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Basketball is religion for Serbian native, TAMIU guard Matija Novkovic


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Basketball is sacred in Serbia. The country is a powerhouse at the international level. That’s why Matija Novkovic feels like it is his religion.

The Texas A&M International senior guard grew up inhaling everything concerning basketball. He would wake up early to watch fellow Serbians Vlade Divac drop mid-post dimes and Peja Stojakovic hit 3-pointers in the NBA during the early 2000s. He would watch any EuroLeague games that were on television, along with attending any Basketball League of Serbia games he could.

Novkovic feels like he was meant to be a basketball player.

“It is something I’ve done my entire life,” Novkovic said. “I grew up holding a basketball in my hands. I grew up watching and talking about it. I don’t see myself doing anything but basketball. I’m pretty sure I can do a lot of things, but I don’t want to because basketball is what I want to do.

“It’s literally like a religion over there. It’s a part of our DNA.”

Novkovic is in his second and final season with the Dustdevils. He transferred to TAMIU two years ago after spending two seasons with Utah State University Eastern. And the Belgrade, Serbia native aims to leave a mark.

Last year was tough for Novkovic. It was a new environment for him, and he and the Dustdevils suffered a lot of losses — 25 to be exact. Despite the struggles, he was one of the few bright spots for TAMIU.

Novkovic finished as the team’s third-leading scorer averaging 8.4 points per game. His season-best performance came in a 76-71 win over Eastern New Mexico as he scored 22 points. Novkovic was also one of the Dustdevils’ top 3-point shooters as he shot 37.9%.

While Novkovic performed admirably, he felt he could have played better last season.

“Honestly, I did put some pressure on myself — that was kind of a mistake on my side of things,” Novkovic said. “I think I should have performed way better. I think I am capable of playing better.”

Novkovic prides himself to be the best. He was instilled with that mindset playing in Serbia.

Basketball isn’t just a sport to Novkovic, it’s spiritual for him. He wants to win, something he did often back in Europe as he helped Serbia win the bronze medal at the U17 ISF World Championship. Whenever he is on the court, he is as serious as can be.

“He is a workhorse,” Texas A&M International head coach Rodney McConnell said. “He has impressed me because he works extremely hard.”

Novkovic has proven he is capable of being a dominant player before. He averaged 20 points per game in the U18 Serbian League. He has even played some of the best Europe had to offer in tournaments.

“I played (Denver Nuggets center) Nikola Jokic in EuroLeague tournaments and in the Serbian League,” Novkovic said. “I played (Dallas Mavericks guard) Luka Doncic in some international tournament.”

Doncic and Jokic are two of the best players in today’s NBA. Doncic was named to the All-NBA first team this season, while Jokic was named to the All-NBA second team. If he can be competitive against those two players, Novkovic is confident he can best what the Lone Star Conference has to offer.

Novkovic believes he is in for a solid 2020-21 season. He has already gotten accustomed to the coaching style of McConnell — who is in his first year as the head coach of the Dustdevils. He and McConnell both feel the system TAMIU will run this season will help Novkovic thrive in his final year with the program

“I feel like the type of offense we are going to run will fit his skillset,” McConnell said. “It’s really going to help him. We need him to be a shooter and be physical on defense. I think he will know where more of his shots will come from this season. With that said, it should hopefully increase his nine points per game to 12 per game. He is not afraid.”

McConnell wants Novkovic to be labeled a “threat” on the scouting report. The coach aims for the senior to be one of the Dustdevils’ top playmakers — especially from beyond the arc.

Novkovic describes his upbringing in Serbia as amazing. He doesn’t remember much of the Yugoslav Wars, which occurred between 1991 and 1999, as he was around 3 or 4 years old when it ended. What he does remember about that period and the early 2000s is how basketball brought Serbia together.

Novkovic remembers how the Serbia national team won the 2002 FIBA World Cup. He remembers how the squad performed in the Olympics and the Euro Basketball Championships. He also recalls the feelings he and his fellow Serbians felt seeing those teams succeed.

“They gave us a reason to be happy during those tough times,” Novkovic said.

Novkovic is happiest when he is on the court. He can’t wait for his senior season to tipoff. And he hopes to play as the winner and player he flashed while in Serbia, because he plans to help the Dustdevils win a lot of games this season.

gkroeger@lmtonline.com

Twitter: @gkroegs

https://www.lmtonline.com/sports/article/Basketball-is-religion-for-Serbian-native-TAMIU-15625185.php

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