By Jeff Rice, NN Senior Writer

jrice@nittanynetwork.com

Feb. 12, 2009

The first two players from Serbia and Montenegro to play for Penn State had some trouble negotiating the differences between European basketball and the American game.

The third has made most of the transition already.

Unlike Milos Bogetic and Nikola Obradovic, new Penn State commitment Sasa Borovnjak will already have some significant American playing experience under his belt when he joins the Nittany Lions this summer.

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward is a senior at Veritas Christian Academy in Fletcher, N.C., where he regularly battles some of the nation’s top prep talent. Playing games against the likes of Oak Hill Academy and Mount Zion Academy, Borovnjak is averaging 25 points, 12 rebounds and three assists per game. Last week, he scored 41 points against Queens Grant, burying 16 of his 19 field-goal attempts.

“He can flat-out score the basketball,” said Veritas Christian coach John Jordan.

Borovnjak began playing the game in Belgrade, Serbia, at the age of 10. He started out as a guard, but had a terrific growth spurt at age 15. He took his ball-handling and passing skills to the four and five positions and since coming to the United States in November 2007 has added nearly 30 pounds of muscle.

Jordan believes Borovnjak could play anywhere from the three to the five at the next level, adding that his post defense is stronger than his perimeter defense. The Nittany Lions will likely use him to fill some of the minutes vacated by standout power forward Jamelle Cornley, who is graduating this spring.

“I think I’m best in the post,” Borovnjak said. “And if I play a guy stronger or taller than me, I can take him out to the perimeter and play face to face.”

Bogetic, a 6-10 forward who transferred after two seasons, and Obradovic, a 6-5 guard who left the team after three seasons, both struggled to adjust to the physical style of the Big Ten. Borovnjak, who was nicknamed “Sushi” by his teammates at Veritas for his soft style early on, has already begun to adapt. He says he still follows his shot “Serbian style,” but his favorite college player is North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough, one of the most physical players in the country.

“In America, it’s more lifting and dunks and that kind of game,” Borovnjak said. “In Serbia, you stay on the ball and call more plays and try different kinds of plays.”

Borovnjak’s final two choices were Penn State and the College of Charleston, two schools he figured had good shots of playing in the NCAA Tournament. Other schools, including Georgetown, had made late overtures, but Borovnjak, who joins point guard Tim Frazier (Houston) and swingman Jermaine Marshall (Lewisberry, Pa.) in Penn State’s Class of 2010, decided to end the process Wednesday. A chance to earn early playing time, which he is likely to get, was a major factor in his decision.

“I think I will play a lot at Penn State,” he said. “And get a chance to show what I know.”