Roster ( pre-tournament) or I was confused with
the European style of listing dates, e.g. 7/9/2008 for Olivia = September 7 , not July 9th. So, can we
agree that she is the SECOND youngest? Somewhat obsessively I check the rest of the tournament
players. Of 159 players who played at least 0.5 minutes, only 9 ( I think ) are younger than OLIVIA. There
are quite a few born in 2008, but not so many in the later part of the year, 2008. The only younger player
who comes anywhere close to Olivia in EFFICIENCY rating is Mia Luzgina of Lativa with a rating of +10.5.
Olivia's efficiency average for two games is 28.5. Mia is a point guard , I believe, who averages 7 points per game
with 3.5 assists per game. Mia's birthday is October 6, 2008. For completeness, Portugual has two
14 year old players who are younger that Olivia. Portugal appears to have the youngest player,
Mafalda Monteiro, 5'10", who was born on December 31, 2008 !! Mafalda has an efficiency rating of "NIL" , zero.
On to Israel at 7 am today. All the stats are in Croatia's favor, except free throw percentage and
Israel committing fewer fouls. I'll admit some of the differences are rather minimal. But as GENO
has said: " BUT WE HAVE VUKOSO" ( Taurasi)!! z

 

[Zarathustra]

First Quarter Croatia 19 Israel 13 OLIVIA with THREE FOULS = sitting the bench
Olivia's Stats: Three points, two reboundss one turnover, two blocked shots.
Without the BIG "O" in the middle Israel makes driving lay ups and some nice give and go
shots. Israel has a good fan base at this game. Could be interesting!

 

[Zarathustra]

Half Time Croatia 40 Israel 36
Olivia came back in at the 6 minute mark and made no more fouls.
She had to play cautiously but her presence in the middle really helped
even just by holding her arms up straight. Olivia made a good INSIDE TO
OUT pass for an assist and another nice outlet pass for a transitional score.
BUT.... Croatia with tremendous INABILITY to inbound after baskets and
then.... many turnovers before getting the ball over half court.!!! The Israel
Head Coach, who looks like she could be playing in this game, is working
the refs. ( hoping for more fouls on Croatia and thus getting Olivia out
of the game and putting more fouls on the primary ballhandlers for Croatia.)
Without Olivia the whole Croatia offense and defense changes. They can
win without her, if # 6 and # 9 do well , but without some three pointers
and some outside up shots Croatia could be in trouble. Stay tuned.. Fouls
and turnovers should make the difference.

 

[Zarathustra]

End of three quarters Croatia 63 - Israel 52 Croatia beginning to hit their three pointers
Olivia picks up her fourth foul, but stays in the game. She then made four free throws in
a row to REALLY help. H.C. of Israel still working the refs, very hard. Olivia is strong on the
rebounding now up to seven.

 

[HopJim]

While some were wondering how much the youngest player would play Olivia must be tired after playing entire game. While she made some mistakes and at times looked like she borrowed Dorka or Natalie’s hands she is definitely someone UConn should have.

Once Natalie Butler's broken thumb fully healed, her issues with holding onto the ball decreased. Dorka also had a broken thumb and did not appear to have bad hands once it healed. At George Mason, Natalie led the country in rebounding, double doubles, and set an all-time record for most rebounds in one season. Based on these comparisons, suspect Geno would likely Olivia up today.

 

[Zarathustra]

Final Score 81 Israel 70
Olivia 12 points 9 rebounds two assists, FOUR FOULS, one turnover, two
blocks and an efficiency rating of +16
Croatia did what they needed to do to win. Messy ball handling, too
many fouls and turnovers. Very smart game by Olivia not picking up that
fifth foul... nicely cautious. PRUDENT!!! LENA Bilic # 9, 6 ' 2 for Croatia, a solid
player and so is # 6 Hana Arnautovic 5' 9". Head Coach for Israel a real
competitor! She has a scrapy team with gives a very reasonable effort on full
court press that, almost, brought total grief to Croatia. The Threes started
to fall for Croatia and they made just enough of their free throws to make it a
comfortable margin. We'll have to wait to see who is the competition in
the next round. Many games yet to be played today. A workmanship
game for Olivia... doing what needed to be done to help the team. NICE!
An aside: Watching Ines and Portugal earlier this month and
now Olivia and Croatia, it is my opinion that Croatia plays more like
UCONN than Portugal. It must have been frustrating for INES to have
one style in your (GENO) head and trying to play a different style in Europe (IMO).

 

[#12in21]

More incidential STATS ( much too early to say much with many games NOT completed
as of this posting, BUT = Big "O" #3 in PPG at 19 ppg: # 10 in FG %,
# 7 in 2 point %, # 8 in free throws at 80 % # 1 in REBOUNDS !!!! at 19 rb pergame
# 4 in minutes played per game (37.9mpg) NOTE: Croatia Guards are #1 and # 2
in Minutes per game # 6 Hana Arnautova (sp) 40 minutes per Game!! and #9
Lena Bilic just under 40 minutes per game. Will we have tired legs against ISRAEL?
and finally OLIVA KRISTJANA VUKOSO is NUMBER ONE in EFFICIENCY per game
at 28 . 5 = not shabby for the youngest player on the Croatian team, at 14 years of age ( and one of
the youngest in the U16 tournament ) Also noteworthy in this game against Italy, of
Olivia's 22 rebounds = SEVEN were offensive and FIFTEEN were on the defensive end.
REST THOSE LEGS!! See you at 7 AM.

Thanks for all the recaps. Hopefully not long after Nika's departure we have a new Croatian Sensation on the squad, and yet another talented Husky with a Christ the King pedigree! Hoping Olivia makes her commitment as soon as eligible and its to play with the good guys.

 

[JellyBean]

OLIVIA is for real! Stats: played 40 minutes, 22 points,22 rebounds,6-8 free throws,2 assists and one steal. Second double double , 42 rebounds in 2 games and 38 points to lead the team. It was close at the end, but Croatia won. Now I will wait for 2 things to happen; will Olivia come to Uconn aaand will she GROW another 4".

Those are some nice numbers!!

 

[JellyBean]

I was watching some of the U16 games on YouTube and some of these players and teams, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium just to name a few, got some serious talent. The skill level is pretty decent.

 

[Next 12]

I have tried all day to find out who Olivia's parents are and how tall they are. No success. Does anyone on the Bone Yard know what rheir names are? It wouls answer a very big question for me. Thanks to snyone who knows.

 

[Next 12]

I have tried all day to find out who Olivia's parents are and how tall they are. No success. Does anyone on the Bone Yard know what rheir names are? It wouls answer a very big question for me. Thanks to snyone who knows.

I meant, Thanks to anyone that knows.

 

[Dublin]

I meant, Thanks to anyone that knows.

Will Olivia's tournament be over by the time the Huskies are in Croatia? If not, will the Huskies' staff meet with her parents?

 

[Argonaut]

Will Olivia's tournament be over by the time the Huskies are in Croatia? If not, will the Huskies' staff meet with her parents?

The tournament is in Turkey — she’s just playing for the Croatian national team.

I’m sure her parents have already had a chance to talk to the staff. Olivia has taken unofficial visits to UConn with her family — the most recent of which happened recently during the first summer session.

Alsoooooo, this week is designated by the NCAA as a recruiting shut down period. No contact can be made between recruits and programs.

 

[Zarathustra]

Croatia vs Belgium Wednesday at 2:30 PM on the internet
Olivia's Stats 16.7 ppg # 3 in the tournament FG % 39.5 % # 16 in
the tournament, 2 point % 46.9, # 8 in the tournament Three pointers
0 for 2 0% Free throw % 80% #5 in the tournament, rebounding
15.7 per game #1 !!!!! in the tournament Blocks 1.3 per game # 8 in
the tournament and fouls 3.3 per game 7th highest in the tournament
(remember she is using a different ball and different refs than in Long
Island at Christ the King Regional H.S. Croatia should win over
Belgium BUT Croatia has three out of the top four players in minutes
played per game: #1 Hana Arnautovic # 6 for CROATIA AT 39.9 MINUTES PER GAME
#3 Lena Bilic # 9 for Croatia at 38.7 minutes per game and finally OLIVIA
is # 4 she is # 15 at 36. 4 minutes per game ( and that with sitting out
with 4 fours in two games!!) So we might expect some tired legs sometime
during this tournament 7 games in 9 days!!! OUCH ! NOT A DEEP BENCH!!

 

[awhom111]

Croatia vs Belgium Wednesday at 2:30 PM on the internet
Olivia's Stats 16.7 ppg # 3 in the tournament FG % 39.5 % # 16 in
the tournament, 2 point % 46.9, # 8 in the tournament Three pointers
0 for 2 0% Free throw % 80% #5 in the tournament, rebounding
15.7 per game #1 !!!!! in the tournament Blocks 1.3 per game # 8 in
the tournament and fouls 3.3 per game 7th highest in the tournament
(remember she is using a different ball and different refs than in Long
Island at Christ the King Regional H.S. Croatia should win over
Belgium BUT Croatia has three out of the top four players in minutes
played per game: #1 Hana Arnautovic # 6 for CROATIA AT 39.9 MINUTES PER GAME
#3 Lena Bilic # 9 for Croatia at 38.7 minutes per game and finally OLIVIA
is # 4 she is # 15 at 36. 4 minutes per game ( and that with sitting out
with 4 fours in two games!!) So we might expect some tired legs sometime
during this tournament 7 games in 9 days!!! OUCH ! NOT A DEEP BENCH!!

Not a lot of teams have players with experience at a high club level given how young they are, but Belgium had Annie Kibedi, who still has a year in this age group, but played rotation minutes for the champions and played minutes in close EuroLeague games. Lena Bilic played a significant run for Nika's former club, which finished as runners up in Croatia. Obviously they have to win the first game, but this is not a terrible mini-bracket for them to reach the semifinals.

 

[CajunHusky]

Croatia vs Belgium Wednesday at 2:30 PM on the internet
Olivia's Stats 16.7 ppg # 3 in the tournament FG % 39.5 % # 16 in
the tournament, 2 point % 46.9, # 8 in the tournament Three pointers
0 for 2 0% Free throw % 80% #5 in the tournament, rebounding
15.7 per game #1 !!!!! in the tournament Blocks 1.3 per game # 8 in
the tournament and fouls 3.3 per game 7th highest in the tournament
(remember she is using a different ball and different refs than in Long
Island at Christ the King Regional H.S. Croatia should win over
Belgium BUT Croatia has three out of the top four players in minutes
played per game: #1 Hana Arnautovic # 6 for CROATIA AT 39.9 MINUTES PER GAME
#3 Lena Bilic # 9 for Croatia at 38.7 minutes per game and finally OLIVIA
is # 4 she is # 15 at 36. 4 minutes per game ( and that with sitting out
with 4 fours in two games!!) So we might expect some tired legs sometime
during this tournament 7 games in 9 days!!! OUCH ! NOT A DEEP BENCH!!

Croatia next plays Tuesday at 2:30p, game available at

https://www.youtube.com/FIBA

 

[Zarathustra]

Croatia next plays Tuesday at 2:30p, game available at

https://www.youtube.com/FIBA

Thanks for the correction! I've been losing days with getting up in
the middle of the night to watch World Cup Soccer, Spain over Sweden 2-1 WOW!
and , of course, Australia vs England , tomorrow morning at 6 AM. Tomorrow
being Wednesday ?? . I'm taking a nap today and a after supper bedtime =
When you get lost on the day, .... I hope it is just the sleep!, no? THANKS, Z

 

[Zarathustra]

End of First Quarter Croatia 20 Belgium 18
Olivia with three points but 5 rebounds. one turnover.
Olivia needs to practice with Aaliyah Edwards on completing
the step through to the basket and her " set shot" from
the foul line. I'm sure it will come ( in this game ), but for
now it is painful to watch. Croatia should be ahead more
and Olivia could easily have 10 points. But ... NO FOULS
on OLIVIA which is a good sign for an eventual "W"!

 

[Husky fanatic]

So far not a good offensive showing for Olivia. Seems to be just throwing it up there expecting a foul without even looking. Defensively doing just ok.

 

[Zarathustra]

At the half Croatia 39 Belgium 32 Oliva with eight points and 12 rebounds
with 4 offensive rebounds and 8 defensive. one foul (NICE!), three turnovers,
and a hustle play. The hustle play was when Olivia was blocked on shot under the basket by a rather tall
(# 16) Belgian player (no height for her on the roster, but she looks 6'5", #12 for Belgium is
also rather tall but also no height for her on the roster) so, ...after the block, Olivia trailed the play
and BLOCKED the Belgian on the other end of the floor, NO FOUL! NICE. RUNNING
THE FLOOR in a true UCONN fashion! EXCELLENT!
Olivia appears to have a sore left hip which she is messaging. It appears minor.
An off-game scoring for Olivia despite the 8 points, she needs to get her steps down for her pivot
move to the basket.... maybe it is the sore hip? Croatia should win this one
at the foul line... time will tell.

 

[Zarathustra]

So far not a good offensive showing for Olivia. Seems to be just throwing it up there expecting a foul without even looking. Defensively doing just ok.

I agree. I think part of the game plan is to get to the free throw line. But these shots
are not esthetically pleasing. Make those free throws! Olivia is four for six from the charity stripe, if
my notes are correct.

 

[Zarathustra]

End of the third quarter Croatia 67 Belgium 52 OLIVIA BIG 'O" with 12 points
in the quarter including two three pointers and bank shot hook and two free throws.
Croatia is spreading the floor and scoring on drives to the rim. Belgium staying
in there with some much improved three-point shooting.