Dejan Kravic Waited 642 Days…The Time is Now.
642 days.
The time spent before Dejan Kravic’s played his first ever NCAA game. The 6’11 super skilled Serbian-Canadian out of London, Ontario has come down a rare but very interesting path into the Big 12 Conference with Texas Tech.
February 4, 2011 was his last official game prior to this season. However, it wasn’t Big 12 basketball, it wasn’t even NCAA basketball.
York vs Ottawa was the final game of Kravic’s CIS (Canadian University) career where he was averaging an impressive 16 PPG, 10 RPG shooting over 52% from the field for the Lions.
After redshirting a season, fast forward nearly two years later and Kravic is putting up 13.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.5 blocks on 60% FG in 23 minutes in the NCAA (statistics through four games).
“The butterflies are gone. In the first game I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect…Now I’m more confident and thats the biggest aspect of my game moving forward.”
This Saturday, Kravic and the Texas Tech Red Raiders take on their biggest test of the early season in the #9-ranked Arizona Wildcats of the PAC 12.
“We’re a lot more talented than last year…coach Walker has been doing a great job energizing us, which transfers on the floor. We think we could compete with any team,” Kravic told NPH.
“I’ve been shooting extra in the gym, there’s definitely a lot of excitement. After that game against Jackson State our focus was on Arizona.”
TTU defeated Jackson State on November 26, where they were down by as many as 11 early in the game, and by three at halftime. Texas Tech picked up the victory 84-75, but the game served as a good lesson for the team.
“Following that game, we had one of our best practices,” said Kravic.
From an individual match up standpoint, 6’11 Kravic will take on 7’0 freshman Kaleb Tarczewski, rated a Top 10 prospect in America from the class of 2012.
Kravic has been observing fellow Canadians putting up major numbers in the NCAA. Most recently, freshman Nik Stauskas (Mississauga, ON of Michigan, has been lighting up for the Wolverines; coincidentally a former teammate of Arizona’s Tarczewski. at St Mark’s.
While watching and producing in his own right, make no mistake, Kravic he is representing.
“Im letting everyone here know Canada is on the rise.”
And for the big game againt Arizona?
“It’s going to be a war in the post, I have to be ready. On both ends”
Kravic is a true hidden gem that every coach searches for. Not many people know about this versatile forward, [who possesses NBA potential, yes I said it] but they will find out sooner than later.
