One to Watch - 14 years 6'8'' Nada Maksimovic

[From Canada]

Nada Maksimovic - Serbia - Player Profile - FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket 2024 | FIBA Basketball

All detailed statistics, points, assists and rebounds of Maksimovic - Serbia from FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket 2024

www.fiba.basketball

During the summer season, I like to follow international FIBA age-group competitions. It's always interesting to discover new talent and I always keep an eye out for tall players. The U16 championship is currently being held in Europe, where it takes place every year. It's worth noting that the player I'm presenting turned 14 last month, on July 27. She therefore concedes just over 2 and a half years to the oldest players in the competition, who were born in January 2008, which at such a young age makes a huge difference.

Of course, her size first caught my eye, but I did a bit more digging before telling you about her. I discovered that she was the daughter of Slobodanka Tuvic Maksimovic. Her mother played for the Serbian national team, 11 years in the Euroleague and, above all, 4 years in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury in the early 2000s. I thought there might be interest at that time in coming to the USA.

I've attached her FIBA profile and a match she played against Sweden yesterday. I know she also participated a year ago in Jr NBA but I haven't dug into it. With her size and background, I think we need to keep an eye on this player's development.

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[moosefan]

6'8" at 14 is pretty insane.

 

[JoePgh]

Is she related to the Boneyard favorite Ivana Stepovaya?

 

[asuwish]

She is so awkward as she grows into her body her only skill is her height. Hopefully she gets comfortable with her height and can develope some real skills

 

[From Canada]

I hope Nada Maksimovic, whom I introduced 19 months ago, continues to make progress. The young Serbian is already playing in the same senior league as Jovana this year, in addition to playing with the younger players. At the time of the first post in August 2024, she was 202 cm (6'7.53") tall; since then, she has grown an inch. According to Serbia’s official website, she is now 204.5 cm tall.

Last year at the U16 European Championship, Serbia finished in 5th place, which is the last spot guaranteeing a berth in this year’s U17 World Cup. Unfortunately, Serbia withdrew, and Italy—which lost the match for 5th place—will be the team to fill the European quota next summer. Nada, who is still eligible for the U16 Championship, is expected to compete there. Like Jovana, this will be her third appearance in this age group. Serbia will also participate in the U18 European Championship, so it’s not impossible that she’ll play in that tournament as well. It’s not uncommon in Europe for a player to compete in more than one championship during the summer.

Attached are two Instagram posts. In the first one, from a year ago, we can see that her back-to-the-basket skills, despite her being only 14, are already well-developed. In the second one, swipe left for the fourth and fifth photos: the first shows her hands near the rim, and the next highlights the difference in height.

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